i was wondering weather there were any opions as to which of these boards would be best suited to moderate wind sailing for a social race boards and a bit of fun, i am a heavey weight sailor and it will mainly be used on port phillip and inland lakes. so far as i can tell the bic and the viper would be better but any advice would be great
cheers
Being unfamiliar with some of these boards I looked them all up with Google and was surprised to find that they are all within 10cm of each other in length (taking the largest of each in the model range).
All seem to have center-boards and all seem reasonably wide for stability.
I would be surprised if the light wind performance would be significantly different between all of them.
The Bic one design has racing class rules but AFAIK there is no racing class in Australia so no advantage there.
I would get the one that has the nicest features for your anticipated use and the best deal and backup from your local retailer.
If you really are interested in social racing you might like to check out the local Windsurfer One Design scene. Parkdale Sailing Club is the place they race I think and there should be info on their activities on the Windsurfing Victoria Website.
Bic One Design:
Length : 293.0 cm.
Width : 79.0 cm.
Volume : 205 l.
Weight : 12.5 kg.
Technology : CTS
Fin : Select Ride 46 cm
Fin box : Trim Box
Daggerboard : retractable, 70 cm polyethylene
Rio L 215 290 85.0 67.2 14.6 2.0-9.50 Shallow 410 FRN +
Clipperbox Daggerboard 570 Deep Tuttle+Clipperbox
Rio M 195 275 80.5 58.7 14.3 2.0-9.55 Shallow 410 FRN +
Clipperbox Daggerboard 570 Deep Tuttle+Clipperbox
Rio S 175 269 76.0 56.2 14.1 2.0-9.50 Shallow 410 FRN +
Clipperbox Daggerboard 570 D
Viper 75 160 275 75 12,6* High Resistance Skin–Soft Deck Fanatic Viper Fin 34, Power Box, 4 Fanatic Pro Velcro Footstraps, Daggerboard, Sailsize: 2.0 – 10.0m²
Viper 80 190 280 80 13,2* High Resistance Skin–Soft Deck Fanatic Viper Fin 34, Power Box, 4 Fanatic Pro Velcro Footstraps, Daggerboard, Sailsize: 2.0 – 10.0m²
Viper 85 220 285 85 14,3* High Resistance Skin–Soft Deck Fanatic Viper Fin 34, Power Box, 4 Fanatic Pro Velcro Footstraps, Daggerboard, Sailsize: 2.0 – 10.0m²
I agree with Sailquik. These boards lean heavily (or widely 
) to "...a bit of fun." A longboard would be better for course racing though.
No hybrid seems to be competitive as a raceboard unless it's always 10-20 knots and you are comfortable carrying a sail 1-2m larger than a long Raceboard. In NSW the hybrids had a spurt a couple of years ago but died out as they could not compete. At each end of the wind range they struggle to beat a Windsurfer One Design.
There seems to be a move to revive Raceboards in Vic; if you ask around and can find a long Raceboard you will be well suited to get into that; or get a One Design as advised here. If your racing is on yardstick against dinghies and pumping is not allowed they would be a lot more competitive on handicap than a raceboard most of the time.
I wonder how many Technos there are in Australia?
We (YQ) are calling to run a Techno Cup later this year. Have just been donated 2 One Designs from YA and a junior development program is getting set up in Brisbane right now.
Will be interesting to see whether a Techno Cup will develop as an annual event here. It is huge in the States and Europe.
No question in my mind. Check out the Exocet Kona. Very versatile, well priced board that can be sailed in a large range of conditions for which an international One Design class exists that is currently the largest growing One Design Class around. A bit slow starting up in Australia but it will happen here too. Just got mine recently. Haven't got the OD rigs for it yet but it does feel very nice and forgiving to sail and when it's up and plaining down wind it is very fast. Upwind it isn't as fast as a raceboard but still goes ok. Windsurfer One Designs are a bit faster in low wind going upwind but I find the Kona much more forgiving when it gets windier and in the swell it's in another league. Just a very nice comfortable board to sail. You will get a lot of different opinions on this one. All I can say is it's worth checking out and you then making an informed decision.
