Summary
The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP is a narrower take on the Rocket Fish, and it is a very different kind of ride in comparison to most boards we have tried over the years. It took some time to understand and get used to, but once I did, it was a good time. I would like to ride this again with what I've learned over the years about these boards.Where To Buy
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Riding Style | Snowsurf |
Riding Level | Advanced - Expert |
Fits Boot size (US) | 8-10 |
Manufactured in | China |
Shape | Tapered Directional |
Camber Profile | Hybrid Camber |
Stance | Setback over 20mm |
Approx. Weight | Feels Light |
Split | No |
On Snow Feel | |
Turn Initiation | |
Skidded Turns |
Flex | |
Buttering | |
Edge Hold |
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Gentemstick Rocketfish HP Initial and Written Review Review by The Good Ride
Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.
How This Review Happened: We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.
Size:
Days: 3
Conditions: Mostly varied spring conditions
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton Imperial,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata
Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared This To:
Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, Gentemstick Chaser, Gentemstick Chaser HP, Gentemstick Barracuda, Gentemstick Barracuda HP, Gentemstick Rocket Fish
Set-Up: 21” Wide. 36 front +12 back. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.
Approximate Weight
It feels light for even its size.
Sizing
The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP really likes a smaller, lighter rider who has boots under size 10. I felt like I had too much weight on this board at 185lbs but my size 9 boots worked well with the overall width…especially in the narrower tail.
Flex/Buttering
It is really easy to flex in the tip/tail and then stiffen up between the feet, but it was scary at first to butter. It just happened so fast and easy that you could easily butter onto your ass. I could not believe how much we all had to dial it back to butter it. The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP also has that very lively poppy feel that all these alternative rides have.
On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns
So, like the Rocket Fish, the Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP has a very light-in-the-tail kind of feel. It has a ton of nose that tapers dramatically to the very prominent swallow tail. It makes for a very unique feel underfoot that wants lots of weight on the front foot for it to track well. It is a massive departure feel wise from most tapered directional rides you see out there. Its set-back camber has a stable feel as long as there is more attention on the front side of the board. It skids turns super easy, and it is a very forgiving ride, but not really for intermediate riders.
Edge Hold
The edge hold isn’t bad, and it does a pretty good job for what kind of board this is.
Turn Initiation
The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP is one of those super-fast turners, and even though the waist and nose are super wide, it just turns so fast that you are there before you know it.
Turning Experience/Carving
My first time riding this years ago was a total fuck up. Everything I did back then was wrong. I put weight on the back foot, had a 0 to -3 back foot stance angle, a super wide stance width, and it scared me to turn. This time around I set it up for us with a stance width close to reference, 36 on the front, +12 on the back, and drove hard on the front foot every turn. Even coming from similar front-foot drivers like the Chaser and Chaser HP, I still had to change up my approach even more to make it turn. When I did, it really started to get fun, but it liked a mellow slow speed turn/carve that was focused on style more than power. I get it now, and while I still prefer more damp, aggressive rides for carving, I totally get why some people love this type of turning, and so does our crew. It’s an incredibly easy board to slash with, too, and it really feels like you are bottom-turning on a surfboard to get to the pocket.
Powder
Such a little guy but such an easy floater for its size. The tail just buries into the snow, and you really feel the nose rise up out of the powder. It could easily be a dedicated powder board.
Speed
Not for speed, and it’s a chattery mess. It’s for dialing back your speed and trying to make everything you do on the hill cool.
Uneven Terrain
Very bouncy and bucky in soft, messy snow, especially so when it gets more bumpy. That’s expected for a board like this.
So, while this isn’t the kind of board that works for everyone, some might really enjoy this unique ride.
Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP Past Reviews
The Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP is one of those very unique quiver boards that isn’t for everyone but for some might be a really fun time. It’s a small board with a very narrow stance width so it’s made to ride different than your average board. Nothing has changed from 2015-2017.
Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.
Size: 144
Days: 3
Conditions: Spring conditions all days. Hard mornings, medium middays and soft to slushy afternoons.
Riders: James
Boots: Burton Fiend LTD
Bindings: Burton Cartel, Burton Diode, Flux SF
Set Up: 15 front 0 back about 20″ wide (max stance width), 15 front 6-9 back 20″ wide
Approximate Weight: Felt light and well built even for a 144
On Snow Feel: Really unique feel. You do feel it is so far back on the tail so it requires much more front foot steering than you normally would on a surfy tapered board like this. Even though it’s really wide it feels small and quick and like you are on a 144. Now for me dropping my stance width down to 20″ from 23″ put me in a place where I was never completely comfortable the 3 days I rode this. At 23″ I’m just a tiny bit outside my shoulders so going to 20″ really puts my feet inside my shoulders and reduces my balance. I think I’d need a week or 2 of riding to truly feel comfortable with this stance width.
Turn Initiation: Very quick and snappy edge to edge. Almost too quick for my taste and at first with the SF’s mounted I found myself washing out the tail and flipping it around switch which isn’t ideal. After a while, I got used to it and dialed back my turns.
Flex: Pretty stiff.
Edge Hold: There isn’t much effective edge but what’s there holds well enough.
Powder: No powder but there is a lot of surface area and I’m sure it will sit atop the snow. Actually, a friend of mine owns a Rocketfish and his does so I’m sure this will too.
Carving: Not really a super fun carver.
Speed: Ok for the size but not a bomber.
Uneven Terrain: In uneven snow, I thought this would be super quick and easy but for some reason, I found that this bucked me around in the bumps and messy end of the day snow like it was unwillingly mounted.
Switch: Nope
Jumps: Not bad but I really liked hitting the air on the other boards. Maybe it was the narrow stance width that never really gave me the confidence to launch and land off natural features.
Jibbing: Nope!
Pipe: eh……naaah.
So all in all the Gentemstick Rocketfish HP wasn’t the kind of ride that I was comfortable with and I never got past the narrow stance width. However, if you have a narrow surfy stance then this might work as a fun quiver pow board. Out of all the boards I rode from Gentemstick this felt the most like a true powder board where the rest could handle groomers almost as well as they could powder. It’s very much a quiver powder board.
Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP Specs
Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP Images
Gentemstick Rocket Fish HP User Reviews
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