F-One Rocket Wing S 5’0 54L 2022
Reviews / Wing Foil
5,790
At A Glance
F-ONE is 100% committed to wing foiling and its future, you can’t deny this when looking at how much new, specific, and outstanding equipment they’ve released this year. The ROCKET WING S is just that. An addition to their ROCKET WING boards, that has been inspired by their ROCKET SURF prone boards. Without meaning to point out the obvious, ’S’ stands for surf, F-ONE has recognised a gap in the market and the enthusiasm amongst wingers to get into the waves. This board fills that gap. They’re aimed to reach an intermediate to advanced foiler.
The ROCKET WING S’ are narrower and have a little less volume than their ROCKET WING counterparts. The boards feature a concave deck, allowing a closer connection to the foil and ultimately, more control. The hull is a double concave shape with bevelled rails, extending to the tail. The nose of the board is slightly domed, this is designed to bring volume forwards to allow easier take-offs and get back up quickly if the board dives in. The full bamboo construction and double bamboo deck are, like all F-ONE gear, bombproof and highly resistant to knocks & dings.
F-ONE have gone for a bold orange/red colour way in their boards this year. I’m a big fan, it looks really smart, and stands out at the beach. Then again, I’m colourblind, so I’ll let you make your own assessment of that!
Something I really like is that F-ONE includes an extra piece of padding in the box, essentially a nose protector that you stick on top of your board. It stops your board from scratching when you have it upside down on the floor attaching the foil. Not essential if your local spot has a lush grass rigging area but if, like me, you find yourself rigging on a tarmac car park then it’s a great idea.
On The Water
I had several awesome sessions on the ROCKET WING S but the standout one was a cross-shore, 25 knot, sunny day in Dorset. A sandbar just off the beach and a short period swell provided a super fun knee to waist high wave to test the capabilities of the board. I used it with the F-ONE EAGLE HM CARBON 990 and a 4m wing.
F-ONE now do a brand new ‘Y strap’ for their wing boards. It looks really good and I’m sure will work well. I, unfortunately, didn’t have one, so I attached a front strap on my dominant side (goofy) and was strapless for my front foot on the other tack as normal bindings don’t fit. Just something to be aware of.
Despite riding a small 990 foil, even in the lulls, I was getting onto foil with ease. A testament to the hull shape & volume in the nose. I found the dimensions felt great in the turns, at 54L it’s bigger than I’m used to but the 5-foot length meant that it really didn’t feel cumbersome. It has opened my eyes to the possibility that I shouldn’t always go out on a tiny sinker board, there is a place for a board with a little more volume to help you get on foil in marginal conditions. I’m 68kg, so perhaps this is slightly below that volume, but I was surprised by how buoyant it felt and the ease at which I could fly.
Once on the wave, the board really was at home. It felt as close to prone surfing as possible with a wing in your hand. The foil track & foot strap position felt well placed and balanced, I attached the baseplate just in front of the centre (as I often do for a first go), and luckily it was perfect! This gave me the confidence to lean hard over in my turns as I exited the waves or tacked upwind.
Pumping was exceptional on the ROCKET WING S, as you’ll see in the YouTube edit on this page, I was able to pump to connect downwind bumps easily and without having to reengage the wing. The compact shape and concave deck will no doubt be a big reason for this.
Overall
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The ROCKET WING S is a wave charging machine. Whether you’re just entering the discipline or you’re sending it in head high swell, this board would make an excellent choice. The F-ONE design team has clearly put a lot of time into R&D on what is a very specific & successful board for the waves.
Videos
This review was in Issue 12 of Tonic Mag.
For more information visit F-OneRelated
By Jack Galloway
