Sport Today

I'd appreciate anyone's comments, experiences, etc. on the BIC
Veloce and Saxo boards. I'm a 170lb advanced (almost expert)
sailor - mostly slalom and bump&jump. I'm considering replacing
my Alto / E-Rock / Rock boards, but not necessarily 1 for 1.
Price is a consideration - I might go for 1 or 2 year-old boards.
My sails are 4.2 & 4.7 Convertigo, 5.5 Pyro, 6.5 Spectro, and a
7.5 twin cam.
Thanks in advance for your help...
Gerry D

I like very much the Veloce 278, easy, performing and cheap !

Well, it depends.. The Bics are heavy and cheap while the *rest* of the
boards are expensive and light. Bics power through chop better more
controllably than a custom that will probably power over the chop. For high
wind sailing in steep chop a Bic will be easier to control. For light wind
sailing they don't plane very well compared to a race board$$.

I traded my Veloce 278 for a Saxo 270 recently. It sounds like we are at
similar weight and experience levels. I love the Saxo 270. It is comfortable in
sub 4.0 conditions and planes up nearly as well as the Veloce 278. If you go
new, get the Saxo 270. The Saxo 270 also comes with the best fin I have owned.
If you go used, get the Veloce 278. The shape is the same as it was in the 96
and 97 seasons. If you can find a 96 in good shape, you should be able to get a
great deal for the dollar. The Saxo is a biut gybier and more fun to jump. The
Veloce 278 will plane up faster and you will notice the extra 5-10 liters of
volumes work for you when slogging or when doing tacks and tricks.

Peter

Veloce and Saxo are very different.

If you are a trickster, the Saxo will be better. It's a smooth ride and
takes a beating. If you live in Minnesota like me, you go for more slalom
boards, like the Veloce. You can still trick and pound on it, but it will
have a little more speed and planing for cruising through lulls. It depends
on your application.

As far as ditching the older boards for the newer models, it's a definite
plus, and will improve your sailing. But if you are having fun on the old
rides, and don't want to cough up the dough for some new, or slightly used,
rides then don't upgrade yet. Fun is what matters.

For me, I won't buy a used board. Fins, no. Sails, yes. Booms, maybe. Masts,
only decent used carbon, never aluminum or epoxy. But used boards are
touchy. You never know what lurks beneath those seems that are about to blow
in a production board. Customs or epoxys can have a LOT of stress you can't
see until it's too late. If you sail an epoxy and it still feels stiff as a
4x4 (like it should), not like a soft production model, it's probably OK.

My two cents worth,

Mark Kedrowski
US-0000