I know it is in French, just use Google Translate 
2 Likes
Someone had to come up with it. I know FD weâre always hesitant due to mounting a Lipo battery on your body.
As someone who used the original FDA+ with a waist mounted battery, I can say FINALLY!
Iâm not a huge fan of efoil assists in general these days (they are making a mess of our local lineups) but having tested most of the setups, I can confidently say removing that weight off the board was a huge improvement in performance bringing it slightly closer to a âreal foilingâ feeling.
Having an OEM with warranty, waist mounted option seems like a better choice than dumping money into boards with big channels dug out of the base (which still end up as heavy setups)
5 Likes
Can I just say that swallow tail fish foil board in those shots might be the kookiest thing in foiling(and Christ on a cracker thatâs saying a lot) just when I was thinking âthose dweebs at duotone of so much money to throw at this theyâve gotta have something great in the worksâ they go and make that eyesore. Jesus that looks like gen 1 foil equipment like that Green slingshot nightmare board that existed in 2016
âWait a minute, that graceful and timeless
Swallowtail on that board. Is it being ridding by legendary style master Joel TudorâŠor a French e-foiler? Weâll never knowâ
7 Likes
More pics here, seems like the board is in the deal 
Its the slot the cord goes thru. Its still ugly, but it does have a function.
Please never again have team riders smiling at the camera while foiling
Other than that, this looks super awesome. I guess you canât buy it without the mast?
I am sure when he was getting his photo taken he didnât realise it would be photoshoped onto a foiler 
1 Like
Guy who has made home made versions said that cord is going to get pulled out on the first over waist high wave you fell on. Itâs happened to him.
1 Like
I was using mine in much bigger than waist high and didnât have any such issues with my garage hack job on my FDA+ waist mount.
Without seeing the Duotone version in person I canât speak to how they have addressed it but in my case a dyneema sheath used as the âleashâ that was shorter than the power cable meaning it always took the load rather than the power cable worked well.
I donât ride assists anymore but if itâs been built from the ground up for waist mounting it could actually be a decent option for someone who wants an assist without all the weight/drag and thatâs not something I thought Iâd be saying about duotone!
3 Likes
Re: Fishtail, I agree(d) - but someone has subsequently pointed out to me that it allows for a shorter wire loop from the motor to the leash attachment. If they didnât have the fish tail, the loop would be longer to clear the tail of the board and could get caught in the prop. So it turns out there is a design purpose for it here.
1 Like
âon the foil drive I get one or two pumps and I feel like itâs the weight of the boardâ at 23:00
if you are a beginner, please do not for one second think that it is anything but bad technique that is getting in the way of your pumping, watch that clip at 23:00 before giving that review from performance perspective any credit.
3 Likes
Agreed, but I thought itâs kind of refreshing to see a very average rider doing the review rather than a pro that can rip on anything.
The reviewer did a very good job of describing all the features though.
2 Likes
Yes itâs a very good review. I was probably too harsh as they are able to ride a wave which I wouldnât have guessed fromt that review video.
But I donât really agree that at that level you can really give useful feedback on how well something works in a general sense. Sure you can say âthis works better for meâ, but any reasoning around why, and especially whether that might be useful for better for someone else I just donât think works. There are too many variables and too much going on to pin anything down usefully for your own use, let alone a generalisation.
I look back at all the theories around what worked for me at various stages of the progression, so often they were entirely misguided.
(to be clear itâs better than a sponsored pro spouting their company agenda, or even worse a competent rider now on a deal but not yet announced)
3 Likes
The guy went over every detail so the viewer could see what the rpoduct is like. Then took it for a test and had a great experience. He said it felt way lighter than the fd and said he could pump better which makes perfect sense. Sounds good to me. Just about everyone doesnt know how to explain pumping correctly except to explain how they percieve it. If all reviews had to be perfectly factual we would never get a review and a persons feedback on anything. Its all subjective feels. I thought it was a great review.
3 Likes
Yes I thought it was a great thorough review, more a point on âtake your reviews with a huge pinch of saltâ, as at that level almost anything could be improving the pump. They even mention that they felt less drag when pumping, which doesnât even make sense as the Duotone has no improvement when it comes to drag while pumping.
(Iâve made a backpack DIY foil drive, and itâs an improvement on the FD for weight, but still feels absolutely terrible relative to no motor at all)
1 Like
Warning, very personal point of view:
Not gonna lie, this looks very uncool from a purely aesthetics point of vue. I am also not a fan of the assist systems because of the lack of respect they bring upon foilers at the lineup, and this isnât going to help the case.
When I go foiling in waves, I do it prone, itâs a workout, itâs hard, and thatâs also the point: Surfing is a sport one can do for a lifetime for the simple fact it requires to put a ton of effort and time in order to get a single good wave, which will then be perceived as the ultimate reward. If itâs too easy itâs fun for a while and then people move on.
Itâs only my opinion and to be fair un understand the assist opens the door to a lot of people that either donât have a good break nearby or simply donât have the skills or fitness to foil prone. I just wish it didnât hurt how we are perceived as a community but the reality is that it does.
7 Likes
This feels like a pretty narrow way to look at things. Nobody looks down on snowboarders for taking a chairlift instead of hiking the mountain. Nobody says wakeboarders are âless legitâ because they use a rope instead of dropping it and surfing the wake. Kiteboarders stay connected to a powered system the entire session â and no one claims theyâre undermining wind sports.
The comparison is simple: different tools exist because people enjoy the sport in different ways. If foil assist somehow âhurts the imageâ of foiling, thatâs a perception issue on the part of people who arenât fully satisfied with their own approach, not a problem with the equipment or the people using it.
Foil assist isnât replacing prone foiling â itâs expanding access, adding styles, and letting more riders get on the water in more conditions. That should be a positive for the community, not a threat.
4 Likes