Hi all selling my 2014 fanatic falcon 12'6 for something faster.
I'm looking to compare the 2013 candice Appleby 12'6 race and the 2014 Lahui Kai Manta.
The board will be for flatwater and small choppy race conditions and social of course.
I have demonstrated the candice abit and the manta only once .
Any recommendations or info would be helpful thanks.

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Kickels said..
Hi all selling my 2014 fanatic falcon 12'6 for something faster.
I'm looking to compare the 2013 candice Appleby 12'6 race and the 2014 Lahui Kai Manta.
The board will be for flatwater and small choppy race conditions and social of course.
I have demonstrated the candice abit and the manta only once .
Any recommendations or info would be helpful thanks.

A wise man once told me the biggest improvement in speed will come from with in and the funniest thing is it's so true for our sport!! the board you have is one of the best on the market and is still at the top end of a lot of races world wide so why change what will make the littlest difference? in stead invest that money in to getting more out of your paddling as we are always learning and that is where the real speed difference will come from!!

Sorry i have never paddled those boards you mentioned so not much help there!

+1. Giving the engine a tune and lightening the bodywork is the most successful way of getting faster.

Thank you for the replys I do need to work on my technique but am looking for a different shaped board instead of the planing shaped falcon which although is great board I would like to try something different.
Thanks heaps

If your Falcon is the bulbous nose ocean one, then the Candice Appleby Surftech Bark will be faster in flat water, although the CA models are not the fastest 12-6 boards that Surftech make for flat water: they are more aimed at BOP-style events. Two of my local female paddlers compared the narrow "fat-lip" Falcon with a wider, heavier RRD 12-6 (with standard displacement-type nose) in perfectly still water and both paddlers were substantially faster on the RRD. That Falcon nose pushes a lot of water.

But the advice you've got is still true: there are *much* larger gains in speed to be had from training and improvements in fitness and technique than you will EVER get from changes in equipment.

starboard all star or starboard Race noses both cut the water line better than the falcons in flattish conditions. Falcon is a downwind machine but definately faster boards in the flatter stuff as the falcon type noses push a fair amount of water for the average paddler.

what about a SIC they get good reviews in the flatter stuff.

Bark Contender, it is more flat water than the CA but still handles BOP style events with ease as it punches out easily and surfs really well. I am 87kg which is on the heavy side for it but regulary lend it to a junior for races and he loves it. It is very quick in flat water and I tend to choose it over my Naish LE on the flat. My partner who is a lot lighter than me loves hers and it copes with the down winders we have here with ease

Yep, I'd get the Bark Contender too. But I've seen first hand how much the graphics of the CA Bark board, and the sight of Candice winning, attracts the female paddler.

When I tried the Appleby board I was surprised that it had so much rocker, and it felt surfy and reactive rather than something that would go in a straight line in flat water with minimum effort. I'm sure it would still be faster than the Falcon in flat water. But if you were serious about winning in flat water races I agree that the Contender would probably be the choice. Or if you wanted maximum stability, the Competitor.

Mind you, it would be even better to get a 14ft board. But that's another discussion.

Want to go faster on Flatwater - get a 14'

Thank you for all the replys
Can anyone comment on the Lahui Kai Manta 12'6
On performance and stability?

If no one can help with a reply Kickels re the Lahui Kai, search KellyM forum name here as He is affiliated with them. Maybe shoot him a PM

I think the step up from a 12'6 to a 14 would be a huge increase in speed for you. I personally think that you need to go a long way to actually find a badly designed board these days. I am a starby fan boy so I will usually say people should be looking at the All Star (which does just keep getting better) or the new Race. The new LK's seem to look pretty nice and I would think now they have the Starby race team next years model will be very interesting. The boys that are on the new Naishs rave about them.

All in all its a great time to be demoing as many boards as you can lay your hands on because nothing will beat the feeling of finding exactly the right one for you, regardless of what others tell you are 'the best'.

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Kickels said...
Thank you for all the replys
Can anyone comment on the Lahui Kai Manta 12'6
On performance and stability?

I haven't tried the Manta, but as far as I understand, both that board and the Bark/Appleby are boards designed primarily for BOP-style racing. Is that what you are going to be using them for? If not, then you might want to consider boards more oriented towards paddling speed rather than handling in and out of surf, round buoys etc. I don't know if the new 2015 Lahui Kai carbon race 12-6 would be too tippy for you, but that looks like it might be more along the lines of what you want than the Manta. It looks nice too...kinda similar graphics to the Bark Appleby board, perhaps. Mind you, I wouldn't buy a board with a liftSUP handle, but that's just my own particular preference.

How wide is your current Falcon?

Falcon is 27.25 wide
I will be paddling in choppy bay water and creeks like currumbin so when the wind is up it can get a little rough but I can also only have one board. I just need it to be more of a semi displacement instead of a planing one like the falcon.

See if you can demo the Bark Contender (27" wide) or the new Lahui Kai carbon race (27.75" wide). The Manta and the Appleby may not be enough of a change from the Falcon. It's hard to beat that Bark-type shape and nose. They go upwind so well and are pretty good at everything. There's a reason why the Bark shape has just evolved rather than changed over the years - Joe Bark got it right first time.

Another board I'd be taking a very close look at in your position was one mentioned earlier - the SIC X 12-6. They are a really great all-round shape too and their handling in choppy seas is excellent for a displacement-type shape. They are pretty too, and the SIC handle is the best in the business. The new Lahui Kai would definitely be worth trying. But it is currently more of an unknown than the Bark or the SIC. You'd be hard pushed to find anyone who has a bad word to say about either the Contender or the SIC X12-6 (used to be called the X12 I think, but it's essentially the same board). You'd need to demo them ideally but it's hard to imagine either would be a mistake, if you feel that the general size, scale, and stability of the Falcon was in the right ball park. Good luck!

www.facebook.com/JerseyPaddleClub/photos/a.133177533546662.1073741825.133169296880819/297150670482680/?type=1&theater

The Contender with 10kg too much on it showing it is more than just a flat water board

The contender does look pretty good but I have been looking into the starboard all star as well and can't wait to demo one.