Duotone Kiteboarding 2027 — Every Kite, Board and Bar That's New

Most model years are a new graphic and a tweak to a tip. 2027 isn't that. Duotone have changed how the kites are actually built — and unlike a shape update that only affects one model, this runs through the whole range.

Here's everything that's new, from the Evo D/LAB down to the bar and the bindings.

The construction change is the actual story

Five things have changed in how a 2027 Duotone kite goes together. The new overlap seam construction is up to 50% stronger than a standard seam while being lighter, and because the panels connect more directly you get a more immediate steering impulse. Micro Loop Connections are smaller and slicker and save up to 50% of the weight of the old connections at the same durability.

Micro Batten Construction is the one you'll probably notice most: up to 40% lighter per kite, with less tip flutter and a smoother profile, which translates into more precise steering. There's a new Fusion Joint Connection that's lighter with better durability, and a single stitch trailing edge that cuts drag and tidies up the whole silhouette.

None of those are marketing garnish. Weight out of a canopy and a stiffer, cleaner frame is the same recipe that made the D/LAB kites feel the way they do — it's now filtering down the range.

The kites

The Evo D/LAB keeps the three-strut Aluula D/TX frame and gets faster response and a genuinely improved top end, with more direct steering from refined profile tuning. It also feels more playful than the outgoing one, which is not a sentence you often get to write about a kite that's also the most technical in the range.

The Evo SLS loses the Flex Strut and runs higher inflation pressure — 9 PSI up to 10m, 8 PSI from 11m — with a new canopy profile giving more progressive bar pressure. The Rebel SLS gets an optimised leading edge for less drag, a faster climb and a more dynamic jump response, and it's now balanced across the whole size range rather than being sweetest in the middle.

On the wave side the Neo SLS gets a one-piece centre strut for more torsional flex plus the new Hybrid Flex Strut, which makes for a faster, more dynamic turn. The Dice SLS has a revised strut layout for calmer flight and more defined bar pressure, and optimised tip tension for better control through loops.

The Select SLS gets a whole new outline

This is the twintip news. The Select SLS is wider for 2027, which gets you planing earlier and improves the low end noticeably, and the bigger planing surface makes landings softer. Normally added width costs you upwind, but the angled rails hold on, so upwind actually improves slightly. The Jaime SLS and TS Big Air SLS both get extra reinforcement to improve pop and cut reverse flex, and the TS Park is longer with the fins moved closer to the edge to stop slip-outs on flat water pop.

Bars, bindings and a first from Duotone

The NTT 360 is a completely new binding, and the interesting bit is the Dual Tune Closure System — two precision dials that let you adjust front and rear straps independently, one-handed, while you're on the water. It's around 20% lighter than the previous NTT, comes in four sizes, and fits most twintips on the market rather than just Duotone's.

The Big Air Handle is Duotone's first Big Air-specific board handle, with a WOO compartment built into it and an external control lever, so no more sticky pads. The Click Bar drops the front line stopper ball and now ships with the Low V-Distributor in the box, and the Trust Bar gets the DPL24 depower line in black plus extra frontline pigtails for finer trim.