Windsurf MagazineDUOTONE GRIP 3 85L TEST REVIEW 2024

DUOTONE GRIP 3 85L TEST REVIEW 2024

The Verdict

The Duotone Grip 3 is a classic onshore to cross-onshore board that is super user-friendly, while it gets to work with minimal effort from the rider and carries speed excellently both in and out of turns. A performance freestyle wave board, which offers performance with plug-and-play usability.

The Lowdown

This board screams friendly usability, featuring numerous small details, which prevent riders from making tuning mistakes. The most prominent attention to detail is the mini mast track, which not only reduces the board’s weight, but also minimises the risk of mast base misplacement. The Grip 3 is one of the few boards in the test with a purely thruster setup, aimed at providing maximum “Get up and go.”. This user-friendly design simplifies the board, offering fewer options to tweak and change. As you examine its bold aqua-green deck and flip the board to reveal its brushed orange bottom, you’ll notice that the volume is distributed in a rider-friendly manner towards the hips and shoulders of the board. This distribution indicates that the Grip 3 will likely suit the majority of riders. Underneath, a double concave runs the length of the board, transitioning into a channel around the rear central fin and culminating at the tips of the Grip’s tail. This tail shape is a subtle hybrid between a crescent and swallow tail, suggesting that the board is designed for smaller waves rather than large and fast mountains of water.

Brand Claim

“The Grip 3 has slightly better acceleration due to 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 less-than-ideal waves.”

Performance

Floating over the white water on the way out, you will notice that the Grip 3 maintains its speed. Once past the white water, it accelerates smoothly. While it might not be the fastest board in the test, it doesn’t need to be. It tracks upwind well, both when on and off the plane, thanks to its well-balanced volume distribution. Getting up and going is effortless, with the double concave throughout the board doing the hard work for you as it smoothly glides onto the plane. The foot straps are conveniently positioned for quick and easy access when you need them. Sitting on the crest of a wave as you plan your path to attack it, you can relax the power and keep your feet securely in the straps. The board will carry you easily and happily as you make those crucial decisions. As you descend down the face of the wave, the board regains speed. When you initiate that first bottom turn, it does exactly what it says on the tin – it grips. This gives you the opportunity to push a bit harder, or perhaps not, as the board holds its grip and does the work for you. It carries you out of the turns with ample speed for your next approach. Providing significant grip in the tail encourages a riding style more off the back foot. If you want to produce big spray and slashing turns, be sure to push harder and harder on the tail to reap the rewards.