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New board arrived today. Very nice finish with smooth finish and nicely fitted deckpad. No handle recesses :-( Weight was ok and passed the getting onto roofrack test, but then again I am used to my Bark Dominator which is only 12 Kgs.
Initial thought after one 45 minute paddle on the Otago harbour , flat water with slight breeze and outgoing tide (I will compare to my Bark as its my only reference)
Stable - I could do dance on this board, its so stable cf to my bark which I don't have a problem with but you need to concentrate all the time. I need to test on a DW but I think it will be perfect for this.
Deck pad very nice and its nice to have dry feet cf to Bark which can be an issue. BTW I am 105kgs so probably a bit heavy for the Bark.
Flexibility - Its stiff. I jumped up and down and only a little bit of flex. Bark flexes quite a bit.
Bow wave pattern is very different to the Bark which just slices thru the chop. It feels like this deflects the water more but thats why I brought this board as I wanted a board for DW and taking off the coast. The bark loves to pearl so I am hoping this won't and the bow is very full.
Tracking - seems ok I was doing 15 strokes easy without feeling like I was snaking all over the place. Fin seem nice and its very light.
Speed - ok, but the Bark is a flat water monster. Seemed ok. Felt like I had to work harder, next time I will take my GPS.
Turning - seems easy to handle and because it extremely stable you can sink the tail and pivot easily.
Wake - there doesn't seem to be any, it very slight.
Overall - very happy. I wanted a board for training and doing DW/Coastal trips on and it will be perfect for this.
I had another paddle today. Gusting 20knots with a outgoing tide the waves were short and sharp. Making little headway into wind but when I turned around the board took off. In broad bay you can creep up under Yellow Head out of the wind and then cut out and down with the wind and chop.
I had it surfing (back to the start of the deck pad) doing 9-10 ks according to my GPS. It started to pearl a few times but recovered well and it was not a problem once I got my feet in the correct position. My foot position was back off the main pad when surfing. cf to my Bark , I would have been pearling all over the place and cross chop would have been very challenging. With the new Falcon, it was great fun. Very stable and handles the chop very well. This will be my "choppy" condition board and DW.
Hey Bruiser,
I like the look of the HRS version, the white bottom looks great. Fun board eh? I rode my 14 x 27.5" Carbon in a stiff downwinder and big waves on Wednesday from Brighton to Pinnaroo Point ~ 10km and it was so easy, incredibly stable and fast.
Great Boards for DW and Racing.
DM
Absolutely dying to get mine, apparently it should be here either Tuesday or Wednesday this week. Rode a 14 foot Bark today so bloody fast compared to my 12'6" Fanatic.
The 14 x 25 is fast. Did a new PB at the JPP time trial today. For me it's certainly faster than my times on the Ace and Ace Pro.(by 30 seconds) 25 for flat water and 27.5 for rough chop and DW.
Any idea how much your carbon boards weigh. My HRS is a bit of a tank and its pretty heavy but I haven't had a chance to weight it yet. I suppose it all comes down to the $$$$$ but I am not complaining as I knew what I was getting re the HRS weight.
Hey Brokeit. Im closer to 100kegs. . I reckon you are better off on a 27.5. yes u might drop in the drink now and then, but if you ever cross over to a bit of flat water paddling, or its lighter wind...the narrower board will grab runners better and carry more boardspeed. . . just my two pence worth
I just had a 27.5 HRS and carbon priced up. There is $750 in it. at 95kg, I cant justify the extra coin for a few kgs. think of all the cheeseburgers you can get for 750....might be able to crack 100 kegs!
Hey how do the 27.5 falcon HRS stack up to say an Ace 27 AST in flat water???
Thanks Guys. Some very useful comments there. Just confirming what I was already thinking. I think the 27.5 is going to be the best board for me and i think ill get used to it pretty quickly. I just need the summer to return. its bloody freezing here at the moment, and dark!
how about 80 kgs, pretty good balance, ride in flat, chop and short period waves in DW.
have a Bark 12-6 x29 that I find plenty stable.
would you recommend 14 x 25 or 14 x 27,5
would love to be able to test, but not possible where I am.
actually, would rather get a 16-17 footer as compliment to Bark. A SIC would be great, but not available up here..
I am still waiting delivery of mine, each time it is supposed to be coming from Sydney to Canberra it gets lost, misplaced, forgotten etc etc etc. I think I am just about over it, any more delays and I will just cancel the order until the new year.
Thanks to all. This is really some great information. I am between buying the bark dominator and the fanatic hrs 14x27.5. Concerned about the speed I may give up in flat water with fanatic? And it sounds like fanatic may be a bit tippier in the chop, but probably rides chop better and better for down winds. I weigh about 80kg at 180cm. I race in both flat and chop including ocean swell? Any additional thoughts on comparing these two boards would be of big help. Also would love to know the weight on the fanatic as I can not find specs any where.
