RRD Poison V4 138 X 42cm 2017
Reviews / Twin Tips
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At A Glance
The Poison V4 is one of RRD’s top twin tip boards, targeting the pro freestyle market it is packed with technology and has fantastic build quality. Featuring a new straight outline through the middle of the board, the Poison V4 is somewhat swept in at the tips compared to other freestyle boards. A single deep concave is seen throughout the board. The main difference we see between the LTD V3 and the V4 is the lack of the Carbon layers. This isn't always a downside; we’ll look into this a little more later. The Poison boards come with channels for mounting the RRD Rad Pad’s offering unlimited stance options.
The Rad Pads are a super comfortable and easy system to use, and the fins do provide a lot of grips. However, some freestyler’s may prefer slightly smaller fins for this style of board.
Sizes: 135 x 39, 136 x 40, 137 x 41, 138 x 42, 140 x 42cm.
On The Water
Hitting the water on the Poison V4 it feels similar to the LTD V3, being fast to gain speed and smooth throughout a range of waters, including chop. Here in chop, however, the V4 excels slightly more due to its softer feel underfoot. It is still solid however it’s slightly more forgiving than the V3 LTD when it comes to chop and heavy landings.
The centre section of the board provides fantastic edging potential and sharp releases from the water, if your looking for a smoother floatier takeoff, the swept in tips do give a more progressive release from the board. Be sure to experiment here to find your perfect take off style with the Poison range. Pop isn't as responsive and aggressive as the carbon version however it is still plentiful, rapid and aggressive take offs are a blast.
“It’s fast, smooth, pops well and delivers flowing carves”
The Rad Pad system works exceedingly well with the track system and slight adjustments to the stance is much appreciated, it's interesting to play with minute adjustments and find what works best for you. No more set standardised stance widths.
One adjustment to the Poison range some riders may like to see is the addition of smaller fins for those looking for a more skate like experience on the water.
Overall
The Poison V4 is a quality piece of kit and should be considered when looking at a new high-performance twin tip, whether you’re new to the freestyle game or already experienced. It's fast, smooth across the water, pops incredibly well and still provides a progressive flowing carve when desired. It’s slightly heavier than the LTD V3, and the pop isn't as aggressive as the carbon board.
However, it is smoother underfoot and requires a little less input from the rider to maximise pop, ideal for those lighter freestylers. It’s well-built, and the colour variants are pretty stylish too. Some riders may like to see some channels added to the board's tips for added grip and a more precise take off however if you are looking for a more wake style orientated board check out the Juice V3 from RRD’s range.
Videos
This review was in Issue 62 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit RRDRelated
By Robin and Sukie
With years of kite sport experience combined, you can be sure you’ll be receiving the highest quality of knowledge on the best equipment the industry has to offer.
