Because now all our 2025 Wave >< Freestyle boards are made in a FULL CUSTOM TECHNOLOGY. This makes the 2025 SLS boards again approx. 200g lighter yet much stronger than boards made in the usual semi custom construction: STRONG-LIGHT-SUPERIOR! For further details please see below under D/LAB vs. SLS vs. ORIGINAL.
But for us custom made stops at the shape of the board because custom shapes often turn out to be a surprise egg.
Our GRIP SLS boards are constantly evolving designs and constructions to ensure we are continuously at the forefront of development yet with over 40 years of experience. We call them World Cup Wave boards as they are engineered to satisfy the best of the best on all kind of spots around the globe, from jumping-oriented side-on conditions like Pozo to down-the-line groundswell conditions like Hookipa.
During development, the major inputs came from 3-time PWA Wave World Champion Victor Fernandez and our next gen heroes Alexia and Carlos Kiefer and Tobias Bjornaa. We have selected these guys as they all have a very contest oriented riding style. Therefore instead of demanding super specialised and extreme shapes they always aim for:
- Boards that are super balanced and easy to control in all kind of conditions without taking on a life of their own, to score maximum turns and jumps
- Boards that are super versatile to sail and allow front- and back foot riding to get the most out of each wave even when the conditions are changing
- Boards offering a maximum wind range to avoid being forced to switch boards during the heat
Well isn’t that exactly what we all expect from our wave board? And that’s why Victor, Alexia, Carlos and Tobias are our most important assets in the development process. In fact, all our GRIP SLS production boards are exact replicas of their best boards from the PWA tour.
Now the most important question you need to ask yourself is which fin configuration best suits your personal riding style:
- The GRIP 4 with its Quad fin configuration gives you maximum drive and grip for committed rail to rail turns, even in XXL waves
- The GRIP 3 has a slightly better acceleration due an efficient rocker with a lower-drag entry, which is especially helpful in jumping conditions. The Thruster fin configuration allows for earlier tail release for tighter/slashier turns, even in non ideal waves
At DUOTONE, the main objectives for all our products are weight saving but at no cost of durability and offering an unmatched plug & play setup. Cause these are the 2 things that help everyone, from beginner to pro level.
Here is what we did to the 20.25 GRIP SLS lineup:
- No 5 multi-setup fin-boxes: this just adds unnecessary weight and drag and is always a compromise since every fin configuration requires a different board shape (bottom and rail shape, outline, scoop-rocker line) to exploit its full potential. It also prevents the board from becoming tail-heavy/sticky. Plus finding a good working setup with 5 boxes is just the opposite of plug & play.
- The mini mast track reduces the weight in the critical nose area. It also reduces the risk to misplace your mast base while still providing just the right amount of length adjustment for all riding styles and sail sizes.
- The mini side fin boxes no longer offer any adjustment to prevent misplacing your fins. Now all adjustability for different riding styles and sail sizes is done through the center fin(s) only - simple and lightweight!
- Our exclusive FULL CUSTOM layup based on over 40 years of experience got refined by DUOTONE chief board construction and QR manager Vasin Siritho.
- Even the artwork got weight optimised by switching from heavy PVC to ultralight water-transfer stickers.
All these efforts result in the best weight vs. durability out there.
In addition, they simply work to their best right out of the box, just plug & shred.
YOUR NEW GRIP SLS DREAM MACHINES ARE READY AND WAITING FOR YOU TO TAKE YOUR RIDING TO THE NEXT LEVEL!
