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Anyone about 75kg compared the 7m standard construction to 6.5 Unit or Slicks?
Any comments welcome including wind range, stability, weight etc, thanks
Hi Warwick, was hoping to have some more average customer feedback, before answering, but since you are the same weight as me, 75kg/1.81m/6ft, I can give you a bit of feedback. I obviously work for Duotone, so was quite involved in the Ventis testing the last couple of years, both in the Gorge and testing here in Europe.
So the Ventis is aimed at riders who are not quite as good in active pumping techniques, like you need to do with a Unit or Slick in lighter winds. But, there are also certain wind strengths below 10knots/fresh water/no bigger gusts, where even an experienced rider will not be able to pump up onto the foil with a Unit/Slick, but it will work with a Ventis, due to pure size and low end power they have.
Of course everyone's sub 10 knots is slightly different, salt or fresh water, mid length/downwinder or shortboard, or even the foil size which is often at least as important as the wing size. But I think generally if you ride often in light winds or are heavier, want to have a wing which will "pull" you up onto the foil, then the Ventis is a great option, vs the Unit or Slick which require a more active pump technique, especially underpowered. The Ventis is of course a bit heavier with the extra struts, but this also helps a lot in the upper end, as many locations will be 5-15/18 knots sometimes, so having a bigger wind range at the upper end is great.
The extra struts do also help to maintain the Ventis's stable position in the air, whilst gybing or tacking, it really floats up there nicely, which is important in super light wind to not stall the wing with the apparent wind coming from the other side during gybes etc.
Tried a few other single strut brands and our own prototypes, these tend to be quite powerful, feeling a bit lighter but generally seem to have a quite ltd top end, in the 7-8sqm sizes.
Wind range of the 7 is probably around 8-20knots, with a big variance on either end re weight, skill, foil and board size. You can go thru lulls of 5-6 knots quite easily.
Unit generally has the power/lift advantage in lower winds vs the Slick, which is slightly easier in overpowered, as a general rule.
Hope that helps.
I've ridden the Ventis 8 m a bit, and while it has quite a good low end, it's very heavy. With a sufficiently large foil, I think it's better to go for the 6 m SLS rather than the 7 or 8 Ventis. With my 90+ kg, the SLS would be enough for me as the largest wing. Currently, my biggest wing is the Unit 6 m from 2024, and the Unit DLab 5.5 from 2024. It's better to invest in a larger board like the Skywalker Ventana V2 95 L (rigid board) or the Takoon Escape AIR 6'6 110 L (inflatable)
Today I demoed the 7m dlab Ventis in 0 to 20kn rain squall.
Based on Today session its pretty good, super stable in all conditions.
Tomorrow I'll be comparing it to the Unit 2025 dlab with boom.
Stay tuned.
