Windsurf MagazineDUOTONE FREEWAVE SLS 95L TEST REVIEW 2024

The Verdict

The Duotone FreeWave SLS 95L is comfortable, controllable, and user-friendly. The FreeWave’s playful and early planing nature delivers fun in conditions that may ordinarily look unappealing. Carrying the rider well the FreeWave does a lot of the work for you – think smooth turns, popping into the air, or making the best of messy conditions. It truly offers the ultimate freedom with a plug-and-play attitude.

The Lowdown

A brushed mustard yellow immediately catches the eye on the underside of the board, while a constant Vee runs the length of the board with some slight double concaves running through targeted areas. An MFC thruster setup sits relatively far back in the tail, in the 115l and 125l. The FreeWave SLS is supplied with a single fin rather than a thruster. Rolling the board over the deck reveals a purple, which gradually blends into a blue as you reach the nose. The FreeWave’s deck holds some flatness as the volume is evenly distributed throughout the board from nose to tail. Not overly obvious up close, but standing back you notice the FreeWave’s parallel outline; its rails remain similar in thickness. Moving towards the tail, it is not overly wide, nor overly narrow. It matches the proportions of the board well and holds some volume across its width to promote early planing and extra pop when jumping. The rails at the tail gently thin out to a swallow tail, which provides grip in both turns and choppy waters. The FreeWave SLS is constructed of Duotone’s Premium Sandwich Technology – Strong-Light-Superior. The FreeWave boasts plug-and-play performance and a mini-mast track, plus a handy guide, to help the rider to avoid misplacing the UJ, helping to maximise user enjoyment. Duotone has also provided premium straps along with double-density pads to give an extremely comfortable ride.

Brand Claim

“In addition to the excellent wave characteristics, the FreeWave is also well-suited to classic freestyle maneuvers due to its flat deck and compact outline. Multiple footstrap inserts and fin options allow you to adjust the FreeWave according to your needs.”

Performance

Immediately stepping onto the FreeWave SLS, it feels comfortable. Off the plane, the FreeWave SLS carries the rider’s weight well and feels stable underfoot with its flatter deck profile. Planing occurs very early; as soon as you initiate any kind of positive input, it wants to release and glide onto the plane. The footstraps are easily found, and the board’s flatter deck and more inboard straps encourage the rider to stand more on top of the board. In flatter water, the FreeWave SLS performs as expected. However, it truly comes to life and feels at home when there is a bump to play with. The FreeWave SLS pops with ease off any bit of chop and lands with control as the tail grips, and the volume catches the rider, quickly getting you back up to speed ready for your next maneuver. The neat volume distribution and parallel rails, especially upfront, help keep the nose high as it works through chop. The space and volume upfront assist with critical tacks, and the thinned tail paired with the volume under the straps carry speed through the gybes, while also providing much-needed grip in bouncy waters. Transitioning the FreeWave SLS to wave-orientated conditions, it floats over whitewater, and its quick-to-plane nature gets you out of trouble, remaining nimble as you pick your route out. When conditions intensify, the FreeWave does start to feel a little larger than you might want, but the fins and tail remain locked in. On the face of a wave, it feels fast and free, allowing you to sail at full power. With long, smooth bottom turns, you can happily ease off the power and ride a little more off the back foot to go tighter, however, the FreeWave feels best when it is ridden fast. It truly gives you the freedom to play at absolute ease in a variety of conditions.