Background
The Tabou Pocket Wave has been around for a few years now and this is the second year it has come in as a thruster setup. Designed for all round conditions it is Tabou’s real world wave board line.

At a glance
The 85 is wide across the middle and the width extends back to under the back footstrap and into the swallow tail. It comes with a thruster set up, with three fins, a single US box 17cm centre fin and two slot box 10cm side thrusters, to set it up as a single fin you can remove the thrusters and replace the centre fin with something a bit bigger, around 21-23cm’s.

On the water
Being the widest on test it is extremely stable under foot, it also accelerates very quickly up to planing speed. The ride from the straps is super comfortable, with a comfy stance position, quality straps and ramped, cushioned pads. It is fast in a straight line, which makes it great for blasting around and launching big floaty jumps off any ramps you can track down. On the wave it holds its speed incredibly well through turns, with plenty of width under the back foot and in the tail. It is a very adaptable wave board that is equally as happy cruising smooth turns on the wave face or being cranked hard into sections. It requires a bit more commitment to turn really tight but it is very rewarding of anything you put in. It works well in all conditions, from small onshore to fast side shore and is a very easy board to get on with.

Summing up
The Pocket Wave covers all bases and also does everything really well, it is fast and fun for bump & jump blasting as well as being loose and lively in the waves. It will suit a wide range of riders, especially those who want to make the best of a mixture of conditions.

For more information on the

Tabou Pocket Wave 85 Team Edition 2012

go to www.tabou-boards.com