Duotone Ultra Freewave SLS
The FreeWave is our best-selling board, especially for South Coast bump-and-jump conditions! So when Duotone said they had completely redesigned and changed the FreeWave, I was a bit nervous! However, I cannot find any negatives to the FreeWave concept!
I took the board to Marazion in Cornwall in August 2024, just before the launch!The Freewave is best paired with the Duotone Duke. However, as these are cross-over wave/freeride boards, they work well with wave sails! I used the Duotone Super_Hero D/LAB in this video and had no issues!
It's smoother, lighter, has a higher build quality (CNC made in a new factory), and has much better wave riding! What else could you ask for?!
The new Duotone Freewave has a square tail and a longer tail, which helps keep the board's back higher in the water and improves its low-end capabilities.
The new shape means it is also smoother, faster and more comfortable through the chop! The top of the deck is flat around your front and rear foot when out the straps, which helps the rider keep the board flat and will help you plane earlier! It also lets you feel with your foot, where the rail is for gybing!
While sailing, I noticed the board is more front-footed and uses the rails more, which helps the board in many areas. It carves more efficiently, which helps with wave riding, gybing and wave riding!
I should have talked about this more in the video review, but the new Duotone ULTRA FreeWave SLS definitely rides waves much better! Looking back at the footage, I was riding tiny waves quite well. This would not have been possible on a smaller waveboard. The board sits higher in the water than a wave board and is faster, making riding small waves possible and fun!
Now, all Duotone SLS boards are made in the new Duotone factory. This board is approximately 300 grams lighter than last year's. However, last year was significantly lighter than 2023! So this board is around 1 kg lighter than 2023! It is now also CNC shaped, which means, like the D/LAB boards, the shape is exactly how the designer meant it to be, which is felt on the water! They feel more accurate and precise! The price has not increased, so this is a lot of extra value for money!
Key differences and improvements in the 2025 Duotone Freewave Windsurfing Board
- Faster
- Better bottom end and earlier planning
- Smoother and more comfortable through chop
- It is the same price, a much higher value for money because it is lighter, more robust and has higher build quality due to CNC manufacturing (like the D/LAB)
- Better wave riding!
YouTube Video Review: https://youtu.be/beSv1A6EPug