Looking to purchase a real cheap ~100L board, so i can nail shortboard technique without ruining a nice board
Looking at this: Bic Veloce 278
Length: 2,78 m
Width: 0.57 m
Weight: 7.7 kg
VOlume: 101 l
Fin: 31 cm
Program: freeride MW
Technology: Thermo
Age: 97/00
Anyone owned one? Anyone know if this board is any good, hoping to keep it in the quiver (not advertised on Seabreeze, so no conflict of interests here)
Thanks
I rode one ages ago, but can't remember exactly what it was like, if you were paying $100 or less, wouldn't be worth any more I'd say as I've tried to sell similar vintage baords, then you won't lose too much. I'd say it'd be adequate, but obviously more modern boards are more user friendly for beginners. Once you are expert then you can get most out of any board and the older style boards have good to excellent performnce.
I have a Bic Vivace, I pretty much learned to sail on this board, quite quick, hard rails so you feel all chop, I found it hard to turn, so good in a straight line, my deck became very slippery.....
I don't think you can go wrong there given the price. I haven't owned a veloce but owned various vivace's over the years (some veloce's were beefed up vivace's). From what I remember of the reviews- flatwater biased freeride, top points for gybing, a decent turn of speed but acceleration suffered slightly due to the bit higher weight.
Trimbox fins are getting a bit hard to find now. Post '97 Bic fins weren't too bad, before that they were garbage. If you can find any of the Torquay fins still around they suit these boards well.
Vs the newer boards you loose in wind range, and upwind ability but for getting the technique up to scratch it should be perfect in 15-25knot range.
Weak points on these boards was only ever the footstrap inserts, they often crack but I haven't had any leak.
The Vivace's were more slalom and the Veloce's were more freeride. The veloce's had good reviews at the time as an easy ride, and they are tough. OK to learn on then get soething better. Yes check the deck grip, I had a vivace and the grip was woeful. 
Hey thanks for the tips everyone, appreciated, any more?
Yeah, looking for a flatwater blaster that i can do turns on
My weight 70kg
Currently have old custom ~120L, using mainly 6.5m cammed sails, so looking to have little less floaty (but still safety uphaul) and hopefully faster board, and extended board quiver
The Veloce was a good intermediate board, not exciting but easy to use and reliable. Quite tough except for the non slip.
Owned one for about 4 yrs. Got rid of it at the stage when I figured a more modern board would surely be better?? Took it to Fiji once where the safari leader, who'd sailed a lot more boards, far more proficiently than I, pronounced it " The best gybing board ever" I wouldn't disagree, but the non-skid does go off cutting short many potentially ripping gybes.
I think those bics were underrated, the Techno/Tiga 273 was also a beauty with a bit extra width. To my eye, judging by my same trusty old straight edge, apart from overall length the bottom shapes of freeride boards have been stable since 1997.
Windsurfing Magazine runs an article in their April '08 issue by a couple in California who own a rig rental service and claim to put in 300 days a year on the water. They claim that these older boards in this catagory are the best ones for high winds and chop. According to them, the newer designs aren't as good.
You won't find much of an argument here, but I brought up the article since it was relevant to the topic. Personally in that size, I own two boards from the early 90's. These people mention a Hi-Tech as the best of the old style. I own a glass custom made Hi-Tech, but not the model they mention. They were suggesting that the board shapers not abandon these old shapes. I find that there exists such a difference in technique (stance, etc.) required for the old vs. new boards that it takes a few reaches for me to re-allign myself and change back to my forgotten ways when I take out the old board. More importantly, the Mag ran this article in the same issue that they put out their reviews for the new boards in the 100 to 120 liter class. Given the prices listed, I must say that you would do much better suffering the negative side of the older boards than you will that of the newer.
Damn it, missed out on the board
Now from the above comments I really want one
Or a Bic Techno, Fanatic Bee, Mistral Screamer, (trying to steer clear of AHD heard to many breakage/faults in their boards) along those lines
Cheap, ~100L, freeride, fast, turny, not too heavy but strong deck
Anyone have one for sale, good condition? (There are some in the ads on this site, but without photos, who knows what they're like, and i'll have to do a bit of a mission to get to board selling places like Syd or Bris)
DISM - what state are you based in ?
I know of an old f2 ride sitting in a lock up in Sydney...
i learnt to sail on one, thast was along time ago when i was 14, wouldnt sail one now thought even if it was free, id get a 2nd job at maccas and save up...
Koosie - I'm in NSW, halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. Always a mission for gear
I'll have to look into this F2 Axxis
Any others along these lines?
Barn - I understand its easier to learn (shortboard) on new wide stuff, but im a uni student, i'm not sure about egg shaped boards and rather save up for when I won't trash something worth saving for. That said, i'm compiling a list of my future boards too, they'll have to wait but till the elusive carve gybe et al. is mastered
Don't forget that the models can vary a lot bewteen years and sizes, example, here is a review page for some older boards including the Axxis. I've got the 267 and for the time, the reviews given are on the money.
www.codemaker.co.uk/ww/reviews.htm
Yeah, I was just reading that Hagar, then looking at pics of them, nice looking board
There seems to be a few boards of that era that follow that shape
Now I need to source one and get a 6.5 to replace my blownout one (finally the gaff taps old NP blew out the back, no more joined leach)
Looking on buy/sell, a couple of Axxis's, but low volumes
Would a ~90L be too much of a jump from a ~120L thick custom (fat 8'6' surfboard?)
Easty - yeah hopefully I should get the carve gybe soon, thinking the main issue is constant wind, where I sail (Bellinger River) its gusty as. Most of my bails is from overcommiting to the harness in gust and not bouncing out quick enough. Gybing on the plane is difficult
)
The article I mentioned in Windsurfing can be found on p.30 in their leading edge section under the title of tweaked. The authors are John and Janet Crews. Here's a quote >>We're talking about boards in the ranges of 260-265 cm in length and 53.5-55 cm in width. There boards have better top-end speeds (read: higher jumps) and a much smoother ride thr0ugh chop; they plane up just as quickly in higher winds and rip high-speed carves and bottom turns better than any short, wide board could ever dream of. They are much better at carrying speed through jibes and tacks, making it easier and more fun to learn and perfect these skills. << The board they praise would be the Hi-Tech blaster. It's my opinion, though, that the nuances of board differences from that era and today aren't all that dramatic. Futhermore, there remains a difficulty if you have to change your sailing style from one to the other. My Hi-tech was still bouncy in chop. Since we don't often enjoy the kind of high winds that would require me to use it, I didn't like changing my style (which takes a few reaches) when faced with them. Whatever, I have a 278 Mistal Energy which may be included in the class of boards you are considering.
