Slick V1 vs V3 Review

[B-Walnut]

I've been riding the slick 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 with standard boom since 2021 and just picked up a new V3 4.0 with the slim boom. I've got 5 sessions on the new v3 and wanted to do a quick review for anyone considering the upgrade.

Pros for V3:

Upwind and powered riding:
The V3 shines over the originals for sure. The V3 is much more stable at driving upwind and is shockingly stable when overpowered. I rode the 4.0 in everything from 15 to nearly 40 knots! While it's not my first choice when it's pumping heavy wind I will admit that it is surprisingly under control and never created a jerk me off the board kind of feeling. The V1s undoubtedly get over grunty and out of control at high wind speeds.

Luffed riding:
This is essentially the only reason I wing. A few seasons after learning and I still openly tell people I dislike flying the wing, kites are better. However, downwinding and surfing swell with the wing luffed out is the whole reason I learned to wing in the first place and it's essentially all I do when I'm winging. The stability of the V3 over the original is shocking. For the most part I forget about the V3. When I pulled out a smaller V1 today I was disgusted with how it handled luffed out

Cons for V3:

Pumping:
Despite the MOD3 fabric, I find the V3 to generate pretty minimal power when pumped in comparison to the V1 wings. Either there's enough wind to get you up and going, or there's not. The V1's however seemed to generate a lot of power when pumped.

Water Starts:
This is a huge flaw IMO. I do the stinkbug start and I have never experienced a wing where the trailing edge consistently dips into the water. In the Columbia River, where you have current, this causes the current to grab the trailing edge when you are trying to get positioned to pop up from the stinkbug start. Once that trailing edge has been grabbed, the wing stands up and you have to drop it, or get pulled off the board. It's been TERRIBLY frustrating for me and I'm trying to figure out a completely different water start because it's exhausting failing to get up and having to flip your wing over repeatedly. Doesn't matter if its 15 or 30 knots, this is a real problem for me. I took both V1 and V3 out today, V3, consistently a trailing edge catch problem. V1, didn't happen a single time.

Quality control:
My V1 Duotone slicks had to be warrantied as soon as I received them for bad valves. My V3 valve leaks terribly when pumping it up and I've already reached out to the vendor about the issue. Also, the new platinum mini boom sls had the foam grip fail on session 1. The glue failed and the foam peeled back and continues to do so. Duotone offered me a $75 credit to fix it myself, but I opted to have them replace the boom. Waiting on that now.

Overall:
When up and riding it's crystal clear that the V3 is a huge upgrade over the V1. I dislike flying my V1s after just a week on the V3s. However, the water start issue is such a huge pain that I really don't think I could recommend this wing and I doubt I would buy a smaller size unless I could demo it first. I'm hopeful that this issue will not be present in open ocean riding, but for the river, it's undoubtedly a struggle for me. Perhaps another 5-10 sessions and I'll figure out a new water start, but that's not what I expect to have to do when getting a new wing.

[Wingfoil2001]

Great review, got to agree about the valve-pump connection issue, leaks heaps when you try to get higher pressures in these wings. It seems the silicone seal is too soft and the higher pressures just deform it which allows the leaks, frustrating.
I have V1's and V2's, I've never experienced the stink bug water start issue you talk about. I'll get a demo of the V3 before I upgrade any of my V1's.

[Dwight (DW)]

My guess would the all tight canopy, including the trailing edge now, is going in the water like a knife. The old wing is probably flapping like crazy at the trailing edge. No chance of it digging in.

[B-Walnut]

My guess would the all tight canopy, including the trailing edge now, is going in the water like a knife. The old wing is probably flapping like crazy at the trailing edge. No chance of it digging in.

I think you're on to something there. The old canopy isn't flapping, but it has a nice arc in it when on the water. The new canopy is much tighter. Add to that that the new leading edge bladder is much thinner at the wing tip and you've got something that sits low to the water and knifes into it.

[B-Walnut]

Follow up:

1. I got my replacement boom from duotone.

2. I also heard from duotone that we now need to buy new valve connections for the pumps, needs rubber grommet moving forward.

3. I tested the wing in the ocean several times and the trailing edge issue was completely non-existent. So, it appears as though it's primarily an issue in the river. Which sucks, because the Columbia is my home turf and there's no way around me winging there!