Well, the Falcon and Bullet are very different boards. They don't really belong in the same category IMO. The Bullet (either V1 or V2) is a full-on downwind board that doubles up as an all-rounder whereas the Falcon is a hybrid race board you can also downwind. The Bullet surfs well, but I doubt that the Falcon does because of the very forward fin position (but haven't tried one yet so this is a guess: the Mistral Equinox has a narrow tail and fin forward like the Falcon, and surfing is it's least good quality).

You might want to try the Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder too.

That's the 1st time I've ever heard the Falcon described as a "hybrid". The focus the last 2 years has been on making the Falcon a board that excels downwind. We modelled the nose off the clubbie paddle boards here in Australia as they were the design that works well in our Australian conditions. They are very different to the paddle board noses found in the US. The clubbie boards run downwind and slip into the bumps and that is what we were after. We tried 4 different round noses last year, and the 2017 nose is a slight evolution of the 2016 nose. This year we added volume to the nose to aid the boards downwind ability and straightened the rail line to provide more stability.
As far as surfing goes, the Falcon surfs well. 4 of us were riding shoulder to head high swells and waves this morning out on our local reef without a problem. A variety of fin placements were trialled on the Protos and the optimum position is where it is on the 2017 production boards.
The Falcon is more of a downwind board this year than ever before and this has certainly been reflected in the comments from people who have purchased it here in Australia. It's certainly not a board I'd be using in a Flatwater race, however, with its ability to pick up little bumps it would be a good choice for a lumpy offshore race.
I always advice to demo if you can before buying as this will give you a true indication of what suits you.

NNSUP said..
That's the 1st time I've ever heard the Falcon described as a "hybrid". The focus the last 2 years has been on making the Falcon a board that excels downwind. We modelled the nose off the clubbie paddle boards here in Australia as they were the design that works well in our Australian conditions. They are very different to the paddle board noses found in the US. The clubbie boards run downwind and slip into the bumps and that is what we were after. We tried 4 different round noses last year, and the 2017 nose is a slight evolution of the 2016 nose. This year we added volume to the nose to aid the boards downwind ability and straightened the rail line to provide more stability.
As far as surfing goes, the Falcon surfs well. 4 of us were riding shoulder to head high swells and waves this morning out on our local reef without a problem. A variety of fin placements were trialled on the Protos and the optimum position is where it is on the 2017 production boards.
The Falcon is more of a downwind board this year than ever before and this has certainly been reflected in the comments from people who have purchased it here in Australia. It's certainly not a board I'd be using in a Flatwater race, however, with its ability to pick up little bumps it would be a good choice for a lumpy offshore race.
I always advice to demo if you can before buying as this will give you a true indication of what suits you.

Thanks NNSUP, don't worry I'm not stuck on semantics ... more interested in feel vs what I have and from the brief paddle on the Falcon it's a very different board that still might suit my needs. I like the extra volume overall for winter paddling here in the NW US, the construction is outstanding and very light and the distributor is 50 miles away. I hope to paddle a couple other boards next week. It's funny, I remember Sebastian Wenzel the designer from my WS days long ago.... the guy is ageless. Appreciate the input.

Yard sale, don't overlook the NSP Sonic as an option also. Depending on ability it is faster than the Puma. I spent a good day testing these with Alain Teurqetil from NSP and loved both boards. Just another board to throw in the mix.

4 paddles? Don't worry, that's normal. I've got 21 paddles. That's not normal.

Area10 said..
4 paddles? Don't worry, that's normal. I've got 21 paddles. That's not normal.

Cool cuz I'm about to have 5 at 2 months in. There's one thing being OCD... feel is everything and little flaws in technique or feel will drive me insane LOL. I think shops should focus most of their energy on getting customers on the right paddle because to me, initially at least, it makes the most difference in the experience. I figure by next spring I'll be able to start my own used paddle store.... maybe we could start an eBay shop together. Ha ha!

with so many boards I'm looking forward to the Kite Republic demo day on the Fanatic Falcon & Strike!