Hey JBrook kind of agree with you. It might look fragile but trust me its not. It does seem fragile because it is very very light so I was scared to push it..but no issue whatsoever. I am a heavy rider (90kg) and I was landing 10-15ft jump no problem. That's why I consider it a very good board.
On the pad I totally agree. Mine came off as well, but I put some kitefix glue and i fixed the issue.

As far as the finbox, allow me to disagree. North has actually a very good finbox system. It's future fins, which in my opinion is the way to go for a kite oriented surfboard, especially with all the lateral forces coming from turning into a wave with the added speed of a kite.

As with any other finbox, if you tighten the fin screw too much, you are bound to damage the finbox. I had tons of boards from several manufacturers and I think the finbox North chose for their boards is in the top range.

To be honest my only concerns are the straps (really really suck..North wake up, u can't put such low quality straps on a $1k board) and the price.

Keep it real