The low down
The Tabou Rocket LTD is a sporty freeride board blending  freeride and freerace elements. It benefits from design features that come directly from Tabou’s slalom, freestyle and wave boards. The range comes in six sizes and is available in either Standard or LTD Carbon Biax Sandwich construction.

At a glance
For 2012 the 135 has been completely re-shaped, it has a rounded nose and in the tail it now features the new winger shape. Across the middle it is the narrowest in test and the volume is in the thickness of the board. Underneath it has deep double concaves into vee in the tail and the dec is nicely domed. The fittings are top quality, it comes with Tabou footstraps and a Tabou FR 46cm Power Box fin. The finish of the Tabou also makes it stand out from the crowd with bright colours on a black background.

Performance
It is very stable despite being the narrowest. The volume is well distributed along the length of the board and the deep double concaves help lift this board very quickly on to the plane. They also help to soak up the chop in rough conditions. The ride from the straps is extremely comfortable with soft pads and a perfect amount of dome under your feet. This is a quick board in a straight line and one of the fastest in the category – it also delivers this performance on all points of sail so you’ll be quick both up-wind or across it. Around the corners it cuts a very smooth arc favouring the wider turn but you can still crank it hard and it maintains its speed extremely well all the way through to the exit.

The verdict
The Rocket LTD is a very fast and versatile freeride board, it is easy to sail and very easy to access its high performance. It would suit a wide range of rider abilities who are seeking a high performance and sporty freerace style of ride to race around their local spot.

www.tabou-boards.com