Any thoughts between the two?
Not having tried any assist before, I think I would prefer Duotone over the Foil Drive because of the reduced board weight from the battery harness. But I think aesthetically the AMPjet looks the best and looks more simple.
You really need to try all 3 to get a proper idea. Each one is suited to different conditions, the Foildrive being the most universal.
it was a revelation when moving to a home-baked backpack system, coming from FoilDrive Gen1 and Gen2 systems. Taking the battery weight off the board made the board so responsive that it took a couple of sessions to get used to it.
I think the main questions are around:
What are you looking to use it for?
I have owned both, 50+ sessions on each and currently own the Duotone. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have.
First off, they are both beautiful pieces of kit. They are usable straight out of the box with a very quick setup, but they are completely different systems, and I don’t think you can really compare them directly.
The AMP is purely an assist to help catch the wave. It is much more acceptable in the line-up and feels really rewarding to use. It is absolutely brilliant for catching bigger waves, harder-to-catch waves, or for people who want to prone smaller boards or smaller waves but either don’t have a strong paddle or aren’t as fit. It is also great for people learning to prone, or as an assist for winging/parawinging.
You do need a bit of foil skill to get the best from it. The main negative for my user case (this was the same with the FD) was the weight on the board, and the time it took to readjust when going back to prone.
The Duotone is a cutting-edge prop-assist setup. I went back to prop assist because it opens up way more sessions and local spots where I can’t prone. It also keeps you warmer in cold conditions because you are constantly moving and spending less time in the water. With kids and lots of work responsibilities, it helps me make the most of limited time. I’m knocking on the door of 50 so it’s nice to give the arms and legs a rest sometimes!
The performance of the Duotone is incredible. It is less than 1kg heavier than my prone setup, and there is very little corruption of the feel from the weight. I believe all systems with the batteries on the board are compromised to some degree, but if that is all you ride, you get used to the weight and it becomes far less of an issue. With the Duotone, I can seamlessly go back to prone when the conditions allow.
Another benefit is that you have an integrated mast straight out of the box, with no drag at the mast connection. You have even less drag with the AMP, but systems like the FD have a lot of drag unless you spend $$$$ on a trench and integrated mast.
Negatives, the battery on the back and chunky leash doesn’t look the best. I seem to twist up the leash alot which needs unwinding after a few sessions.
The prop assist is not as rewarding as the AMP, because anyone can jump on it buzz around and catch whatever wave they want. But it is a great way to spend time on the water when you are short of time, get practice for prone, and have fun in conditions that usually wouldn’t allow for it.
One is not better than the other. They are very different systems, and it really depends on what you want to use them for. I really miss my AMP (especially the stealth nature of it) and wish I had the funds and time to play with both.
I use the Duotone with my prone FliteLab Raw board which it super light and stiff, it’s holding up really well after almost a year of hard abuse. It only takes a few minutes to swap back to prone. Here is some recent riding on it. Duotone foil assist crest flitelab raw sunset session Jersey Channel Islands