Model: DVS Rocket Fish full carbon specification
Size: 5'10/5'9
rider
Age: 42
Height: 168cm
Weight: 61-64 kg
*People who recommend Rocket Fish models, keywords, etc.
- Shortboardist
- I like the sharpness of the turns.
- I like narrow nose
- I want to ride big/deep waves with a shorter board
- I like slashing/carving with my body weight.
There are things that were very popular at one time, but are forgotten as time goes on. It is often the case that such things suddenly become popular after about 10 to 20 years have passed. In today's world of cars, these would be the models that were popular in the 1980s and 1990s, which are called "neo-classic." And, without fear of being misunderstood, I think that the design and model of the Rocket Fish itself falls into the neo-classic category.
First, regarding the Rocket Fish design itself, it was an original Fish design that Steve Blom and Clyde Beatty Jr. improved for turning performance. Around 1974, the design became known as the Rocket Fish and spread to the general public. The Rocket Fish was used in parallel with the Twin Fin that Mark Richards developed in 1976, but the design eventually disappeared from the scene with the appearance of the Tri Fin. Then, around 2000, during the first Fish Revival boom, the Rocket Fish was revived and was made by shapers such as DVS. In this photo, Rasta is riding a DVS Rocket Fish, and these sharp tracks are what represent the essence of the Rocket Fish.
I have experience riding the DVS released by Aviso and have owned two full carbon DVS Rocketfish, so I will write this review based on that experience, excluding the carbon element.
The design features a narrower nose than other DVS Fish models, and is closer to the current Twin Fin model. The board is slightly narrower and a little thinner than the standard Fish. In terms of sizing, it is about 2 inches longer than a Fish that is suitable for the same weight. The bottom has a convex nose, and as you go from the center of the board to the tail, it tends to be reverse vee-vee. Therefore, the bottom design does not have much of a sense of running the board. Also, since it is a full edge specification, which is common in DVS at the time, the board responds well when you take action. The deck has the familiar DVS deck concave, which makes paddling very stable. The rocker varies greatly depending on the board, with the 5'10 being strong both front and back, which could be said to be an Australian specification, and the 5'9 having such a weak tail rocker that it is clearly thought to have been ordered from Japan.
So, I can't talk about the riding feel of these two boards in the same category, but what they have in common is that they are both boards for pocket surfing that make use of the power zone of the wave . I ride several high-performance fish boards that are in the style of San Diego Fish, so I think I understand the performance of fish to some extent. So, when comparing the performance of shortboards and fish, shortboards are basically for contest performance in pocket surfing, and fish performance is not limited to the pocket of the wave. Of course, there are bottom designs on shortboards that are easy to accelerate by getting out of the power zone and in front of the wave, but compared to fish, the performance is inevitably inferior. Also, the turns and rips of fish have a rounder feel compared to shortboards, but the Rocket Fish does not have that. The length of the board is not as short as a normal fish, and the nose is also thinner and narrower than a fish. As a result, there is less counterweight when swinging the board around.
The characteristics of this board are quite close to those of a shortboard, such as riding big waves or hollow waves by taking advantage of the narrow nose and strong rocker both front and back, aiming for a tube with a late takeoff, ripping from a bottom turn with a rail drive, etc. However, the paddle is more stable and faster than a shortboard of the same length.
When riding big waves with the Rocket Fish, you don't feel rushed and are more stable than with a regular Fish, so you can approach the waves calmly. The tail is wide, but unlike a regular Fish, you can control it to a certain extent even if your back foot remains in the center. However, when you move your back foot left and right, the sharpness of the turn is better than that of a Fish of the same length. With the rocker lowered, it can handle small waves, but since the bottom design is not focused on speed, it does not have the explosive speed of the Hydro Hull. You can adjust the ride to some extent with the fins you attach, but the line and riding are more like a short board for small waves.
I had this model on my list as a medium wave board until the end, but in my last order I chose the Twin Pin Flyer. But next time I'm going to order this model. (Depending on the results of the Twin Pin Flyer, I'm thinking of ordering the EPS/CARBON version.) This is because it's a model that can dive into big waves without having to make it longer, and it has the performance and ride that you can only experience with this model.