I have a decision to make as to weather or not to upgrade from my Eddyline Nighthawk 16 to the Surge or the Eddyline Falcon 18. I want a faster kayak for racing in the men’s senior category. Today I paddled the Surge. It was a rocket on the water, very light (38#), and moderately comfortable. The backband was a bit small and the cockpit was a tight squeeze (16" by 27"). The Falcon
has a skeg. a bigger cockpit (17" by 31.5), a more comfortable backrest. It’s also a thousand dollars less expensive. What do you think I should choose?
Sounds like you’ve already decided…
… on the Falcon 18.
I demoed one once and liked it a lot - but for you want to do consider a QCC 700 or an EPIC 18. Both are faster and decent all a rounders for a wide range of other uses as well.
Comfort…
If you are not racing more than you are racing go for the comfort, you will like the boat much more…
comfort
Comfort…
Posted by: grayhawk on Jun-18-06 7:50 PM (EST)
If you are not racing more than you are racing go for the comfort, you will like the boat much more…
Good advice, greyhawk,
If I’m cramped into a tiny cockpit with a narrow backband cutting into my lower body. I won’t want to use the kayak for anything but races, If I have a comfortable seat with the Eddykine backfloat installed, the Falcon will be a yak I can use in races as well as on tours with my younger paddling buddies and still keep up.
I’m 62 years old–maybe I should change my name to Greyjeff!
Thanks for your reply,
JeffG
QCC or Epic sound advice
As a mediocre paddler, I have lost a few races to the QCC 700 and Epic 18 plugging away in my Falcon S-18. However, I would still buy the Falcon S-18 if I needed to reassess my initial purchase. Cost, design and customer service all superb. My speed is relative to my paddling skills and not the design of the boat. Standard web site advice, try them, test them, ask the same question to all the “SME’s” to validate answers provided. Good luck! Mark
Falcon S-18 Owner (Proud)
Surge
I would presonally go for the surge, its a great boat in my opinion, I would just chuck the backband and use foam to mold a backrest. Another nice thing about the surge is the they are next to indestructable due to the quality of the build
QCC or Epic sound advice
QCC or Epic sound advice
Posted by: pmwoodside on Jun-18-06 9:04 PM (EST)
As a mediocre paddler, I have lost a few races to the QCC 700 and Epic 18 plugging away in my Falcon S-18. However, I would still buy the Falcon S-18 if I needed to reassess my initial purchase. Cost, design and customer service all superb. My speed is relative to my paddling skills and not the design of the boat. Standard web site advice, try them, test them, ask the same question to all the “SME’s” to validate answers provided. Good luck! Mark
Falcon S-18 Owner (Proud)
Hi pmwoodside,
Thanks for your input. I spoke to a young man tonight who might sell me his Falcon 18, I will paddle it and see how it performs. My wife and I both own Nighthawk 16’s and love them for coastal paddling. At a recent race, the Run of the Charles (River in Boston), I was disappointed with my time and felt I needed a longer faster kayak to do better next year, The Eddyline Falcon 18 may well be the best choice for me to improve my perforand withiut buying a kayak that may not be the right fit in terms of comfort and versatility.
JeffG
Surge or Falcon 18
I would presonally go for the surge, its a great boat in my opinion, I would just chuck the backband and use foam to mold a backrest. Another nice thing about the surge is the they are next to indestructable due to the quality of the build
Hi CKE,
One part of me wants to go with your advice. The Surge in kevlar is only 38 pounds as opposed to the 49 pounds of the Falcon. On the other hand, If I were to crash the Surge into some rocks, I would fel really terrible. The Carbonlite 2000, a sturdy thermoplastic material used by Eddyline, gives you a fairly light, abrasion-resistant, and easily repairable surface to the hull. I’m still in a dilemma of whether to go for the Corvette or the GTO!
JeffG
I just demoed the Falcon on Saturday
– Last Updated: Jun-19-06 8:50 AM EST –
It was reasonably fast, had a very comfortable seat, tracked beautifully, and was difficult to turn.
Initially, it seemed tippy to me. The dealer called it "responsive". The secondary stability seemed very good even though I just demoed it in mild conditions.
I haven't tried the Surge.
Surge
I’ve had my Surge for several years now, it’s won many races (Blackburn, Run of the Charles, Bogey & Bacall, Adirondack Classic, Clinton 70 miler, USCA Nationals), even against men in Falcons. My Surge was run over by a 4 wheel drive truck, it did develope two cracks in the hull which were easily taped, otherwise it held it’s form even when the truck drove right over the back end! I’ve taken out the foot pegs & put in a solid foam block as a foot rest. My backband is still original but I’ve upgraded other boats to a Wilderness Systems backband which is quite comfortable & adjustable. It’s a well made, stable yet fast, lightweight, nimble sea kayak that’s well worth the price.
Surge or Falcon 18
Impressive input on the Surge–I’m glad I;m not in your category in kayak races! I paddled the Falcon S18 yesterday and wasn’t too happy with it. Had a tough time turning it into a strong headwind, and the yak was a tank to lift and carry. At 56 pounds in Vectran it was a full twenty ponds heavier than the more responsive Surge. The fellow with whom I paddled was a terrific young man–has paddled from the mainland of Cape Cod to Nantucket–over twenty miles od mostly open ocean. Too hard-core for me!
Construction
Kerry King makes the Surge one-at-a-time, himself. He is a highly skilled craftsman who is obsessive about his materials and techniques. You will not find as high quality construction from any of the major manufacturers. His prices are slightly higher, but his boats are still a bargain for the quality you get.