I'm looking into getting a 25" fanatic strike, there is a large difference in price but less than a kg difference in weight between CCS carbon and BXF construction so I'm wondering what are the other downsides of the cheaper version as to me weight only would not justify the extra cost? Dos Anybody have any deeper insight on this over and above what the fanatic website says? The bxf seems to also have a carbon layer so I'm wondering if it's that different?

The all carbon one should be stiffer. Probably a little more fragile as well though.
Any chance you can demo the two?

Your weight will be a big factor for flex.

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tarquin1 said..
The all carbon one should be stiffer. Probably a little more fragile as well though.
Any chance you can demo the two?

I've demoed the carbon one and quite like it, they don't have a demo BXF. I am around 78kg. The fanatic website says that the BXF has full PVC wrap which should make it tougher, but the cross section picture does not show it. I'm not sure if the carbon one has it.

Not getting much help sorry.
Foil mainia seems to have taken over.
Where are you. Cant the shop you are buying it at help.
I would say if the glass board is full pvc it will be fine. It's difficult to say without knowing the construction.
I guess at the end of the day are you racing and need that stiffer and lighter board. Or do you want a more robust board,thats only 1kg heavier and a lot cheaper.
At 78 kgs I dont think flex would be a problem.
You would really need to try both boards to know.

I've got a 2020 Blitz in the BXF and it's perfect. Mine weighed 12.2 kg. There's no way in hell I'd pay for a carbon. i don't think most paddlers would know the difference.

So I've found out that the BXF does not have PVC wrap sandwich construction. Does that mean that is more or less durable than the carbon construction? When I say durable I mean how easy it dents or crack with an impact (paddle etc.)

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rusty-pie said..
So I've found out that the BXF does not have PVC wrap sandwich construction. Does that mean that is more or less durable than the carbon construction? When I say durable I mean how easy it dents or crack with an impact (paddle etc.)

It is more resistant to impacts, but the BIG difference in practice is that most dings will be waterproof, as the PVC layer itself is waterproof and small dings wont break it.
And for EPS core boards that can gobble liters, it is huge, as it is these small dings that can happen without being noticed.

Full PVC wrap is worth paying for IMO, especially if you are going to be using your board a lot. It makes a board massively more durable.

My previous post wasn't very clear, neither the bxf nor carbon Strike have a full pvc wrap. They both have sandwich construction only in the standing area, pvc for the carbon and wood for the bxf. So comparison of durability is between fibreglass and carbon constructions both with no pvc wrap.

Previously the fanatic website seemed to suggest that only the bxf had Full pvc wrap but now it has been corrected that this is not the case.

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rusty-pie said..
So comparison of durability is between fibreglass and carbon constructions both with no pvc wrap.

I'd say it will be about the same. I would chose the one with the most cloth (glass or carbon) layers on the rails.

The fiberglass will begin to show delamination (cracks making white "webs" in the glass) earlier than carbon, but the carbon will tear in a more "catastrophic" fashion (big tear) once it breaks. So it should be about the same, the difference being then more in the craftmanship of the glasser or sander than the technology.

Also, the weight will vary with the amount of the resin left between boards. But I found out that with the same construction (layers of glass and carbon cloth), and the same model, the heavier boards (so with just extra resin) were noticeably more impact resistant than the lighter boards. On a 105 liter board of similar shape and identical construction, the 7kg one show no paddle marks, the 6kg one some, and I had to put a strip of 2'x1" helicopter tape as a rail saver on the nose rails on my 5kg one. I guess this is because heavier resin jobs most probably had resin "wetting" more the blank, creating a strong surface layer in the blank. The extra resin seems not a pure dead weight after all even if it is much, much more efficient to add extra weight as another cloth layer than just extra resin, of course.

So, if you are not seeking an ultralight board at all costs, I guess that choosing the heavier model may bring you more durability. But I have absolutely no idea on how Fanatic build their boards.