SOS 2007

[CoutKeCout]

Yop yop!

Je viens de lire (ou plutôt de regarder) d'un oeil intéressé l'article sur les SOS 2007. Ma question est la suivante :

Quelqu'un les a-t'il essayées et quelles impressions?

Kustom => what are your feelings about these boards? They seem to have a very interesting shape, and some pictures taken in Belgium (I think) of a guy (a friend of you?) in the light wind make me think that they could be fantastic in the light conditions...

A+

[kustom]

Well the boards are a blast! Could not believe that boards could be made that better/--different, so that it really works (i mean there are so many marketing trickt etc to introduce the best...bettter, ultimate...bla bla bla bla)

The Rockets 82 and 99 are real waveboards(i mean no freeriders that you also can use in waves). Almost a mix of a surfboard with a windsurfboard. An ultimate play in the waves with light wind with your windsurfboard. They are compact and superlight. I've got the 99 (i'm 85 kg) and i can float on it outside (nice with force 3 if you wannaplay with some swell. when the wind drops you can always uphaul your sail...)
It planes very quik.It's also fast, turns very easy (because it got a relative narrow tail, so its easy to hit the lip vertical) The most of the volume is in the nose(nose almost got a shape of longboard). With its rounded rails in the nose its super surfy. it never bites. So tricks/manouvers in front of your mastfoot on a wave are kids play. You almost surf on it as it is a longboard (i mean thats the feeling you get when you go down the line with no wind..)
Think the 99 and 82 are no real jump boards. (of course you can do it with them), but i had to get used to its size ---normally i jump with smaller boards. And these 2 boards are build very light so they are not as strong as the other models (at least i think. you always have to make priorties---these boards are light fun,surf boards. the other models in the SOS line are stronger and got a heavier/stronger glass job.)

The classic rockets are real nice allround waveboards. Used them in so many conditions, and they did their job perfectly. Full control, and really smooth and easy to turn on your frontfoot. You can't get them out of control. They feel very alive and direct.
These are the boards you can use when it really counts.
the 71 feels bigger than its size. think its 75 or so

I'm waiting for the rocket fish. Think this will be a compact, snappy wave shredder

I'm in a lucky position to test almost every surfboard that comes on the market. There are so many good and fine boards.
But these SOS boards made me really happy to sail. Sean did a great job. These boards differ from the rest. they got a surfier feel

I'm not such a good writer
but if you have some specific questons about the boards just ask me.

david

[CoutKeCout]

Thanks for your answer! Don't worry about your writing, the report is excellent!!!

Just a question about the rocket 99 (the one I'm interested in...) : What about the ability to get the planning (in comparission with other wave boards such as Exo 105 or others you could have tried)? I mean that I weight 90kg and I want a waveboard for lights conditions (flottability) with 6.2 m², but I would also use it on the flat and in this case the planning is a quite important factor.

Thanks.

Quentin

[kustom]

It planes very quik. I had the exo 105 (the first model. in my eyes it was too heavy, but further a nice board-it's smooth. a true windsurf wave boards for big guys, but for all conditions-think it's not fast) The sos 99 is so much lighter and directer. crispy.The shape is totally different. wider nose.It feels that the 99 more "floats" up the wave than instead in the wave.its very compact.
I also had from rrd the freestyle wave 98 acs and later the 101. Nice fast boards they plane quik.
(note, I also often sail on flat water, and of course i want a fast board)When you are planing with the 99, its wide nose comes out of the water and you're sailing on the last half of the board. that is more narrow than most boards, and it gives you a lot of speed.
I liked the rrd's. did everything with it. They are really allround. but not so great as the 99 in surfing/waveriding. Think the rrd is more allround. Speed/planing is almost same with those rrd boards.
I also sailed the JP freestyle 100 pro. That boards really planes quik. think its one of the quikest planing boards(i don't talk about slalom boards because that's not my thing). but freestyle is not my type of surfing. Real freestyle boards are not nice to sail in swell consitions. too wide in the tail.
I also had a custom Proof board. 105 liter. Same weight as the 99 (a little above 6 kg i think) a classic shape and i liked it a lot.But seans shapes got so much rounder noses in the front. you surf different on it.
Think seans boards goes more to surfboards.
Sailed many sizes of starboard evo. but they don't have a light 100 liter model...And the aero or kombat are far too slow/heavy. I miss the alive feeling with them. The fanatic freewave is also a nice board. it goes more in the direction of the rrd freestyle wave, than the rocket 99.
I sail the 99 with 6.1 and also used the 6.8. but when you're not planing in nice wave conditions i like to take the 6.1. Once if you plane on the wave the handling of a 6 meter sail is so much better than a 6.8.

Think the rockets are different boards than the rest.There is not a category for them now....
But as a lot of brands are very good in copy things, the comming years you will see more of these kind of shapes.

[CoutKeCout]

Thank you David.

Now I just have to find a dealer to try this board....

See you!

[kustom]

next time when i'm there(in Brittany) you can try it. no problem.
There are not made many boards. they are very rare. I't's a very small line semi custommade serie.
The boards also won't change every season, so you can say that these boards are allready the 2009 shapes...
Just good boards that always work!

[CoutKeCout]

next time when i'm there(in Brittany) you can try it. no problem.

Warn me when you come back in France, I live in Nantes (300km from Crozon) and I have to plan my WE.

There are not made many boards. they are very rare. I't's a very small line semi custommade serie.
The boards also won't change every season, so you can say that these boards are allready the 2009 shapes...
Just good boards that always work!

That's exactly the philosophy I like : no marketing revolutions every year, just working boards which will be replaced when real evolutions will come...

[toro]

Aloha waverideurs! I'm that belgian guy, completely stoked about SOS.
Je suis belge (flamand), donc je vais essayer d'ecrire en français....

La SOS 99 est une planche de vague 'light wind' vraiment exceptionnelle. Les dernieres années j'ai testé pas mal de flotteur dans cette catégorie (grand planche de vagues et vagues/freestyle), mais la SOS Rocket 99 etait une vraie révelation!
Comme Kustom le dit: il n'y a pas de mieux pour le surf... ça tourne comme une petite planche et ça flotte comme une grande! Elle te permit d'aller plus verticale sans perdre de la vitesse. Plus vif, plus agile, plus rassurant, plus.... que des superlatifs quoi!
Le volume est concentré dans le nez, donc ça ne pique plus, même apres des cutbacks les plus radicaux... et à cause de ça le backwind waveriding devient facile aussi, je presque arrive à faire des back-to-sail waverides maintenant!!!

Je ne pèse que 70 kilo, et même dans les sauts la 99 est tres confortable pour moi. Backloop, frontloop, tabletop... on n'a jamais l'impression d'avoir une grosse planche sous les pieds. Dans le clapot, pour mon poids, naturellement c'est pas aussi confortable qu'une petite planche de vagues...

Mais donc: je suis très curieux en ce qui concerne les autres Rocket Fish plus petites qui vient de sortir de l'usine chinois.

Est-ce qu'il y a déjà un distributeur en france??? Parceque je crois bien que les SOS vont faire mal!!!

Greetz!
Toro

[CoutKeCout]

Merci Toro pour ces infos!!

Deux avis plus qu'enthousiastes et une déco à tomber : plus ça va et plus je me dis que je vais craquer...

Concernant la distribution, tu te l'es procurée où? (et à quel prix...)

Merci encore.

++

[matalsurfing]

Kustom m'a donné les contacts donc je peux en avoir

[kustom]

Bonjour Toro, welcome ici!
Je parle francais a petit...(specially in le bar after some bierre.... )
But it's nice that you can give some info in francais.

[matalsurfing]

Hi David,

I've sent an email to Joost (Zuidwest6)

Let's see ...

Greets

[CoutKeCout]

Bon bah dès que tu as une rocket 99 et qu'ils annoncent 10nds et 2m de vagues je déboule!!!

[stang-zu]

le meilleur moyen de naviguer sur une planche de SO c'est d'aller lui en acheter une en direct à maui c''est ce que j'ai fait il ya qq année et en plus le guy est super sympas il m'avait prété 3 planches pour la semaine
rien a voir avec des planhce de serie

[CoutKeCout]

arf, j'aurais bien été mais Maui c'est pas la porte à côté...

Mais c'est clair que d'aller voir le gus, tchacher avec lui et repartir avec TA board sous le bras c'est le bonheur. Malheureusement c'est cher (en France on doit arriver facilement à 1800 - 2000€ la board je crois).