IMAGINE COMBINING THE DUKE’S JUMP N’ RIDE FREEWAVE QUALITIES WITH THE WAVE CAPABILITIES OF THE SUPER HERO D/LAB. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, YOU MIGHT SAY—BUT FOR US, THAT WAS THE FUNDAMENTAL MOTIVATION BEHIND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRAND-NEW DUKE SLS!

The DUKE’s comeback as a 5-batten Jump N’ Ride sail two years ago was a resounding success. It immediately became the most used and popular sail in ION CLUBS and DUOTONE PRO CENTERS worldwide.

With the DUKE SLS, we’ve now taken this concept to the next level! But instead of simply swapping out the materials, we’ve redesigned this sail from the ground up to unlock the full potential of the materials and give this sail an extra edge. Because depending on the board, the DUKE SLS behaves like a chameleon:

- On single-fin boards with low water resistance (e.g., freewave or small freeride boards), the DUKE SLS has a slight forward pull (similar to the original DUKE). 

- On multi-fin wave boards with higher drag, however, the pull is evenly distributed between both hands. On such boards, the new DUKE SLS offers a riding feel similar to the SUPER_HERO D/LAB, making it suitable for real wave conditions as well.

But how was this made possible?

Well, it’s a combination of an extremely sophisticated sail concept (3D shaping, twist pattern, and profile distribution) and the use of CARBON XPLY batten pockets. The DUKE SLS is characterized by a slightly forward-biased pressure point position, yet with defined flexibility. We call this the DEFINED DRAFT MOTION CONCEPT. Normally, this is a no-go for sails with “soft” epoxy battens, as any movement of the pressure point reduces the wind range. But this is where the CARBON XPLY batten pockets come into play: Since carbon has virtually no stretch, it locks the battens—and thus the pressure point—within its defined range—actually quite similar to a carbon batten.

Unbelievable but true, this is how we’ve fused the advantages of the original DUKE with those of the SUPER HERO D/LAB to create the ultimate 5-batten wave>

So, the DUKE SLS feels similar to the SUPER HERO D/LAB. But what about planing power? 5-batten wave sails offer great control, but with reduced planing power, since more battens make it harder for the wind to fill the sail. That’s why we’ve integrated the BATTEN FREE CENTER concept, which we already use on the SUPER_HERO and the original DUKE. Instead of the usual even batten distribution, the DUKE SLS has a larger gap between the foot batten and the batten above the Boom. This allows the sail to fill up faster in the boom area, resulting in planing performance similar to that of a 4-batten sail. 

But it gets even better: By using additional CARBON XPLY in the high-stress top and foot areas and the STRIPPED TO THE MAX panel layout, we were able to reduce the weight compared to the The original DUKE is

now

So what are you waiting for? The DUKE SLS—the first sail to combine the advantages of a freewave sail with a true down-the-line wave sail.

Key features