Source: Tonic Mag
AT A GLANCE
Right now, I’m frothing on all things prone foiling. So when the Rocket Surf 4’6 arrived through my door I was buzzing to get it on the water (when the waves arrived!). F-ONE has carefully designed this board with surf foiling in mind, so a lot of the features are really specific to the discipline. First things first, it looks rad; bold coloring and a beautiful shape make for a stand-out board at the beach.
The 4’6 is 33L in volume, with the outline adjusted from the last model to reduce volume at the nose and tail slightly. The board is a full bamboo construction with a double bamboo deck, designed to create a strong and light board. It certainly feels light.
Shape-wise, it features a kick tail, double concave hull & slightly concave deck. The Rocket Surf comes in four sizes: 4’2 (28L), 4’6 (33L), 5’0 (38L) & 5’6 (43L). Both the 4’2 & 4’6 come with two inserts for foot straps.
ON THE WATER
I only successfully learned to prone foil about 4 months ago, before this board I was on a 4’10, 39L. That was a bit of a chunk for me (I’m 150lbs) but it helped me catch waves and progress. Therefore, I was fairly nervous about whether I’d be able to get going on the Rocket Surf 4’6.
Before I go into that I’ll give you some background, I’ve spent a good year now dock starting a 4’2, 32L board, so I’m pretty efficient when it comes to pumping and have done 4-minute flat water pumps. When prone foiling my old 39L board, however, I found the swing weight just way too high. I’d often be completely gassed after just a minute, turbulence in the waves does make a difference but I was super keen to try the Rocket Surf and see if I could link waves for longer. I just had to get on foil first!
Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. I was catching just as many waves as I did with my old board, I believe the volume up front and under your chest really helps with that. Once I was up, it was a dream; suddenly I was prone foiling a board with a far reduced swing weight to that of the past so I could connect waves and pump so much farther. The board feels stiff and super controllable once airborne and the deck pad is grippy and comfortable. Part of that control also comes from the concave deck, allowing your feet to be closer to the foil for a better connection and feel.
The other thing the concave deck does is give you a bit of extra space to move your knees and feet through when you pop up. Something that, being fairly new to surfing and average at pop-ups, I’m a big fan of. I didn’t get round to winging or towing with the Rocket Surf yet, but that’s where the foot straps would come into their own. While not specifically designed for winging, I have wing foiled similar size boards and am sure that on a windy day it would be superb.
Size-wise, I find the 4’6 perfect for me. I actually think that the 4’2 wouldn’t quite have the length I’m looking for to catch waves. However, for a more experienced or lighter rider, it might be a worthwhile sacrifice to lose some volume.
OVERALL
I’m fairly confident that prone foiling has become my favorite ever sport and the F-ONE Rocket Surf has helped lead me to that conclusion. The Rocket Surf looks epic, catches waves with ease and pumps like a dream. It’s everything I’m looking for in a prone board, F-ONE is going to have a hard time getting it back off me!
