DUOTONE 2023 WARP FIN
Duotone have just released the 2023 Warp Fin sail which is largely unchanged due to its proven track record as a race winning sail!
Photos: Si Crowther.
Duotone Say:
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SLALOM FIN SAIL WE’VE EVER BUILT
For 2023, the WARP_FIN is unchanged apart from a minor colour tweak. Why? We have found these sails are almost unbeatable in fin racing – we took both of the IFCA World Titles with Jenna Gibson and Jordy Vonk and a further 19 podium places at the Senior and Youth Worlds. Whilst we are not complacent with our success, we also don’t want to disrupt a winning product.
For 2022 we completed redesigned the WARP_FIN and we can firmly say the changes we made led to the best slalom racing sails we have ever made. How do we validate this claim? Well 7 Slalom World Champions and 19 World Class Podiums speaks for itself. At the highest level of fin-only slalom – Jenna Gibson and Jordy Vonk won the IFCA World Championships, meanwhile at a junior level, a further 5 Duotone Young Bloods took the World Titles in their respective age groups at the IFCA JYM World Championships. This means, not only is the WARP_FIN the best racing sail for our professional World Class Athletes, but also for our highest performing juniors. For all sizes and skill levels, the WARP_FIN is the best fin-slalom racing sail on the market, and that is why for 2023 it will be unchanged.
What did we do to make such an incredible sail?
Firstly, the WARP_FIN is ready to race right out of the bag. Unlike most other slalom racing sails the WARP_FIN does not need any time-consuming fine tuning. Even with our slalom racing sails our aim it that you just take your sail out of the bag, rig it according to the visual markers, and you can be assured to have the performance than our racing team.In racing, maximum acceleration and control over the material are what count when it comes to standing at the top of the podium. You need ultimate speed and control on the course, but also to be able to sail for many hours in a row to win at the end of the week. So, it is only logical that all the innovations and improvements of the WARP_FIN 20.22 were aimed precisely at this.
Last year’s model marked a complete redesign. The more pronounced High Aspect Ratio design, especially in the larger sizes, with a shortened boom length and a forward-shifted profile, requires less power, is lighter in the hands and offers more control at the upper wind limit. In addition, stiffer tube battens stabilize the shape well into the overpowered range and you can easily convert even monster gusts into extra speed.
Overall, the WARP_FIN is more balanced, less exhausting, and even more controllable. On the other hand, acceleration was also improved to make up ground after the start and jibes. Based on the successful NO COMPROMISE DESIGN concept, the draft position was moved a bit further up, to lift the board which leads to improved planing and explosive acceleration thanks to reduced resistance.
The NO COMPROMISE DESIGN also made it possible that the propulsion does not start abruptly and must be “muscled down” but builds up much more gradually and softly than with other power slalom sails! This relieves the pilot, giving them extra power reserves for the entire course and full concentration on the race. There are other positive side effects of the modified profile geometry with a higher draft position: the trim of the board improves, making it easier to fly on the rail and in combination with the unrivalled soft camber rotation the sail jibes even more effortlessly and faster. Lastly, the team worked on perfecting the upper luff curve which again improved the overall performance and made the sails even less physical. To comply with the new PWA rules most of the work went into new 5.8 to ensure it covered the same wind range and performance as the previous 6.2 and 5.5. Whether you want to be the fastest at your spot or win national or even international races the WARP_FIN is your weapon of choice.
KEY FEATURES
NO COMPROMISE DESIGN: Guarantees an ideal mix of maximum power and forward pull without losing stability / wind-range or becoming super physical
SIZESPECIFIC DESIGN: Thanks to three different, size-dependent concepts each sail size is individually matched to the wind strength+
XPLY BATTEN POCKET: Eliminates stretch and doesn’t absorb any water (dry weight = wet weight)
7 BATTEN DESIGN: Makes the WARP one of the lightest slalom sails on the market+
HYPER CAM 2.0: Completely new and technically superior: the camber revolution with adjustable length – for optimized rotation and increased performance
iROCKET 2.0: factory calibrated individual batten tensions using a torque wrench+
MODERATE CUTAWAY CLEW: Less blow out / hinge-effect for more power and more direct acceleration.
ON THE COURSE FOR THE COURSE: Developed and tested in real racing conditions on the course against all competitor sails convinced us that the warp can beat anything out there.
FULLY INTEGRATED PROTECTOR: lightest protector of its kind but still super effective.
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