The Tabou trio – comprising the Rocket, Rocket+ and Fifty – truly covers every angle in the freeride, freerace and foil segments, offering the most comprehensive range for flat water. Alongside the high-performance, comfortable freerider Rocket and the responsive freeracer Rocket+, the Tabou Fifty actually performs surprisingly well with a foil too, though it certainly holds its own when compared to fin-equipped boards. The secret to combining a fin and a foil in a single board lies in the tail. On the Fifty, the tail is wider in the deck than on any other board, allowing the rear footstraps to be adjusted with a very high degree of leverage. On the underside, the gliding surface features deep cut-outs – particularly at the sides – so that no more material remains than on significantly narrower freerace boards.
If you look closely along the centreline, you can also see that the rear strap is aligned with the front one. And the foot in the front strap is angled less steeply in the direction of travel than usual. These are the distinctive features specific to foiling. In the planing section, the shape is similar to that of pure fin boards: 80 centimetres of planing surface without rocker, a slight V-shape beneath the mast track with deep double concaves. However, the monoconcave tapering towards the rear with an integrated double concave is rarely seen. Fittingly, the board comes with a comparatively small fin: this suits its free-gliding characteristics and complements its use for foiling. The pads are thin and direct, yet provide good grip.
Impressive with its foil and fin
When it comes to foiling, no hybrid board can hold a candle to the Fifty. Its outline, tail width and footstrap positions are simply better suited and deliver the best possible foiling experience amongst boards with a switch option. The Fifty flies steadily, touches down softly and transmits steering inputs to the foil very directly and in a controlled manner. Boards that foil even better simply don’t work with a fin. But the Fifty also glides well in ‘classic’ mode, although a bit of riding technique does help. Keyword: lean slightly. The front footstraps are slightly harder to clip into due to the angled position, which makes getting going not quite as easy as on the JP Super Sport or Duotone Blitz. Once you’re in, however, the stance feels good and, on a close-hauled course, is actually better than the usual geometry.
For fin surfing, the ‘front outer, rear inner’ strap configuration worked particularly well. Even in light winds, the board races – or rather, flies – very freely over the chop; the lift provided by the 40 fin is more than enough for this. In normal wind conditions, the Fifty glides very smoothly along its longitudinal axis. The wide tail ensures good manoeuvrability here, just as it does on the foil. So, when heading straight, the Fifty leaves no doubt that, even on the fin, it’s a sporty, fast freerace board. The only compromises you have to make are during manoeuvres. To tack, you need to move round the mast a bit quicker, as there’s not much lift-generating volume there. Planing jibes work well, though best on medium to wide radii and with the board not too heavily edged up.
surf’s verdict on the Tabou Fifty 125
If you want to switch regularly between the fin and the foil using just one board and have advanced riding skills, the Tabou Fifty is an excellent choice as an all-in-one board. It offers slightly reduced performance on the fin but is particularly well suited to foiling.
Suitable for foiling; speed in moderate winds; sporty ride
High-gloss finish on the hull, foil-ready
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Technical Specifications: Tabou Fifty 125 Team
- Weight: 7.85 kg*
- Price: 2,599 euros
- For more information, see tabou-boards.com
*surf measurement, without fin and footstraps
Tabou Fifty: Available sizes and specifications
| Volume | Width | Length | Weight** | Finn |
| 115 | 72 | 232 | 7.7/7.4 | 38 |
| 125 | 76 | 232 | 8.0/7.7 | 40 |
| 135 | 80 | 232 | 8.4/8.0 | 42 |
**Manufacturer’s specifications, LTD/Team build, prices: 2299/2599 euros**
This board is part of the major 2026 freerace test. Also featured are Duotone Flash, Future Fly White Tiger, Goya Bolt, JP-Australia Super Ride, JP-Australia Super Sport, Patrik F-Race, Severne Fox, Starboard Futura, Tabou Fifty and Tabou Rocket+. All test reports in surf 4/2026 and, in no particular order, here on surf-magazin.de!
