Been looking at upgrading my Fanatic Blast 115 which I’ve had since 2022 to something abit racier. It’s the heavier cheaper version but absolutely loved it once it’s up and planing. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience of the new Duotone Blitz which appears to be their replacement of the Blast and performance wise is intended to sit somewhere between the Blast and the Jag…so abit racier than the Blast. Sounds ideal. Also any views on Duotone’s SLS construction?
Curious too. My Blast 145 with the LTS (I think?) construction has been bulletproof for the most part after me learning to plane and foil on it...
It was way sturdier than the equivalent starboard construction
Is there a Blitz in SLS? I can only see a Dlab version on the web. The Eagle does come in SLS.
No firsthand experience with SLS construction (yet) but fwiw my Dlabs are stronger and stiffer (for longer) than the previous TE construction.
There is an SLS version but Duotone are keeping their cards close to their chest and even named the board after one of their foils ?? so Google duotone Blitz and that's what you get
I pre-ordered an orange Blitz 104 DLab from a shop in the UK at the start of December. Bit of a gamble as there is so little known about it! Still waiting. One of the staff phoned me to check in with me and I hadn't been forgotten and that the whole MTO DLab is a pain. Apparently boards they ordered have been sent to German shops even though the Germans ordered at a later date - not sure how they know of this. He did say some SLS boards had arrived. It didn't sound as if they had been expecting them. The lad in the shop told me he was excited that his board had arrived but when he looked closer it was an SLS version.
The week after they phoned again to say a purple Blitz 104 DLab has rocked up at the shop unexpectedly so they have kindly offered that to me to use until mine shows up - I think they're embarrassed about how the orders are being fulfilled.
Before the shop told me SLS had arrived, I only knew of an SLS version via this article
www.surf-magazin.de/en/windsurfing/windsurf-boards/freerace-and-race/new-freerace-board-completely-new-speed-ranges-three-questions-about-the-duotone-blitz/
Surf magazine did have a recent insta post showing boards on test and one was the Blitz. Hopefully that will be published soon...
The forum section of the Duotone website has comments from the Duotone team that the Blitz SLS version is due out in April but sounds like some shops in Europe are getting them already.
ah, thanks for sharing. also still waiting on my (dlab and sls) boards in the US, but we're typically behind...
slightly off topic: also saw that some French shops had the new X Pace, which also isn't on the website yet. should be a nice sail for the Blitz if you're looking for something without cams.
Apparently my board is stuck in Qatar - could be there a long time if it even makes it out in one piece
Took the offer of loaning the different coloured Blitz 104 and I will probably keep it rather than wait for the other colour - the colour is only on the tail.
Went out on it yesterday. No experience of the Blast, my usual small board is a 105 FSW and the only other small freeride/freerace I have used is the Severne Fox during a weeks holiday almost 5 years ago so it's hard to say how it compares to anything else. I thought it accelerated quickly on to the plane and when a gust hit you could feel the board accelerate. The deck shape was quite cancave which felt odd tacking in a bowl initially. Carved nicely too. Came with a Duotone Prepreg F-Ride 36cm fin
