Has anyone ridden the Mick Fanning soft boards? I accidentally ordered one online and wondering whether to cancel my order.

Haven't ridden one but they look the goods

Yes. You probably win't regret it.

They are heavy!

Other than that, they're stiff, durable and go pretty well for a softboard.

Own 2. Lil Marley and the mini mal shaped one. Also have softech 7ft, gnaraloo flounder pounder and a catch surf skipper.

mick fanning lil Marley ahead by miles in my view - although I snapped it. Interestingly it's like they have just wrapped a normal eps/ epoxy board in cloth.

so nah wouldn't cancel your order

Please bear in mind it's still a foamie.
good litreage and easy to catch waves but in regards to performance still quite shiiiiiiite.

I know they are cheap people but there foamies, we really need to discourage people buying these thinking you can rip on them.

yes you can do a turn or a floater but you can do those on a bodyboard standing up a skimboard even a goat boat.

awaiting the hate

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Razzonater said..


yes you can do a turn or a floater but you can do those on a bodyboard standing up a skimboard even a goat boat.

Geez Razz,
I'd be happy to do a turn or floater on my performance board.....
Better get myself a foamie

Thanks for the feedback. I decided to swap it for a conventional board. Sounds like they'd be handy if you had a few lazy dollars lying around.

Come on. Don't be shy. What did you get?

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Buster fin said..
Come on. Don't be shy. What did you get?

I got an Aloha Cabanero, looks descent and got a good deal.

Habanero? Nice one

Razz, I hear what you're saying. And sure you don't want it as your goto board or boards in waist high plus.

But how about on a standard summer day on Perth metro? Maybe you might bring out the mal - fair enough - you can get into small ones, ride it till there's no wave left, small floater or turn - pretty much a foamie (maybe no toe hang)

getting back into surfing / or still finding your feet - go the foamie until you can control your board and build a bit of confidence - the Mal or the high litre long short board can be chaotic - we've all had one.

Costwise - yeh probably not a good call blowing $500 on a softboard if you can get a brand new aloha for $600.

Perormance is definitely muted across all aspects and there isn't much worth telling your mates about on the softboard. But with FCS fins and an actual eps foam/ glasses hard board under the cloth - it's not a bodyboard - maybe some are like bodyboards.

taking the kids, beginner friend, date or wife surfing and don't want to be driving them to the emergency or the person they hit? Go the foamie.

While it's criminal to surf a softboard in offshore 3ft A-frames there are surely times when a foamie can up the froth levels, keep you happy on those tiny days, be left in the car to warp or be stolen, be a backup to your standard boards etc

all that said - softboard marketing is ridiculously out of control - and there's a weird culture around it that is kind of about pulling into a back-wash close out after taking off fins first in Fluro coloured board shorts with a group of mates laughing because it's so classic....

+1

Twice had a bash on a mates soft board left in my car this week. Got me wet after work when I would otherwise have said no way, and 20+ extra little waves ridden then I would have otherwise got. Little roll ins to a pump or 2 and maybe a turn
the fcs fins make a big difference

great summer slop option when wind is under 15kn still if nothing else

Mick fanning boards are $500+ the foam used to make them costs $50 tops add the slick at $20 so $70 total for a piece of packing foam, EPS ............... retail mark up of 350%

All put together in a factory by 11-15 year old kids with healthy lungs and dexterous fingers

For those in this thread spruiking the VALUE or how good they are please also be transparent and state that you are either in the buisiness of selling them or an avid collector of the worst boards in history......

yes they are fun fun to catch waves on and job rides one at pipe ( cost him $70 from Walmart) but do not fall for the hype for $500 bucks you can buy half a dozen different proper boards from reputable and semi reputable shapers, you can buy just about any board from surf warehouse for that the price...

If the mick fanning board was 100-150 it would be half decent value, at 500 it is no lesss than a rip off...

cant put a price on micks name with a rip curl logo

First off I sell MF and a range of other soft boards including Soflite and Softech at Soul Boardstore in Scarborough so I have potential interests but also a bit of first hand knowledge.
The MF are basically a glassed epoxy board with a carbon stringer system, like many expensive high performance boards, which are then wrapped in a soft foam layer, most also have FCS2 boxes and fins. I consider them good value when similar made high performance boards are $700-$900.
The MF are stiffer than most other softies so can give better performance but can ding more as they have a hard, brittle glass under the foam. Softech and Softlite have a bit more flex and are better for beginners that may be crashing into others and themselves.
The price of anything has many more components than pure raw materials otherwise we wouldn't be paying more than $2000 a new Porsche or a cent or two for a pint of beer.
We also are offering 10% of all softboards 6'6" or under in stock at the moment, making them all even better value.

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P co said..
First off I sell MF and a range of other soft boards including Soflite and Softech at Soul Boardstore in Scarborough so I have potential interests but also a bit of first hand knowledge.
The MF are basically a glassed epoxy board with a carbon stringer system, like many expensive high performance boards, which are then wrapped in a soft foam layer, most also have FCS2 boxes and fins. I consider them good value when similar made high performance boards are $700-$900.
The MF are stiffer than most other softies so can give better performance but can ding more as they have a hard, brittle glass under the foam. Softech and Softlite have a bit more flex and are better for beginners that may be crashing into others and themselves.
The price of anything has many more components than pure raw materials otherwise we wouldn't be paying more than $2000 a new Porsche or a cent or two for a pint of beer.
We also are offering 10% of all softboards 6'6" or under in stock at the moment, making them all even better value.

Thank you for the detailed clarification, All I think is that people where possible should buy boards handshaped by people such as yourself, You made a board for my mate recently and it is a beautiful piece of art , I would rather one of them than four mick fannings.

Maybe I'm just a softboard hater, fear Of the unknown and what the future brings, heavier boards filled with helium for tow surfing? 14 foot softboards, it's like an arms race out there some days.

Conclusion:

Soul boardstore is the best surfshop in town if not the known galaxy.
I can vouch that he makes a piece of art.

Go in there to buy a mick fanning, one for the kids of course and a finely crafted single fin or two.

There is no way I want to get into an internet disagreement with someone who in the future I will be asking to "please sir can you shape me a board.....??

6 weeks for anyone else but 10 weeks for you razzonater, I still haven't forgotten our little softboard disagreement....

No no no I'm tapping out

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Razzonater said..

P co said..
First off I sell MF and a range of other soft boards including Soflite and Softech at Soul Boardstore in Scarborough so I have potential interests but also a bit of first hand knowledge.
The MF are basically a glassed epoxy board with a carbon stringer system, like many expensive high performance boards, which are then wrapped in a soft foam layer, most also have FCS2 boxes and fins. I consider them good value when similar made high performance boards are $700-$900.
The MF are stiffer than most other softies so can give better performance but can ding more as they have a hard, brittle glass under the foam. Softech and Softlite have a bit more flex and are better for beginners that may be crashing into others and themselves.
The price of anything has many more components than pure raw materials otherwise we wouldn't be paying more than $2000 a new Porsche or a cent or two for a pint of beer.
We also are offering 10% of all softboards 6'6" or under in stock at the moment, making them all even better value.

Thank you for the detailed clarification, All I think is that people where possible should buy boards handshaped by people such as yourself, You made a board for my mate recently and it is a beautiful piece of art , I would rather one of them than four mick fannings.

Maybe I'm just a softboard hater, fear Of the unknown and what the future brings, heavier boards filled with helium for tow surfing? 14 foot softboards, it's like an arms race out there some days.

Conclusion:

Soul boardstore is the best surfshop in town if not the known galaxy.
I can vouch that he makes a piece of art.

Go in there to buy a mick fanning, one for the kids of course and a finely crafted single fin or two.

There is no way I want to get into an internet disagreement with someone who in the future I will be asking to "please sir can you shape me a board.....??

6 weeks for anyone else but 10 weeks for you razzonater, I still haven't forgotten our little softboard disagreement....

No no no I'm tapping out

Haha, Great reply Razzonator, you should be sent to the middle East with diplomacy skills like that.
You qualify for 2c Friday afternoon beers around here.

I sat and watched the waves for a while this morning. Barely breaking with the high tide but then some peaks started to show as the tide dropped. Was watching one guy on a shorter foamie catching plenty of waves and riding them well when taking into account how docile the waves were.
Eventually paddled out and I know the guy on the softie. Bad back, shoulder etc, etc.
Ask him what he was riding?
$99 Aldi soft fish.
He rode it during Oma at Alex lefts, air dropping into the throaty ones. I've known him for decades. I believed him.
Reckons he was bummed because later they dropped the price to $69.

Wow $69, bargain!

Hawaii was really cheap for the soft boards. Would have liked to have grabbed a catch surf firewire vanguard type shape softy for $200us but I was already shuffling luggage around to stay underweight.

I got a $75 Tahwali softy from Rebel Sport...can fit FCS fins ...it is fun on days I wouldn't bother even with the Red Perko Baked Tato

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Razzonater said..
Mick fanning boards are $500+ the foam used to make them costs $50 tops add the slick at $20 so $70 total for a piece of packing foam, EPS ............... retail mark up of 350%

All put together in a factory by 11-15 year old kids with healthy lungs and dexterous fingers

For those in this thread spruiking the VALUE or how good they are please also be transparent and state that you are either in the buisiness of selling them or an avid collector of the worst boards in history......

yes they are fun fun to catch waves on and job rides one at pipe ( cost him $70 from Walmart) but do not fall for the hype for $500 bucks you can buy half a dozen different proper boards from reputable and semi reputable shapers, you can buy just about any board from surf warehouse for that the price...

If the mick fanning board was 100-150 it would be half decent value, at 500 it is no lesss than a rip off...

cant put a price on micks name with a rip curl logo

Good to see you went 180 on these points Razz....takes a brave man to do so in these parts.

Select to expand quote

Razzonater said..
Mick fanning boards are $500+ the foam used to make them costs $50 tops add the slick at $20 so $70 total for a piece of packing foam, EPS ............... retail mark up of 350%

All put together in a factory by 11-15 year old kids with healthy lungs and dexterous fingers

For those in this thread spruiking the VALUE or how good they are please also be transparent and state that you are either in the buisiness of selling them or an avid collector of the worst boards in history......

yes they are fun fun to catch waves on and job rides one at pipe ( cost him $70 from Walmart) but do not fall for the hype for $500 bucks you can buy half a dozen different proper boards from reputable and semi reputable shapers, you can buy just about any board from surf warehouse for that the price...

If the mick fanning board was 100-150 it would be half decent value, at 500 it is no lesss than a rip off...

cant put a price on micks name with a rip curl logo

The MF boards seem to be reinforced with Glad Wrap
The amount of mates that have creased theirs is off the charts.
Customer Service is non existent from what I hear as well. "It can't be the boards fault" ... " It has Mick Fannings name on it"..... "You must be a kook"...."Sorry but not sorry"
Better options available out there.
Why not just get an oversized cheapie off Gumtree to keep you happy when it's tiny.
Most (Not all) Scabs surf shops are a rip off for second hand boards anyway