DHD Mick Fanning Bolt - Grom Surfboard Review

If you squint, this looks exactly like Mick just left his own shortboard in the dryer too long. It’s also got “Strong Lite” 4 X 5 Oz glassing because DHD knows kids treat boards like we treat rental cars.

The outline is a classic performance shortboard—pulled-in nose and a narrow squash tail. It’s not a wide, forgiving pancake. The rails are medium-to-low, which adds sensitivity. The biggest tweak here is the straighter exit rocker. That’s the engine room. It’s designed to get the groms moving without them having to hop like a kangaroo on hot sand.

DHD calls it an “everyday” board. We’d add a caveat: “Everyday… provided there’s a little bit of push.”

Both of the older kids loved this in pretty much any conditions that got them excited to go surfing (read: onshore 1.5ft and better). In absolute micro-mush, our 10-year-old tester in particular struggled to get it moving compared to his wider Chilli Mini Bird. The Bolt lacks that extra planing area you need when the surf is truly gutless. Once the waves had any kind of heartbeat? Different story. 

Overall Best Conditions: Clean, punchy beach breaks where the groms can actually use the rail. 1-4ft is the goldilocks zone, which is a pretty wide zone.

Stats were:
1 Million Froth Sessions
A Zillion Waves
Top Speed: Lightspeed

Let’s talk paddle power first. This is a performance board, not a cheat code. Our 10-year-old tester found himself catching about 50% of his waves on his own, with the other 50% requiring a “Turbo Boost” (a shove from Dad). If your kid is a confident paddler, they’ll be fine. If they’re still finding their arms, you might want to pre-book a physio appointment for your Bursitis, because you’ll be doing some pushing.

Once up and riding, the feedback was unanimous: the thing rips.

The straighter rocker did its job, offering plenty of down-the-line speed, but the pulled-in tail meant they could still crank turns without sliding out. It smooths out the jittery style a lot of groms have and still allows for those “sick drops” into the pocket.

The Grom Verdicts:

• Mason (12): “It’s really good board. It’s good for turns and pumping. A pretty good barrel board. I really like it. It goes way better than my old board, easier to turn, and more smooth. I’m really happy with it.”
• Eden (13): “The good thing about the MF Bolt is the speed, you don’t really have to work hard (compared to other boards) on getting through fat sections. With all that speed it has the perfect amount of control so you can go from section to section without sliding out or getting too tired. The board also works in all different types of waves, great for keeping you line at reef breaks and super adaptable when it comes to beaches, and bigger waves. If I had to say one negative thing, it would be sometimes if you push too hard with your back foot, you will slide out. Going fast between bottom turns can be hard to keep your balance too. Sick spray!!!!!!!!!!”
• Kai (10): “It goes pretty good. It’s kind of hard to paddle on because I’m used to a little bit bigger boards, but when you get in a wave, it’s way easier to turn and stuff.”

The board comes with a standard thruster setup (FCS II or Futures). We tested it with the Mick Fanning signature fins and the Mason Ho signature fins.

Mason (the grom, not the pro, Ho) was pretty clear: “I like the Mick fins in it best.” It makes sense. Mick’s fins are designed for drive and control, which complements the board’s desire to go fast and stay on rail. The Mason Ho fins were fine, but for a grom starting to learn to bury a rail, the MFs are the ticket. 

The DHD MF Bolt is a legit piece of equipment. It’s not a toy. It’s a tool for the grom who is ready to step up their game and actually surf the wave rather than just ride it.

If your kid is only just getting on green faces or going straight in the whitewater, this might be too little board. But if they are starting to trim, pump, and look for sections, the MF Bolt will light a fire under them. It’s fast, responsive, and comes with a “sick spray”.

The Wins:

• Legit high-performance feel scaled for youth.
• Fast and smooth on the open face.
• Looks rad (vital for street cred).

The Challenges:

• Not a pure groveller. Needs semi-decent waves.
• Parents may develop shoulder injuries from push-ins if the kid isn’t ready for the lower volume.

Where To Buy You’re looking at $895 AUD. You can grab one direct from DHD or at your local surf shop.