INBOUND: DUOTONE PARADOX SLS

Duotone’s Stash parawing gets its very own dedicated board which also happens to be a bit of a banger for winging too. Duotone Wing & Foiling Designer Jeffrey Spencer gave us the full lowdown.

Hi Jeffrey. Can you please first give us a quick overview of the new board?

The Paradox is the new parawing board in the Duotone range that also works great as a performance midlength for winging. The goal with this board is to make it super easy to get going while maintaining a surfy and maneuverable feeling in the air.

The Paradox was developed alongside the new Stash parawing. How closely are these two products shaped to work together?

The Paradox was specifically designed to make parawings like the Stash easier to use. Because the boards are light and have a compact shape I always ride the 60L instead of riding a 45L board like I would for winging. I can still pump and turn as hard as I want but with 15 extra liters I get going way easier and can size down on the parawing or the foil.

How much difference can the right board make in getting airborne earlier, and how did you go about making those efficiencies with the Paradox?

Finding the right board is critical for parawinging because it is harder to get on foil compared to winging. With parawinging it is more efficient to pump the board to get going so we focused on features that encourage that style of riding.

What were you chasing with the shape of the Paradox compared to a more conventional wing board?

The bottom outline of the board is narrower and it has a flatter rocker compared to the Skybrid. This gives the board more speed cutting through the water and makes it easier to displace the water when pumping up on to foil. The tail cut removes the surface area in the back that would catch when pumping and a double concave in the front also assists in pushing through the water while still maintaining the ability to plane at higher speeds. The round rails in the front are designed to be forgiving on touchdowns. The angled rails in the back are for stability and efficient pumping in the water and clearance for turns in the air.

The Paradox leans heavily into pumping performance. How important is board design now in linking bumps and staying flying downwind?

Once you are up and riding it is important to keep the board feeling surfy and easy to ride. The flat rocker on the deck is great for pumping, especially connecting swells downwind. There is also a comfortable concave in the deck to give you extra control by being closer to the foil. The pulled in bottom adds a lot of clearance for leaning hard into turns. The outline of the board is compact for the amount of volume and also has a bit of a surfboard shape which encourages surfing bumps nonstop down the coast.

If someone is hooked on parawinging already and looking at their next board, why should the Paradox SLS be their go to?

The Paradox makes it easier to get up on foil and is epic for pumping and carving turns once you are up. The board was designed for parawinging but it is also a great option for people looking for an efficient wing board or a fun SUP foil board for the waves. I also recommend trying this board with the Crest foil. The smooth and fast rail to rail is a perfect combo with the Paradox for parawing downwinders.

You’re at Duotone, so we know you’re working on plenty of other exciting stuff. Anything you can reveal to your old pals at Foiling Magazine?

It’s always fun to add a new board to the line and parawinging is popular right now so the Paradox is honestly the product I am most excited about at the moment. I can confirm we are working of plenty of other stuff, but you’ll have to wait for future editions of Foiling Magazine to find out!