Duotone launches the 2024 Concept Blue Range with ampliTex™

With new shapes and construction, the Select and Soleil become the first twin tip boards to join Duotones Concept Blue Range. Using more sustainable materials and only renewable energy in the production process makes these new boards the most ecologically responsible ones from Duotone to date. With a fresh design, new asymmetric deck shape and updated outline, the Select is the perfect choice for riders who want to enjoy cruising and boost big jumps on the water. The Soleil comes with a narrower outline and marks the Select’s counterpart that is specifically designed for women and riders with a smaller frame and weight. Designed by women for women, the Soleil will ensure loads of fun carving from rail to rail, while the larger Space Flex windows in the tips ensure a smooth ride in all conditions.

Reno Romeu, Duotone rider, is excited about his new board: “The Concept Blue from Duotone is something that I was really happy about! As we kiteboarders are always connected 100% to nature, we take a lot of care of the environment and also spread the word how we should act eco-friendly.

Well, now we have an amazing product that we use in our sport of which we know is 100% made from natural resources.

Not only the product itself is amazing, the Select is one of my favourite boards from the Duotone range. It’s a perfect board for someone who wants to improve fast and get their first tricks nailed. With a very early planing, which makes it easier to get going in light wind conditions, the Select also is the best board to push your upwind angle to the max. It’s my favourite board, now in my favourite Concept Blue construction.”

Concept Blue

Aware of the environmental impact of their passion and sport, Duotone has initiated Concept Blue as a means to minimise their environmental impact, protect the playgrounds and create a sustainable future for watersports. Duotone’s R&D team designs products with the latest and most sustainable high-performance materials and they are committed to explore what can be done in the immediate future and years to come. Bcomp and Duotone are very aligned in a sustainable ethos that drives everything from selecting raw materials to production processes and the lifecycle of everything that their companies create. They are very glad to be part of Duotone’s next chapter with their first Concept Blue boards.

Flax fibres to replace glass fibres

The Select and Soleil, two of Duotone’s most popular twin tips, are now made with the Concept Blue construction. With flax and basalt, they introduce new raw materials into the Duotone range. As a renewable plant material, the creation of flax fibre reinforcements uses fewer resources and energy than traditional materials. For the twin tips, Duotone uses Bcomp’s ampliTex™ flax fibres to completely replace glass fibres in the production process. Their ampliTex™ fabrics offer them similar properties to the conventional glass fibres but add further benefits like superior damping for a smooth ride and excellent torsional flex characteristics.

Incorporating ampliTex™ flax fibres alongside local basalt fibre reinforcements in these new Duotone boards not only enhances their performance, giving you a better ride, but also replaces carbon with flax and basalt, a material with similar mechanical properties and a significantly smaller environmental footprint. Going one step further in their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their boards, Duotone has chosen to manufacture these boards in a facility that is run with 100% solar energy.

“Two of our most popular twin tips are now part of the Concept Blue range, featuring new materials for kiteboarding, flax and basalt,” says Manuel Zwinz, Product Designer at Duotone.

“For the twin tips, we are using flax and basalt fibre to mainly replace glass fibre in the production process; it offers similar properties, but with many added benefits. It is a natural material that is eco-friendly to create, far more so than traditional glass fibre. It also offers superior damping capabilities compared to glass fibre. These attributes make it a great material to use in our twin tips.”