The Duotone Crest: The Foil for the Rest of Us
Less time obsessing over gear. More time actually foiling. Why the Duotone Crest might be the smartest foil in your quiver.
By Eddy Patricelli
Let’s face it: Not everyone has the time, nor desire to own six different front wings, three stabilizers, and a spreadsheet to decipher which combination works best for the day’s conditions.
Some of us have kids. Some have a spouse already wondering why another foil-shaped box is arriving at the house.
And some of us just want to get out on the water, have an amazing session, and come back with a smile.
That’s where the Duotone Crest wins. I rode the entire Crest lineup last year. Here are my three reasons why the Crest delivers for the rest of us.
REASON #1
Liveability
Three. Identical. Bolts. That’s all it takes to put together the Duotone Crest D/Lab foil packages. No funny barrel nuts. No easy-to-lose unicorn hardware. Assemble and disassemble the foil in less than a minute. And with little to keep track of. Best of all, a galvanized mast-to-fuse bond.
Easier snap-lock foil assembly systems exist. But I’d argue that non offer such strong mast/fuse connection. For this dad, a proud minivan owner and constant minivan loader/unloader, the Crest D/Lab is at the ready. Bikes, baseball gear and yard trash day be damned. My foil is plug and play – perpetually, with no performance compromise.
REASON #2
Everyman Sweet Spot
Mid aspect or high aspect? MA or HA? After months of downwind riding, my progressing skills cried out for both. HA wings to glide through flat sections. MA wings for tight turns to stay high on a swell. To go with one wing type entailed compromise: glide at the expense of maneuverability (HA); maneuverability at the expense of glide (MA).
Crest front wings utilize a 8.6-9.0 aspect ratio. This AR lands between the aspect ratio of most HA and MA wings. A sweet spot. Glide and maneuverability that, for my intermediate skills, resonated as an awakening. No choosing. No compromise. Cake and eat it too.
REASON #3
Long Runway, Happy Marriage
A week in Baja with Big Winds’ best foiler, along with the entire Duotone foil lineup. I got to experience this last winter. And while my co-worker and I didn’t ride together, nor talk about what we rode, both of us landed on the Crest D/Lab 925 and 800 as our favorite front wings, with no close seconds.
I liked the HA/MA sweet spot the Crest struck. He loved the Crest for its fluid roll that stayed behaved through “tips-out” turns. That both of us – two riders of vastly different abilities – loved it speaks to a foil with a long runway. No “Why do you ‘need’ another foil?” marital woes. One and done.
What Eddy Rode All Summer
I’m convinced this mast is the magic mojo in play with Crest foils. Stiff, lightweight, and a galvanized connection between the mast and wings that cultivates rider confidence.
There’s continuity within the Crest D/Lab wing lineup. I know this. My progression entailed using all of ’em. I’ve landed on the D/Lab 925 for 10-20 mph wind days, and the 800 for when conditions ramp up.
I gravitated toward the PX 37/160 exclusively — using it with the Crest D/Lab 1200 front wing down to the 675. I tried other PX tails, but for me, nothing beat the glide, turning and pump prowess of the PX 37/160.
Hard to overstate how much this hollow 95 liter, 7.75 pound board boosted my progression. Paddle onto foil, fly on foil, and enjoy marginal conditions you didn’t think possible.
