Catch Surf x ...Lost Crowd Killer Softboard Review

After riding the board for a while, in differing conditions and locations, the curiosity of the board got Tim asking some questions about the board. So instead of trying to answer them ourselves, we just rang Mayhem himself and got the answers from the horses mouth.

What you were trying to achieve with this board that the regular version couldn’t do?
It’s a soft board. Essentially a toy. Makes surfing less serious. A bit more playful. Safe. Soft. Toss it around. Be goofy. Alternative fun.
Why so serious?

What was the biggest head fuck about getting it right?
Honestly, we don’t stress over it. It’s a licensed product. Developed with Catch. It falls in line with our conceit that we only partner with market leaders, in the category. Catch Surf is a company based here in San Clemente. They make a consistent, creative, light hearted product. The design is solid and the marketing is fun.

We heard you went through a bit of R&D? Can you tell us a bit… ?
I leave the RnD to the Catch Surf guys. They know the product. I simply provide them with master boards, to pull molds off of.
The tech/construction is piloting. You can’t really net the same detail shape, with a “true” soft board. Some soft boards are simply hard boards wrapped in a layer of soft foam. Those are fine. Actually closer to a hard board, just disguised as a soft board. These are true soft boards. You need to be pragmatic. The internal wood stringers and foam core, have a nice pop to them. They are fun

What are the biggest trade offs you have to think about when designing a soft board?
Like I said, you need to be pragmatic and understand that these are toys. They are not full on high performance hand built boards. But they are also less than half the price! Toys for standing on waves in the ocean. No one is trying to replace your custom designed, hand built performance surfboard here.
Let’s have some fun.

The Catch Surf x …Lost Crowd Killer is almost like a mid-length shape overall. It has a wider nose that still pulls into a rounded point. On the other end is a narrow round tail that kinda looks a bit like a squash. There’s a relaxed, central rocker line designed for gliding, with a kicked up ‘flip-tip’ to avoid you nose diving (or ‘pearling’ as some crew still call it). Overall, it’s a nice balanced line from rail to tail without any radical hips. 

The Fin system is similar to a standard FCS1 set up. We ran with the fins provided, but if you had some FCS options you’d prefer to stick in there, you’d probably eek out a little bit more performance if you wanted to. Obvious bet is to sling in the Mayhem FCS template, which Lincoln loves. 

Given this is a softboard, the materials are worth mentioning also. As you’d expect it has a spongy yet durable top, high-density polyurethane slick bottom, and a bumper tail. Inside is a triple maple-ply stringer construction for extra strength.

You could pretty much ride this board in 1ft ankle biters to double overhead rollers. Some freaks would probably try one at thumping Pipeline too, but that’s not really what it’s for. I rode it in tiny beach breaks, head high reefs and everything in between including forehand and backhand. It’s super versatile. The paddling power and buoyancy gives you plenty of lift to get up and running in small waves, or get in early enough to steeper drops in bigger stuff. No way it would be my board of choice in hollow surf, but if you’re looking for a fun board in waves of mild consequence, this is what it’s made for. I surfed it at 4ft Winki Pop and did get caught on the inside for a while. The thing duck dives like an engorged tampon. Not something I’d take out in solid beachies, or places you have to work hard to get out the back. 

This softboard is also really user friendly for a wide range of skill levels. My 9 and 11 year old kids rode it and had fun. I rode it and had a ball. My 69 year-old dad even took it out for a spin and had a blast. He normally rides a 10ft longboard, so to get out there on something much smaller and still catch waves was rad to see. He loved how light it was too. Much easier to cart down the stairs than a big fibreglass beast. 

Stats were:
16 sessions
65 waves
Top Speed of 35km/h (Winki Pop)
Longest ride was 180m (Winki Pop)

Are you ripping on this board? No you are not. But you are having a blast. The Catch Surf x …Lost Crowd killer has plenty of glide and allows you to plant your backfoot on the narrow tail and still throw it around, despite its length and volume. Not really something you pump to generate speed, it goes best when you’re fitting in with the flow of the wave. My funnest turns were when I naturally built up speed on a long wall and then threw it up into a crumbling section that was already starting to come down. I didn’t have to push or snap, more just let the wave do the work and enjoy the rollercoaster. 

If you’re wanting something to chase down sections on and keep things zippy, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But, if you want something to catch a whole bunch of waves on and still throw the odd sang, it’s a great option.   

Fun for the whole family. The Catch Surf x …Lost Crowd Killer is a surfboard I’d take down to the beach with the groms when the waves are average but we’re still wanting to have a good time. You can pass it around to everyone, take turns and all be pretty happy. Despite being bigger than your average shortboard, the construction is light so it doesn’t feel like you’re lugging anything and making it a hassle. It’s something I’d also highly recommend to someone that has been out of the water for a while and is looking for something user friendly to get back in the rhythm of things. Same if you’re nursing an injury and still want to get out there. The shape means you’re not going to get all excited and try airs or anything stupid. If you come off, the softness means you’re not going to crack a rib. It will handle slightly bigger waves, but its primo conditions are chest to head high with a bit of wall. Super versatile, it’s a great softboard to have in the garage and get a whole lot of use from. 

The Wins:

• Easy to catch waves on but still turns
• Light to carry
• Will go in lots of different conditions for a wide range of skill levels

The Challenges:

• Not ideal for waves of serious consequence
• Isn’t the best to duck-dive because of the buoyancy