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  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Castaic, CA
    Posts
    151

    Rest of the Review

    I have a little more time on her now. Damn this is a solid boat. I still need some serious setup work and prop experimentation but she can run the rough stuff with the best of them. Clear Lake TBF tournament day one was calm and she ran 68 with 400 rpms left that I can't get yet. The Bravo lifts the stern so the boat runs best with trim and jackplate a long way from maxxed out. I may consider moving the motor a hole lower as I can easily raise the jackplate too high and water pressure drops but that may be good for real shallow water.... Time will tell. I think I can get more top speed with more bow lift so a Fury or Tempest in 23-24 pitch may be the best. That all depends on how they ride in the rough stuff with that prop because Day 2 was a bit snotty. 2 footers with an occasional 3 and a stiff wind. Day 1 I passed quite a few boats. (god I love that early morning takeoff race even if I run 4500-5000 rpms the rest of the day and less in practice) There were a few Basscats, Phoenixs and a well setup Skeeter that walked away from me but I walked down far more than I was expecting with the current setup. Day 2 was a bit different. That rough wind and swell combined with lots of boat wakes made conditions a little more testy. Falcon boat ATE THAT SHIT UP. My co was sitting in the seat with his legs up and his arm on the gunnel most of the first run. We ran 65-66 with the jackplate and trim down a bit and glided on. Passed everything I was near until I pulled out for a different spot. I heard more than few comments back at the dock about it being rough or co's getting slammed or boats coming out of the water a bit but was not a factor for me. This is where that Bravo shined. It kept the stern up and with the bow down the boat was glued to the water. The bow cut everything down and we just glided. Don't get me wrong the boat was moving around and it was not a coffee sipping ride but it was DAMN impressive.

    I had my 921 PHX in some equally rough stuff and it was just as good but different. The Phoenix rides with the waves a bit more and you go up and down and land softly. You could trim her down a bit and jam on with the boat landing softly and trust her to do her job. Great boat and a great ride. The Falcon seem to glide on the water. The bow parts everything and she just rolls with it. I never tested the bravo on the Phoenix but take it for what it is worth. Either ride will outperform 90% of the drivers and make that 90% look better than they really are. I am not sure how they do in BIG stuff 3-4 foot plus but if you got the skills to drive it the Falcon will do it's part.

    Attached Photos:
    Backdrop against the Pacific. falcon even tossed it on their Facebook page when I sent them the photo so they could be coast to coast.

    Bow mount Helix 12 on a BBC mount. Solid as a rock and uses the Humminbird factory mount. Di for me on the bow and I mostly use the 2d sonar. The new transducer for Humminbird is very nice for 2 soar but the damn things do have a double reading problem in shallow water.

    Dual 12's at the bow on a BBC mount. Both BBC mounts are solid aluminum and replace the factory Resin or plastic plates. If you want duals at the console this is the way to go. I have heard good things about the Precision mount but BBC had the Falcon plates in stock.

    The trick step is the model I had on my Phoenix. It fit perfectly and is a big help. (I have managed to step off and miss the damn step in the parking lot because I am stupid. It Hurt. A lot. Don't be stupid)

    I created a positive and negative bus bar by the main cranking battery and changed to a 31 X2 cranking battery and it has been great. The Ultrex is running off 3 Interstate AGM that the boat came with and so far is fine. Running wiring on this boat is very easy and the access around the boat is setup for quick and easy access with a wiring snake. I ran 3 transduces, the Helix external GPS and the 3 humminbirds with no problem. I also ran an 8 gauge set of wires to the console and bow but have not completed hooking them up yet. So far the factory wiring is doing fine.

    Final Takeaway is that the Falcon is a damn fine boat. Everyone who has looked at it has liked it and it makes me grin like an idiot (ok we established earlier with the trickstep that I may be an idiot) every time I see it. From the time I hear that Mercury start up till I put it on the trailer I am happy. As a fishing platform it is stable and has tons of room to retie. I can run 10 rods on the deck and never feel cramped. If I could change anything I would want a smaller butt seat but that is way down the list of nit picking. If you can get a ride on one go for it. After you do that you can find the list of dealer on the Falcon website. Get one while you can.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. Member
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Castaic, CA
    Posts
    151
    #2
    Err I said BBC mounts I meant BBT. Bass Boat Technologies. Sorry about that.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    SW, Ohio
    Posts
    17,192
    #3
    hows the new merc??
    2022 z519 cup 225 merc 4s ser # 3B210484. 2--hds12 live units. 2 poles, atlas plate, ghost, hamby's, active target, merc digital gauges
    2002 basscat pantera 3 (dad bought new) sold 8-2-22
    2000 stratos 20 ss (bought new) 200 hp Rude ficht great boat/motor sold 11-21
    pulled by a 2500HD Denali
    proud dad of an ARMY Captain
    MAGA
    ASE/GM Master tech before tools

  4. Member
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Castaic, CA
    Posts
    151
    #4
    The merc is the real deal. I am not I na position to do an apples to apples to the old 2 stroke Optimax for speed etc. but I have owned both. I like the 4 stroke better. There is still a ton of info required before we all know the ins and outs of it for the limits of performance and years before we know the durability questions but damn they got a lot of things right. The sound and torque curve are spot on. It is a bit unfortunate they had to change the gear ratios on the motor with the new lower. It means most people will require a new prop if repowering. I think this was because of two things. First is that powerband on the four stroke is obviously strong on the high end. I suspect the basic motor could be built to run 8k rpm plus. Not promising it will hold together long but a 600+ hp 4 stroke should be possible turning 7500-8000 rpms. Second deal is the lowering of the gear ratios is a good thing for those who are pushing a racing motor to the limit. 30" plus props are rare expensive and/or fragile. There is enough torque in the motor that there will probably be a lower unit developed to take advantage of that and turn a smaller wheel to faster speeds with a higher gear ratio. Ideal scenario with a go fast bass boat is a good hole shot and 85 plus MPH. Imagine if you could do that with a 25 or 26 inch prop.


    As the motor is today in it's current form. Get gas, go launch and run all day. Sound is great. Reliability so far has been flawless. I have not made any oil. I did a book break-in but leaned on the heavy side of things. I wanted my rings set so after the first couple of hours it was 4000 rpm 1-2 minutes, 5000 plus for a few then 3500 for 1-2 minutes then back to 5k plus. I am headed in for my 20 hour service soon and will let everyone know if there are any problems. Fuel consumption seems about the same as the Optimax was or close enough to be close enough. I only worry about it when I need gas. I have ridden in a SHO boat but never owned or driven one. I like that the 4 stroke Merc has more than enough torque that you can use the throttle to drive both in turns and controlling the boat in wakes or seas etc. If I was buying again tomorrow my only regret would be that I would have to get back in the waiting line for a 4 stroke Merc. I am just hoping they run like some of the other 4 strokes and they get thousands of hours out of them.

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    South Londonderry, Vermont
    Posts
    2,111
    #5
    littleluk, Im with you on these Falcons. Im beating on mine pretty good in rough seas and its a very comfortable boat. No cracks so far so I dont think its flexing.