F-ONE Rocket 4´2

The Rocket foilboard is a compact platform designed to ensure that you can ride with maximum control. The stiff and super light construction gives an instant response from the foil and the compact outline and volume distribution makes it easy to catch waves. It’s available in 5 sizes from 3´10 through to 5´6. This test was run on the 4´2 (28 liters) in 3-5 ft waves on with the Phantom 1080 F-ONE foil.

The construction of the Rocket is in line with your expectations for F-ONE boards. They have been refining this ultra-stiff, ultra-light full bamboo construction on their SUP, kite and foilboards for many years now. The result is light, bulletproof and ultra stiff. In terms of the shape, there is a relatively constant rocker, a compact round outline with a quite narrow diamond tail, and beveled rails. The deck has a big constant concave that comes flatter under your back foot and helps you position your front foot in the right spot. The volume distribution strikes the balance between minimum volume-to-size ratio and the maximum under-chest floatation to help you catch anything.

Handling in the water is surprisingly easy for such a low volume board. Paddling out on 28 liters for a big guy could seem to be challenging, but the board is really balanced and glides through the water like a bigger board. Duckdiving it is obviously a joy! Overall the Rocket is very balanced in every phase, from paddling to sitting on it, to catching a wave: the volume distribution matches the outline and the rocker and you can appreciate the engineering background of the designer. It is relatively easy to build a big board that works with a foil, to build a small low volume board is far more challenging…

Despite the super small size and low volume, the Rocket thing is a wave hooker. A minimal amount of strokes and you glide down comfortably. The concave deck allows you to naturally position yourself in the sweet spot, and the rails make it ultra-forgiving to pop up on. The tail is narrow but yet has enough surface to allow you to bump on any push from the wave. Up on your feet and the response is impressive. The board is really stable and stiff and provides an intuitive response from the foil. Pumping is super effective and the ideal stance is easy to find with the thin pads giving the grip you need to throw it into a carve, whilst still being smooth enough to move your feet position with ease, ensuring you can find your best position and enjoy your flight. If you mistime a turn or find yourself landing with speed then remember that this is a compact high-performance foil board and it is not designed to bounce off the water. That said, the bevel rails are relatively forgiving when touching the water in critical maneuvers.

The Rocket 4´2 is a high-end surf foil board designed for experienced foil surfers. It is extremely responsive, easy to take off with, and will give you unlimited control with pumping and carving, but its small size and low volume requires good foiling skills, especially in rougher conditions. We would class it as a weapon of choice for an intermediate foiler under 70kgs, or a great option for an expert up to 85 kilos. For a beginner or heavier rider I would recommend the 4´6 or bigger. Coupled with the F-ONE Phantom Series hydrofoils you have a state of the art high-performance and bullet-proof foiling setup that will take your foiling experience to the next level.