Tabou Rocket Wide

[adywind]

[J64TWB]

Just got off the water. Tried a 2014 Hawk 125 w/7.8, then Magic Ride 118 w/7.8. Magic was much more stable and user friendly. Turns better and more fun, at least for me. Still wondering about top end, conditions were light, maybe 15 mph. I weigh 145 lbs. Width is your friend. I believe Magic is 76cm, vs. 69 in Hawk.

[Wind-NC.com]

We've had the Rocket Wides here in the shop this Fall and they've been REALLY well received. And I must say, they look really sweet. They seem to have all of the good features of boards like the FireMove and Atom IQ that everyone has mentioned already, but with a racier tail so that you can drop the hammer if you want to.

We'll have a full rental fleet in the Spring so swing on by if you're in Hatteras and want to try one out for yourself. Meanwhile, check some pics of the 128 below:

[dllee]

In my opinion, any board wider than 43cm at the tail needs a cutout.
That Tabou looks good.

[adywind]

I apologize for hijacking the tread, but since other brands were already mentioned and not many have tried the new Tabou yet I want to share my first impression of the2014 Starboard AtomIQ 110 I recieved yesterday morning/used one /. I sailed it on a relatively small lake in gusty 18-30 mph winds and little bit of a chop with 5.8 and 6.5 sails.
It was exactly what NOVAAN said earlier /I admire his professional comparison with the Rocket/. I'll just want to add that this board comes with a fin for its top end unlike the traditionally low end fins that come with other boards. This fin is not just small, it is also very soft-the plastic knives in the fast food restaurants are stiffer then this cheap pathetic thing. It spun out several times with the 6.5 and I felt few near misses with a 5.8 /outboard footstraps/. Why Starboard have chosen it for a top construction board is beyond my understanding.They actually mention it in the board description:
"(4) Equipped with smaller fins than traditional boards for more maneuverability and high-wind control. Purchasing an additional fin will greatly boost bottom end performance in lighter winds "
I also found out that the mast track is too forward and I ended up moving the mast foot approximately 2 cm back from the "recommended " position to make the Atom come alive and it was a lot more fun then. It wasn't too sticky anymore, sharp turning and chop hopping became a lot easier and it finally allowed me to adjust the jybe arc to my liking.
It's really an amazing board and I love it already but my guess is that the fin and the mast track recommend position are intended for itermediate windsurfers /would they buy a 110l board?!?/ and everybody else should experiment a little with fins and mast track position to get the best out of it.

[NOVAAN]

Drake fins suck in my opinion. Spin out going into a turn is the major issue.
No worse feeling then knowing your going to crash on your new board. I changed to the Liquid Pro 38 and 34 from MFC. Much better. I can deal with spin out when pointing hard to wind but not going into a turn. Broke my nose once because of that. Me not the board. The good thing about the Atom is that it uses power box and most of us have freeride finds that fit.
I also found that moving the mast back and up a bit freed up the board. Once up to speed and riding on the tail cut outs the board becomes much more free and all the width seems to go away. You need the straps back and out board to get it on the tail. Have great fun on your cool green machine. Tony

[scargo]

This is very interesting to me. Thanks for all the observations. (Unless I've missed it, I haven't seen in-depth discussions of the very wide vs. the merely wide.)
Starting to come around to the concept of the Rocket Wide (the pictures make it look fast standing still.) I'm still concerned about getting beat up in chop, but it seems like others haven't identified that as a significant disadvantage.

[NOVAAN]

The tail cut outs really help smooth the ride. Again these boards ride big so considered going one size down

[adywind]

Scargo have no fear man! Those double conclaves in the Rockets bottom will swallow moderate chop like my old Town Car road bumps! They've used very soft foot pads in the AtomIQ to achieve that same comfort. I copy/paste that from the Tabu website, it absolutely reflects my own experience aswell :
"Ross Williams
It’s an unbelievable ride! Everyone must try this range of boards. I am fl ying across the water yet I feel so totally in control! The experience is a totally unique ride"
Btw have you guys checked the Exocet website lately? They offer now a second model wide board called the XMove. It's supposed to be more speed biased then the XCross. Looks yummy Any opinions, reviews of it? Who needs freeride or freerace boards anymore , those boards are both and some. Switch the fin; switch the rig and maybe the footstraps position and you have a totally different board! The only thing missing on them and on every other board for that matter is a footstrap system that makes moving them quick and easy -the screws are pain in the a...

[scargo]

You know, I've been avoiding the wide debate, I guess because I thought I already had wide boards: 95, 115, and 145 Rockets that used to be new 3-4 years ago (funny how that happens). But the Rocket Wide 118 is wider than my Rocket 145.

I like to have the option of sailing underpowered with a big board and overpowered with a small one--gives me lots of different ways to handle waxing and waning conditions. So it seems to me that I could continue to run my 4.7, 5.5, and 7.0 with my existing 95, and use the 5.5, 7.0, and 8.5 with the Wide 118--as conditions dictate--thereby eliminating my 115 and 145. That is, the wide thing (be it Rocket or otherwise) is making some sense to me, and I haven't bought a new board in a while . . .