Hi, I was about to open a topic on this, since I had the chance to try the new Duotone Ventis last week, here it goes the experience.
Intro:
Duotone Ventis is going to be available in 7m and 8m, in standard and Dlab versions, not sure if both measure. I did try the 8m DLab and the 7m standard construction, so those 2 will be available.
The tester (aka myself): 1.81m, 72kg, intermediate to advanced rider (tacks, jibes, free-fly, 360s, jumps, raley, flakas, not to brag, just to assess the level, definitely I am not a pro :) ). I am not sponsored but I am a local rider for a shop here in Spain and we ride Duotone, just as a disclaimer. Anyways, I think I am an objective guy :)
Test 1: 12-15kn, 55L Sky Style Fanatic Board, w799 Sabfoil front wing (1100cm2) 8m dLab
Ok, those conditions make no sense with such quiver, I was obviously overpowered. I would have been fine on 4m to 4.5m but I was too curious to wait. First thing I noticed, besides the power, is that the front handle is almost twice the size of the back handle. This allows you to to move the front hand further back and ride with only one hand, like with a boom. First though I had was that I wanted those handles on my Units, and I have been told that most likely the new Units will adopt this setup. There is not a lot of space between the 2 handles.
It flies quite above your head, which is nice because it doesn't touch the water with the tips, and even tacking in such overpowered conditions was super easy as it just goes flat above your head allowing you to turn easily.
With a nice kicker this thing will get you flying if you are into jumping :)
I had to get out because I was going to injure myself being so overpowered and there were more people in the line to test it.
Test 2: 12-15kn, 55L Sky Style Fanatic Board, w799 Sabfoil front wing (1100cm2) 7m standard construction
This was way more enjoyable, even though still unnecessary in that wind range. Very easy to maneuver despite the size, again it's because it flies easily in a higher position rather than completely in front of you. I tried a few jumps and it really wants to pull you up. I even started a frontside 360 (didn't really mean to, but I jumped off balance and started the rotation) and I was surprised to be able to turn it decently above my head, even though I crashed :)
After 30 mins the wind started to drop to 10kn and I was still powered (I can ride a 5.5m Unit with the same setup and 10kn), I had to get out to have somebody else test the wing. For a heavier rider/ beginner this is going to open a whole new wind range, especially if paired with a non-sinker board.
Test 3 9-11kn 55L Sky Style Fanatic Board, changed foil to fanatic glide 725cm2 8m dLab
This is more interesting as a test. I had never used such a small front wing before, getting it going requires different technique compared to what I am used to. Basically I had to almost go fully downwind to get speed, which in turn takes out some of the wing power as you don't create apparent wind. After getting the hands on how to start, I still had plenty of power to get going. Once on the foil, the speed was really great. I am not into racing, and I can't compare speed since my GPS died a long time ago, but I can definitely say it was the fastest speed I ever reached on a wingfoil.
This to me is the point of those wings, they are made for racing where you want a lot of power to ride the smallest and fastest foil possible, possibly with a harness.
Test 4 8kn and dying, 55L Sky Style Fanatic Board, w799 Sabfoil front wing (1100cm2) 7m standard construction
Another interesting use, low winds. With around 8kn and the 7m I had to pump a bit (obviously) but it was quite easy to get going, once up the ride was very nice. When pumping it I didn't feel like I was touching the water, obviously it's a big wing, so for shorter people that might be more of an issue, but I am not a giant either and I was very comfortable. I tried a few 360s, going backwind, jibing tacking etc and it was very easy to move around despite the size. After 15 minutes the wind completely died and I had to end the test.
Ok, long post, but I hope it's useful. In summary, I would say that it's a wing that will find it's use for racing with small foils, and to explore the lowest limits of wind range.
The local shop will lend me a 7m and an 8m in the following weeks so that I can do more tests, I will let you know. I wanted to get the bare minimum wind I need to get going with the 7m/8m, even though I might be more limited by my board size than wing size. I will see if I can also try them with a non sinker board, like an 85L.
I will let you know.
Great review! The new handles are interesting. Are there any advantages to have a boom anymore?
Select to expand quoteBennis123 said..
Great review! The new handles are interesting. Are there any advantages to have a boom anymore?
I really don't know, maybe for some tricks it's easier if you have no gap at all, but I haven't tried any wing with boom.
Handles are way more practical in terms of packing the gear I believe.
Select to expand quotemitxval said..Bennis123 said..
Great review! The new handles are interesting. Are there any advantages to have a boom anymore?
I really don't know, maybe for some tricks it's easier if you have no gap at all, but I haven't tried any wing with boom.
Handles are way more practical in terms of packing the gear I believe.
I think they went to handles because standard Slick boom is too short for those wings.
Thanks for the review Mitxval.
The Specs show the same numbers for both Dlab and the regular. I guess this slipped past them because the weight shows the same for both right now.
Select to expand quoteFishdude said..
Thanks for the review Mitxval.
The Specs show the same numbers for both Dlab and the regular. I guess this slipped past them because the weight shows the same for both right now.
yeah, that doesn't sound right.
To be honest, for the size they have, none of them felt heavy, again, they are not a 4m :)
I would say the 8m dLab felt similar in weight to the 7m standard, but it was on the high end of the wind range.
I would need to test them in lighter wind, there is when you need to pump and weight difference is more noticeable.
In my mind, for my weight, the 8m is an overkill. With a 7m and a non sinker board I would expect to get going in 6kn, but I might be wrong.
As an interesting data, the wingspan of the 7m is almost the same as the 6.5m Unit. There is a nice picture in the Duotone Ventis web page comparing the profile of the ventis and the slick.
Looking forward to trying the 8m I preordered when I got a heads up they were on the way. Returned an unused 7m SLS which was too close in light wind performance to the 6.5m Slick v3 I have. Made sense that the Ventis is why the Slick V3 only goes up to 6.5m.
Select to expand quoteBennis123 said..
Great review! The new handles are interesting. Are there any advantages to have a boom anymore?
Greater rigidity, plus it makes absolutely everything in the water easier. I have the Gong Superpower with the boom option and now want all my wings to have it. The only drawback is that the wing packs down like a windsurf sail in a long skinny bag.
Looking forward to more reviews.
Comparisons with other lightwind wings would be great (CWC obviously), but also with the new Duotone 2023 Slick 6.5 vs the 7m Ventis would be very interesting.
I'm kind of surprised the Ventis does not come in a 6m especially now with the incorporation of downwind boards for light wind winging.
The struts design with more camber has got to have pros and cons it would be nice to understand that better. I assume it could give more forward pull along with grunt, but what does that cost in return?
Hoping some Florida Boys get to play with it some as they may be the lightwind experts LOL. They sometime pick up on subtleties that can be useful info to some of us. Like this quote "I sold my north 8m because it was heavier than the cwc v2 and I'd run into it when I would jibe. the subtle weight difference becomes VERY apparent during that move, not so much when just flying along."
Select to expand quoteFishdude said..
I'm kind of surprised the Ventis does not come in a 6m especially now with the incorporation of downwind boards for light wind winging.
The struts design with more camber has got to have pros and cons it would be nice to understand that better. I assume it could give more forward pull along with grunt, but what does that cost in return?
The wing tips don't hit on the new 6.5m Slick, so no need for a 3 strut Ventis.
Adding two extra struts adds a lot of weight.
Did you notice no Mod3 canopy on the Ventis. Yeah, it would weight a ton, with 3 struts AND a Mod3 canopy.
When single strut kites became all the rage for kite foiling, it was the massive weight savings of deleting the two wing tip struts that caused the whole industry to jump on that bandwagon. It was a wow moment for me. I sold all my kites and went zero struts, then came back to one strut, but never went back to 3 struts.
3 struts are a necessary evil, not a feature you want, unless you have to. So 7m and 8m make sense. The 6m CWC makes no sense.
That makes sense.
I know next to nothing about wing design but this seems like it could be more to it because of the added camber that the strut can add. And at a glance the Ventis outer struts look be more pronounced of camber than the CWC.
Edit
Just thinking the extra camber compare to a non strutted wing could bring other aspects to the performance
Keen for feedback on how the 7m compares to the 8m in terms of how much earlier you can get flying on the 8m. Is it a 1kts difference on the bottom end, or a bit more?
I'd like to get going in lighter winds, but don't know if the 8m would be so cumbersome, that it's no longer fun. I'd slight like to be able to practice 360s, and wing pass jibes in the light wind sessions.
Hi,
Just adding a few pictures of the 7M Ventis DLAB.
Wind it's been horrible lately and I have tried it in impossible conditions.
The first day I could just take the pictures as it was <6kn.
Yesterday it was 6-7kn, maybe some very short 8kn gusts, and with a weight -15L board I could get on my feet and almost start.
The limiting factor was definitely the sinker board.
If the 8kn gusts were constant or at least they lasted a little bit longer I think I could have started.
I think that with a board around weight +10L with good low wind profile (ie, no weird cutoff or channels) and a decent foil it should be doable to ride in those wind conditions. I weight 72kg.
I think that for my weight the 8m would be an overkill, I am not sure if the extra area would compensate for the sinker board, I would need to try it.
I did try the 8m DLAB (overpowered in 13-15kn) and I could do 360s with it, not sure about wingpass as I have learned the trick after the test.
I feel like you might touch the water with such a big wing in the middle of the pass, I will try it as soon as the wind allows it :)
I love the extra long front handle, the new Units will have it as well.
I will post more feedback when I can test it better.
Hi, yesterday I managed to try the 7m dLab Ventis in light wind conditions.
8kn,60L board, 1300sqcm front foil wing (sabfoil 945) and 72kg rider, I could get it going with a good cardio session :)
Once I got the foil flying I got plenty of power. Tacking and jibing is easy, I also did a couple of 360s no problem.
I couldn't do the wingpass, I am comfortable on the 5.5m, but the 7m is really big :) Maybe with more practice it's doable, but yesterday I couldn't drive it behind my back.
My feeling is that for my weight 7m is really the maximum I would need, 8m seems like an overkill.
Currently I am limited by the volume of the board, not sure if the 8m could compensate, but with a bigger board, like an 85L with good easy release shape It should be doable winging in the 6-7kn range with the 7m.
I recently did a back to back test of the DuoTone Ventis 8m with a F-One CWC 8m V2 (V3 I hope to do when we next get a light wind day).The F-One CWC 8m V2 (which is lighter than this years V3 CWC) did feel lighter in the hands on foil and floated a bit better in ordinary gybes. But this was the only thing it had over the Ventis.
I'm 81kg, 80L Board, Axis HPS 1050 foil and conditions were 8-9 knots which built slowly to 12-15kts over the session. I had no issues getting onto foil in 8-9 knots 3-4 pumps and we were up on foil.
The Ventis pulls more strongly than the CWC on foil, it also has a different pump technique to get onto foil, The 8m CWC is a wing you do big scoops with, the Ventis is more of the fast mini pumps and build speed type of wing (very much like a DuoTone Unit).
I tried tacks, heineken gybes, duck gybes, lay down gybes and 360s - this wing is very very accomplished at all these more complex gybes, it cuts through the wind really well and is a joy to tack. It's also faster than the CWC 8m and also can point upwind a lot better. I suspect the CWC V3 probably has a better upwind ability than the V2 as it is a flatter tighter canopy than the V2. The 360 it did was beautiful and going into it I was expecting issues with it being such a big wing but it just sailed through it and exited on foil like a champion.
It does drop the tail of the wing a little more in normal gybes than the CWC V2 due to the extra bit of weight in the handles.
I found it easier to stay on foil with the Ventis and was less stressed in gybes as the Ventis is just cleaner through the wind than the CWC V2 so you generally lost a lot less speed when tacking / gybing.
I would probably use the Ventis with a harness as it has a strong consistent pull that would probably over time cause some grip fatigue. I did a couple of hours without the harness as I never run a harness when assessing a wings performance but I couldn't help but feel the session would have been easier with the harness. Pull from the handles is nicely balanced between the two hands and you can fly it one handed off the front long handle.
The Ventis is around 200g heavier than the CWC V2 but I can't say I felt that weight as it has a really nice characteristic of always trying to lift / fly upwards even when taxiing off foil, so you never really feel like you are carrying the whole wing weight.
Comparing handles I'll take the Ventis handles over the floppy CWC V2 handles all day long - so much more precision and control with the hard handles. Plus back winding you don't have to hold the strut / leading edge directly and can just hold the handles on the Ventis when back wind riding.
Given a choice between Ventis and CWC V2 I would take the Ventis - now I need to see if that would also be true of the V3 CWC.
All testing done with the dacron version of the 8m Ventis.
I'm not a sponsored rider - so these views are my own. Last year I ran a quiver of F-One Strike V2 with an 8m CWC as my low wind wing. This year I'm running 2023 DuoTone Units with the 6.5m Unit as my light wind wing.
Really like tbe Ventis 7m. Complements my quiver of slick sls and unit 23s. Rigid and powerful and can handle higher
winds. Rigid handles are long and nicely placed so feels almost boom like. I like the compact shape so I think the extra tip struts work well. Haven't measured it but seems as compact as Slick 6m and the jump from that to 7m Ventis feels right. Don't feel I needed the 8m. Different pump method than slick sls for me so dialing that in still. Enjoy it with sabfoil W999, 85ltr 4'8" board. Can get it going without whitecaps and it's still a sporty ride I like. Haven't tried it with my Appletree Jazz 4'8" yet. Not sure that's a fit.
Select to expand quoteRolavi said..
Really like tbe Ventis 7m..,
And your weight @rolavi pls.
because my weight is 70 kg and I am tempted to by 7.0 Ventis next to complement my quiver of slicks. From 3.5 to 5.5. and maybe just maybe ?? I can save some money and stay with 5.5 as my biggest wing. ??
I have the 8m Ventis and have quite a few sessions on it now. 93kg coastal winging in mostly cross on but occasionally cross of conditions. Last time out was fairly flat no swell and 7-8kts of cross on wind, no visible whitecaps. a few pumps of the Ventis got me going easily with the MA1750 foil. I have found that water state is by far the biggest factor in early foiling. Obviously the flatter the water the easier it is to pump on. If its super flat cross off conditions I could probably get away with the 6.5m Slick v3 but the Ventis has the pull to get going in some chop and swell and is less tiring than pumping like mad.
Handles well in gybes and pulls consistently but being big it will never break any speed records. For me it cruises around all day at 14kts in less than 10kts of wind.
I am using it with a Gong Crusader and this makes getting going in light conditions easier but it will get my Patrik AIO going in much the same wind, just a bit more pumping.
Its also easy enough to tow in behind you prone paddling when the breeze inevitably dies!
I have been out with it in about 16-18kts when the wind has filled in and it stays very stable and easy to use while you head in to change down.
For my weight the 8m crosses over nicely with the 6.5m Slick.
Select to expand quoteCiki62 said..Rolavi said..
Really like tbe Ventis 7m..,
And your weight @rolavi pls.
because my weight is 70 kg and I am tempted to by 7.0 Ventis next to complement my quiver of slicks. From 3.5 to 5.5. and maybe just maybe ?? I can save some money and stay with 5.5 as my biggest wing. ??
Hi, I weight 72kg and with the same 60L board and 1300cm2 foil, the Ventis 7m gives me 2-3 knots in the low end compared to a Unit 5.5m
With the Unit I need 8 constant kn plus some 10kn gusts to get going, while with the 7M Ventis with 7-8kn I can start.
Also, the 7m will keep you going even if the wind drops below 7kn, I doubt that the 5.5m would be enough to survive in those conditions.
With a non-sinker board I would say 6kn it's doable with the 7m at our weight. It also depends on water conditions, if it's flat or some small waves that you can use to start it's far easier than choppy conditions.
I have a few videos of the Ventis in action, but I can't upload them here, maybe I just don't understand how to do thta :)
is it possible only to share from youtube? They are on my IG but I am not sure if I can link them in the forum.
Select to expand quoteCiki62 said..Rolavi said..
Really like tbe Ventis 7m..,
And your weight @rolavi pls.
because my weight is 70 kg and I am tempted to by 7.0 Ventis next to complement my quiver of slicks. From 3.5 to 5.5. and maybe just maybe ?? I can save some money and stay with 5.5 as my biggest wing. ??
I do own your quiver plus the 6.5 and that's already another world compared to 5.5. I'm 80kg and don't use any bigger foil than my 1250 Free as once up on foil it's opening your wing speed potential massively. 6.5 still is boom in addition .. if possible compare both as with 70kg you're already on the lighter side of the game !
Select to expand quoteFoxi said..Ciki62 said..Rolavi said..
Really like tbe Ventis 7m..,
And your weight @rolavi pls.
because my weight is 70 kg and I am tempted to by 7.0 Ventis next to complement my quiver of slicks. From 3.5 to 5.5. and maybe just maybe ?? I can save some money and stay with 5.5 as my biggest wing. ??
I do own your quiver plus the 6.5 and that's already another world compared to 5.5. I'm 80kg and don't use any bigger foil than my 1250 Free as once up on foil it's opening your wing speed potential massively. 6.5 still is boom in addition .. if possible compare both as with 70kg you're already on the lighter side of the game !
Yesterday I could compare the Ventis 7m dLab vs the Slick 6.5m SLS (latest model).
Same board (60L @72kg rider) and same Sabfoil w945 (1300cm2). The wind was really low, 7kn with around +/-2kn gusts/drops.
First thing I noticed is that the Ventis is stiffer than the Slick SLS, not sure if it's because of the Aluula or because of the extra bladders, but when pumping to get going it is noticeable. I could waterstart with both wings, but with the 6.5m I needed to work a little bit more. Once in the air, I was ok with both of them, but the Ventis has more pull, the upwind capability was significantly better and you could recover from any mistakes a lot easier. The difference is not massive but it is noticeable and in such low wind conditions everything counts.
Both felt ok in terms of maneuverability (jibes, tacks, 360s, backwind etc.) considering that they are big wings.
I still believe that with a board that floats (85L more or less for my weight) the Ventis 7m could get me going in 5-6kn, definitely not an option with the Slick.
With the Ventis yesterday I actually did a nice ~30km upwind/downwind route around the coast, the upwind was a piece of cake, even though with a harness it would have been a lot more comfortable, it really pulls a lot. During the downwind, when going fully with the direction of the wind I had absolutely no pull from the wing, I was mentally prepared for a long swim/walk but I got used to it, took advantage of some swell (almost none existing) and some gusts and I actually enjoyed the ride :) I am more into waves/freestyle, but wind has been terrible this summer and the Ventis is a session saver :)
Select to expand quoteCiki62 said..Rolavi said..
Really like tbe Ventis 7m..,
And your weight @rolavi pls.
because my weight is 70 kg and I am tempted to by 7.0 Ventis next to complement my quiver of slicks. From 3.5 to 5.5. and maybe just maybe ?? I can save some money and stay with 5.5 as my biggest wing. ??
84 kg and my big board is a 4'8" 85 ltr flat bottom board. First year 5m was my biggest, last year 6m sls biggest now this year Ventis 7m. I can get going pretty early on 6m. However the 7m Ventis is a hand truck and lets me power through messy boat chop, small fish and sea nettle foil hangs. It gives me some extra throttle and can handle some decent wind as well. It doesn't give me a ton of extra low end but give me a little more fun in ****ty wind and sloppy sea state. I am old and the goofy color scheme reminds me of old windsurfer sails when I was a teenager in the late 1970s early 80s. Never would have picked the colors but they have grown on me.
Select to expand quoteCiki62 said..Rolavi said..
Really like tbe Ventis 7m..,
And your weight @rolavi pls.
because my weight is 70 kg and I am tempted to by 7.0 Ventis next to complement my quiver of slicks. From 3.5 to 5.5. and maybe just maybe ?? I can save some money and stay with 5.5 as my biggest wing. ??
84 kg and my big board is a 4'8" 85 ltr flat bottom board. First year 5m was my biggest, last year 6m sls biggest now this year Ventis 7m. I can get going pretty early on 6m. However the 7m Ventis is a hand truck and lets me power through messy boat chop, small fish and sea nettle foil hangs. It gives me some extra throttle and can handle some decent wind as well. It doesn't give me a ton of extra low end but give me a little more fun in ****ty wind and sloppy sea state. I am old and the goofy color scheme reminds me of old windsurfer sails when I was a teenager in the late 1970s early 80s. Never would have picked the colors but they have grown on me.
Hi folks,just thought I would share my first outing on my 8m Ventis not Dlab.Well it's big but surprisingly light with only 5-6kts of wind under it,just floats nicely.I qualify for the big dawgs category 110kgs 6'3",riding Kalama E3 6'0 x30"-130Ltrs ,
Gofoil 2200,FTL 20",V2 90cm.Well wind 7-12kts gusty
On our estuary.One small gust one or two small pumps up on foil.Ventis felt stable with power.
Hooked in once I settled down to a very clean 2klm run across the estuary.Gusts in open water 10-15kts now but the Ventis just handled the gusts better than my Fone cwc7-8mtr wings.
Pointed way higher with a more useable powered feeling.Very happy so far.
Will have to get used to the extra size in transitions.
Good luck getting hold of a Ventis in Australia- no stock anywhere & on back order.
I put my order for an 8M in early & waited 2 months for it to arrive. It's a great low wind wing- v powerful & flies well. Not difficult to gybe with as it floats above my head well.
Only downside is that it is tail heavy due to long fuselage. When standing up or taxiing I have to make sure I'm holding it high enough to keep the tail out of the water. I move my hands to the bottom of the handles to assist with this. Once foiling it's so powerful I need both hands at the very front of the handles.
