The rumors are true. Boards & More, the co-founders of North Windsurf and North Kiteboarding, are about to launch Duotone on August 1, 2018.
The new water sports company will also to develop windsurfing and kiteboarding products, and they will focus a large part of their efforts in foiling and hydrofoils.
"We and North Sails Group had different views about the future of North, so we decided to come up with our own brand," explains Till Eberle, managing director of Boards & More GmbH.
Duotone guarantees any warranty claims in the legal period, making sure customers who have registered both North Windsurf sails and North Kiteboarding kites are entitled to warranty extension programs on top of the original warranty period.
Eberle also confirms that popular sails models like the Super Hero and the Warp, and kites like the Rebel and the Neo will still be available under Duotone.
The name Duotone was inspired by the blending dynamics between wind and water, but it is also the designation of an old 1990s snowboard company.
The brand's windsurfing division will hit the market with the new Super Hero, Super Session, Warp, S_Type, Idol LTD, and E_Type sails, as well as a wide range of masts, booms, and extensions.
As for kiteboarding equipment, Duotone plans the relaunch of the Vegas, Rebel, Dice and Neo kites, twin-tip kiteboards, surfboards, and additional gear.
Boards & More generates yearly revenue of around $82 million, and has nearly 2,000 distributors in 90 countries. Its headquarters are in Austria.
The North Sails Group is owned by the UK private equity firm Oakley Capital. It is not known whether the company will continue operating in the windsurfing and kiteboarding markets.