Finally we get s glimpse of how production boards a made -A Step-by-Step Factory Tour

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Yeah I was watching that and kudos to Duotone for sharing it although I didn't find it too reassuring. Soooo much room for error and inaccuracies. Guess that is expected from a mostly manual process but I don't get the message that they are trying to get out with this video though. Full custom vs semi custom, right?

Corbra factory has always been quite secretive and doesn't allow cameras so good to see that this factory is more transparent.

Tough to prevent twist when bagging with a simple rocker stick.

I don't understand what they want to say. All duotone boards are customs? This is duotone factory? With as much people even at low thai cost they need to make lot of boards ! Pocess show here is the standard full sandwich custom, with care and good material give a nice product.

Its nice they are making them properly. Much better product.

However, not a big selling point to see a bit of carbon straight across a stressed point. Where was the engineer on that one...?

@jdfoils - I do the exact same rocker spine and never had a twist yet. Easy to check for twist after anyway.

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Mark _australia said..
Its nice they are making them properly. Much better product.

However, not a big selling point to see a bit of carbon straight across a stressed point. Where was the engineer on that one...?

@jdfoils - I do the exact same rocker spine and never had a twist yet. Easy to check for twist after anyway.

As a small indy manufacturer, for you, would a twist be fixable even if it was detected? I imagine with the cost of materials it would be a complete ball ache! I only make boards for myself, I think I'd rather not know.

Nah if it's twisted you would waste so much time correcting it in later steps that it would be better to start over

i had a long slalom board where the blank sorta crushed weirdly as I bagged the bottom on and it gave it ridiculous vee. It is sitting there teo years later and I'm thinking it will be a downwind board or something haha

Pretty sure those blue face masks aren't the right ones for the job, the person fitting the inserts didn't even have one on any way. think I would trust a fully automated setup to this, every time a human hand touches it theres a chance of error.

This is how I imagine things, please let me know if I'm wrong. I don't think any boards are made fully automated. It's all hands on. They are giving the impression that they are made one at a time. This would not be the case. All the processes are filmed in cute shaping rooms. Those rooms would be for prototypes and modifications. It would be more like twenty tables in a huge room all doing the same process. How else can you make thousands of boards a year. There is no way they are made like a custom board maker. They want you to think your board is special. We would probably be surprised at how the boards are made and the workers working conditions. Apart from a CNC machined core from a block of foam as opposed to a moulded core, I think that they are made in a similar way as any Cobra board, just different lam ingredients. Even a moulded core would be machined to take the skin off. If anything, there would be far more waste machined from a block. Apart from BIC , maybe, I didn't think any boards are now made in a mould.

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Imax1 said..
This is how I imagine things, please let me know if I'm wrong. I don't think any boards are made fully automated. It's all hands on. They are giving the impression that they are made one at a time. This would not be the case. All the processes are filmed in cute shaping rooms. Those rooms would be for prototypes and modifications. It would be more like twenty tables in a huge room all doing the same process. How else can you make thousands of boards a year. There is no way they are made like a custom board maker. They want you to think your board is special. We would probably be surprised at how the boards are made and the workers working conditions. Apart from a CNC machined core from a block of foam as opposed to a moulded core, I think that they are made in a similar way as any Cobra board, just different lam ingredients. Even a moulded core would be machined to take the skin off. If anything, there would be far more waste machined from a block. Apart from BIC , maybe, I didn't think any boards are now made in a mould.

Yes you are wrong.
only D Lab ( top of the line) boards are made in this factory, limited runs, made to order, not thousands. All other Duotone boards are still made at Cobra.

From what i know, at Cobra, boards are make like this too. Molded foam depend quantity. A molded blank could be better (more accurate and better foam fusion) but mold are expansive so need to use it for many board. At cobra, as others, you have what you pay for, for cheap they cut in time process and materials. Bic boards are made with two molds, one for foam, one for thermoformed asa skin around with fiber and epoxy between. Windsurf bic models are same for decades, they paid tools.

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AUS4 said..

Imax1 said..
This is how I imagine things, please let me know if I'm wrong. I don't think any boards are made fully automated. It's all hands on. They are giving the impression that they are made one at a time. This would not be the case. All the processes are filmed in cute shaping rooms. Those rooms would be for prototypes and modifications. It would be more like twenty tables in a huge room all doing the same process. How else can you make thousands of boards a year. There is no way they are made like a custom board maker. They want you to think your board is special. We would probably be surprised at how the boards are made and the workers working conditions. Apart from a CNC machined core from a block of foam as opposed to a moulded core, I think that they are made in a similar way as any Cobra board, just different lam ingredients. Even a moulded core would be machined to take the skin off. If anything, there would be far more waste machined from a block. Apart from BIC , maybe, I didn't think any boards are now made in a mould.

Yes you are wrong.
only D Lab ( top of the line) boards are made in this factory, limited runs, made to order, not thousands. All other Duotone boards are still made at Cobra.

That would make sense.

It appears its all their boards when they show freeride and wave and that many rocker jigs? Or can I get the same board "normal from cobra" and also "special" from this joint?


But if its only the top of the line d-lab board shown - it has a piece of carbon laterally across the board in the standing area, inviting snaps?
It appears that is only to reinforce the foot smash bit and there is a farrrr better way to do it that any custom manufacturer would be doing (no I don' t just mean tapered end cut)
I'll take the cobra one then thanks.

BTW the HCT factory is hardly an unknown player in amongst the Thai composites manufacturing mobs, its not "The Duotone factory" like all NASA and secret stuff and such an expose as the guy makes it sound.

When he can spell VACUUM I will be impressed.

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AUS4 said..

only D Lab ( top of the line) boards are made in this factory, limited runs, made to order, not thousands. All other Duotone boards are still made at Cobra.

www.duotonesports.com/en/uk/products/duotone-falcon_fin-d-lab-2024-14240-1015
The fin slalom and foil slalom boards are DLAB and available off the shelf. Speed boards are made to order.

www.duotonesports.com/en/uk/products/duotone-ultra-freewave-sls-ultra-freewave-2025-14250-1006
The freewave SLS is in the "Full Custom SLS technology". It says the only difference between SLS and DLAB is SLS uses s-glass not carbon. So still the same build process as the DLAB. Available of the shelf.
Same for the Grip wave boards.

www.duotonesports.com/en/uk/products/duotone-jag-sls-2024-14240-1003
The Jag SLS (and Blast SLS) is a "Premium Sandwich Technology", a "semi custom build", not like the freewave & wave SLS boards. Available of the shelf.

I dont think its a good idea labelling different boards, SLS, when its a "Full Custom SLS technology" and "semi custom build" depending on which board they are describing.


But some of these have 2024 in the URL, so what for 2025? The same? Maybe the website will be updated for the new year.

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Mark _australia said..

When he can spell VACUUM I will be impressed.

Oh yeah, I forgot that in my post. Thats probably the thing which annoyed me the most

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Mark _australia said..
It appears its all their boards when they show freeride and wave and that many rocker jigs? Or can I get the same board "normal from cobra" and also "special" from this joint?

I also noticed that, the rocker jig was labelled freewave but thats a SLS board. Maybe prototypes are made at this non Cobra factory.
These brands should really get someone to peer review their videos and websites to get rid of all these anomalies. It doesnt look good.

It does sound like sales gimmick. I'm amazed there not putting the eco spin on things.

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PhilUK said..

Mark _australia said..
It appears its all their boards when they show freeride and wave and that many rocker jigs? Or can I get the same board "normal from cobra" and also "special" from this joint?

I also noticed that, the rocker jig was labelled freewave but thats a SLS board. Maybe prototypes are made at this non Cobra factory.
These brands should really get someone to peer review their videos and websites to get rid of all these anomalies. It doesnt look good.

No wonder no posts on this site anymore.

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Mark _australia said..
Its nice they are making them properly. Much better product.

However, not a big selling point to see a bit of carbon straight across a stressed point. Where was the engineer on that one...?

@jdfoils - I do the exact same rocker spine and never had a twist yet. Easy to check for twist after anyway.

With a skilled person taking their time to do things right, a single rocker stick can work well (as you know).

I was thinking of less skilled workers in a production environment. Get the stick a bit crooked or the bag uneven and bingo, a twisted hull. For this, bagging onto a rocker table is a much safer approach, but not used much anymore.

Was there ever an experiment with -post PVC placement- "secondary" CNC milling (at around stage 11 above) to ensure tight tolerances?

For all intents and purposes all DLab boards are already made to order. It's the only way to survive in a shrinking market especially in the high end segment, imho.
As for the DLab construction itself, all I can say is that it's night and day compared to Cobra's: much stiffer (for longer), lighter and more ding resistant.

Strange that last year duotone and others explain that cobra serie build was the only way to have accurately what they develop and know they say it's custom... they are know on direct sale by internet.

Mad3 to order yes, custom no.