Hi All,

First post here. I'm looking at buying a second hand 14' 2015 Fanatic Falcon. The deck is the red with the black striping through it and the bottom is the white/grey with the black striping look through it. I thought this was the colouration that showed it to be a carbon board, whereas the heavier HRS boards had the solid red colouration on the deck etc. I can also see carbon on the parts or the deck that are not painted. However, the bottom of the board has the 'HRS' written on it. Can any one shed any light on this?

Could you check the weight of both on a product catalogue or similar and then weight the board? If the weight of the used board matches your expectation then you are good. Carbon should be closer to 26 lbs and fibreglass likely closer to 30 lbs.

PS:
No clear answer it seems that Fanatic like many companies does not publish weights:
www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=23559.0

Its the carbon but looks like the put the wrong label on it. The real truth is though that the top is carbon and the bottom is just glass, they just don't tell you that in the spec sheet.

You can simply sand a small section of the white paint to confirm (enhance/extend the brush till it is exposed).

This will confirm if it is carbon or simply white over black paint.

I can't remember the model (it was a Fanatic tho) but my local ding repairer showed me the same thing, some boards are carbon deck and just black paint on the bottom to save $$$.

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CheaterFive said..
You can simply sand a small section of the white paint to confirm (enhance/extend the brush till it is exposed).

This will confirm if it is carbon or simply white over black paint.

I can't remember the model (it was a Fanatic tho) but my local ding repairer showed me the same thing, some boards are carbon deck and just black paint on the bottom to save $$$.

That's sneaky. So much for the brush carbon look....

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CheaterFive said..
You can simply sand a small section of the white paint to confirm (enhance/extend the brush till it is exposed).

This will confirm if it is carbon or simply white over black paint.

I can't remember the model (it was a Fanatic tho) but my local ding repairer showed me the same thing, some boards are carbon deck and just black paint on the bottom to save $$$.

That's sneaky. So much for the brush carbon look....

It does look like the carbon model. If you weigh it and it's 12-13 kg... then it is the carbon model.

It looks like the Carbon model as the HRS looked completely different. It's been stickered up incorrectly. This did happen with a few early models.
You'll find most companies don't put a weight in the catalogue as there can be a slight variation in weights depending on excess glass, a heavier blank or many other reasons. As soon as the company puts a weight on a board, the retailer has to deal with a customer who demands a hefty discount because their board is 500 grams heavier than that stated in the catalogue.

I've seen plenty of people weighing SICs and Starbies before they purchase to make sure they've selected the lightest board.

My other recommendation is you go and see a reputable shop. There's often stuff posted on The Breeze that is totally incorrect but people seem to believe it. Actually it's a bit more than "often"

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NNSUP said..
You'll find most companies don't put a weight in the catalogue as there can be a slight variation in weights depending on excess glass, a heavier blank or many other reasons. As soon as the company puts a weight on a board, the retailer has to deal with a customer who demands a hefty discount because their board is 500 grams heavier than that stated in the catalogue.

I think honesty is better:
- put the weights as a range on the web site, not a single number
- sell the heavier boards at a discount. Do not try to sneak them onto consumers at the full price.

Granted, not many brands do things honestly regarding the weights. But some does...

Looks like the carbon model - I have the same board

Looks like the carbon model - I have the same board

Thanks very much for the replies guys. The Australian distributor got back to me very promptly and confirmed it is the carbon model, and must have had the wrong decal put on in the factory.

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colas said..

NNSUP said..
You'll find most companies don't put a weight in the catalogue as there can be a slight variation in weights depending on excess glass, a heavier blank or many other reasons. As soon as the company puts a weight on a board, the retailer has to deal with a customer who demands a hefty discount because their board is 500 grams heavier than that stated in the catalogue.

I think honesty is better:
- put the weights as a range on the web site, not a single number
- sell the heavier boards at a discount. Do not try to sneak them onto consumers at the full price.

Granted, not many brands do things honestly regarding the weights. But some does...

A weight range is feasible but there are still so many variables during construction.

Paint alone can vary the end product by 300 or so grams on average depending how heavy the guy in the booth goes (if it's brushed carbon, just rub it back some more if your worried about a few grams).

Add to that a non molded blank, hand sanding and more or less resin on lamination and you can get a board with up to 2kgs in variance from board to board.

Personally I would weigh the board and buy the heavier one, lol. Too light can have negative effects. I'd prefer a higher density blank in addition to less of a chance of a sand throughs.

These days people are all about the weight on shortboards and SUPS... But at the end of the day your limiting the life of the product whether you realize it or not.

Bring back Volan cloth!