i have a fanatic sky wing board, and put a nice crack in it (right in front of foot pads) a few weeks back with a relatively minor fall. i didn't think i even hit the board with any part of my body, but there it was. a friend told me yesterday he had a fall (on same make board), hit his knee on it, cracked it as well. he said he was also surprised how lightly he hit it to do that damage. and just about everyone else seems to have a story about damaging their boards at some point.
i have used a Starboard SUP for many years (in Starlite construction), have beat the crap out of it with my body, and never a ding. So clearly, there are ways of making boards better than the ways these wing boards are being made.
So...in case i ever get another board, anyone have particularly good (or bad) experiences with their brands?
+1 for DW wing boards -- well into the second season on mine, and it's in perfect shape despite my use of a metal harness hook and throwing it in and out of my car with no board bag. The construction is the best I've ever seen.
If you are worried about dings and cracks it's worth considering an inflatable. I bumped mine on the rocks while landing the other day and would have been seriously ticked if it was a hard board. Inflatables don't have a refined base with chined rails and tail steps, but it's a tradeoff I am willing to accept for durability.