DUOTONE S-PACE 7.8M TEST REVIEW 2024

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DUOTONE S-PACE 7.8M TEST REVIEW 2024

The Verdict

The Duotone S-Pace delivers power on tap – offering exceptional low-end performance the S-Pace will ensure you are the first one on the water, while others have to sit and wait. In the upper end, it needs a little bit of tuning to maintain its usable power as you enter and exit gybes with devotion.

The Lowdown

Downhauling with ease, the S-Pace makes rigging a cambered sail simple, you’re not left straining at any point during the rigging process. The 3 cams slip on easily, and after quickly tweaking the settings to the tuning marks placed in all the crucial areas of the S-Pace, you’re left with a pretty sporty and handsome sail. The S-Pace naturally holds depth down low and then falls away as expected with a rig of this size and intended usage. With 7-battens and a fairly straight luff curve, the S-Pace looks to deliver a nice combination of stability and easy-to-reach power. Its colour scheme is smart, boasting a deep purple up top and down low, complemented by light blue, pink, and white detailing, all of which surround a well-sized window. The luff sleeve is a nice hybrid between what you would expect from a full race-spec sail and a conventional rotational sail, which helps to maintain depth, stability, and a decent draft in the bowels of the S-Pace. The makeup of the S-Pace feels premium; the monofilm up top feels thick and robust, while X-Ply Plus is strategically placed in areas of stress – from the very top, along the foot, and up to the clew of the S-Pace, where two clew eye settings are positioned. The upper clew eyelet is marked for “Fin Usage” and the lower for “Foil Usage,” adding a dash of versatility to the S-Pace.

Brand Claim

“The highly sporty, competitive slalom sail with unbelievable forward pull – the S-Pace craves for speed and yet is easy to handle. It carries the racing genes of the warp for unrestricted power delivery, but at the same time the handling is extraordinarily simple for this class.”

Performance

Instantly delivering power in abundance, the S-Pace doesn’t hang about, letting you know it’s here and ready to accelerate you onto the plane. The power in the S-Pace is easy to find and requires the rider to react and match the instant power received from any input during the getting-going phase. Out in prime conditions and pinning the sail down while locked into the straps, the S-Pace remains fast and stable, with its 7-batten outline doing a lot of the work, and absorbing the occasional gust for you, while transforming it into extra speed without requiring too much input from the rider. At the bottom end, the S-Pace is the absolute master and will get you going first, while pumping the S-Pace feels natural as the straighter luff curve delivers a nice spring with every pump – giving you back as much, if not more, than you put in. Through the gybes, the S-Pace is more manageable the faster you enter, which enables the powerful engine to go light as you slice the rig across. On the exit, you need to be poised and ready for the power as the cams rotate to deliver a bold supply of power. The S-Pace thrives with proactive input from the rider in the gybes and if you do just that it will assist you with full power gybes that wouldn’t look out of place on the PWA World Tour. In the upper wind range of the S-Pace, it becomes instantly apparent that you will need to tune the sail by adding extra downhaul and a smidge of outhaul. It’s worth noting that the exceptional low-end means you may find yourself tuning for the upper end earlier than expected, however, the S-Pace is not out of its depth in its top end by any means – it just desires some proactive input from the rider – both on the beach while tuning and on the water – as you commit to its bold and powerful personality.