Back in the late 1950’s, our Dad bought a Sunfish for the family. (He was too cheap to spring for the slightly more expensive Sunfish, which had a little cockpit for your feet!) Made by Alcort, this surfboard-with-a-sail could be tossed into the back of the family station wagon for the short drive to a nearby lake: unload on the beach, stick in the mast, raise the lateen sail, drop in the daggerboard and hook up the tiller and … that’s how we learned to sail!

Fast forward seventy odd years, and what’s old is new again with Fulcrum Speedworks exciting new entry into the popular board boat category: the Rocket Board Boat.

Of course, technology has not slowed in those seventy years, so the 14-foot long Rocket is made with rugged but extra-light-weight cored composite construction and weighs just 90 pounds. And instead of a tiny footwell, the Rocket’s cockpit is a full six feet, three inches in length, providing plenty of room for two adults, one adult and two kids, three kids, lots of gear … well, there’s lots of room. Some have taken to calling this boat “the pickup truck of the dinghy world.”

And performance? Boy howdy, this thing can fly! Board boats are great fun because they are close to the water and responsive to every gust. This is elemental sailing at its best. It points into the wind like a dream, yet it’s stable and controllable even in heavy winds. And the boom clearance is designed so you and your passengers don’t have to duck every time you tack or jibe.

People have loved board boats for generations. They are simple, easy to use, safe, and affordable. And they can move like a bat outta hell!

Have you seen the Rocket yet? Come take a look at one at Fay’s Boat Yard. If it’s not out on the lake being sailed by someone having more fun than is probably legal.