Presto or Veloce?

[jandrew7]

Is there a big difference between these two boards?
People seem to shy away from the presto for some reason. These are the two boards I own. I'm trying to figure out which I should use and when. I find It slightly easier to ride the veloce due to the larger size. Is the presto going to be a better option in higher winds?[/b][/list]

[dllee]

Use the Presto as a paddle board.
It's too flat, has no nose kick, the track is too far forwards, the rails too long.
Veloce is like a modern freeride board if you disregard it's long nose. Chop off 18", it's a modern freeride light wind board.

[isobars]

How well does the Veloce slog? One of the Bics from that era was a bitch to slog because it took the wide-point-back fad too far, making the board round up (aka weathervane) something TERRIBLE the instant it stopped planing. I swear it was the Veloce, but can never remember for sure. That shape and the resulting behavior was soundly criticized in WSMag by several of the world's most renowned wave sailors back then.

[johnl]

The Presto 282 (120+ liters) was my first board 20 years ago. Needless to say it is old technology. It does ride flat and you will take a beating on it if you sail in choppy conditions. That being said, it isn't a bad board to learn how to plane and get in the straps. Probably 6.0 range (for 175 pounds).

But keep in mind both of these boards are "old school" and based upon a "high aspect" sail. That means the mast track was placed with this in mind. High Aspect sails means taller with a shorter boom. Modern sails are shorter with longer booms. You may or may not align properly on the board with modern sails.

I sailed a board similar to the Veloce by BIC but I think it was a different name (can't remember what). I did NOT like that board in the low 100 liter range.

[jingebritsen]

i've used both.

the presto has a base forward from the starting era of high CE sails with little to no twist. thus the base forward. i would move the foot straps back immediately. that will un-wet the planing surface and then NOT pound you in the chop. base setting with that board all the way aft. planes quick, goes fast, turns well. nothing much bad about it. if you feel that you need to feel like your front foot is still too dominant with a modern sail, over extend your mast base a click or 2. it will raise your CE quite notably.

veloce was one of the first production boards that shifted the wide point aft. for its time and construction, very good. not much difference from today's designs, just a bit long.

you should be able to enjoy both until they fall apart.

there is nothing wrong with these boards. they will teach you many things if you pay attention to any tuning you want to learn about.

[Arrgh]

Vivace bad, Veloce good.

[johnl]

[dllee]

Now remember, JohnL was probably 190 lbs when he had the Vivace, not a great slogging weight for a 94 liter slalom board.
I worked at a Mistral/F2 dealership, and used the Vivace a lot because it was fast, fun, floaty for 150 lbs., and a perfect Berkelely board for my weight.
This Veloce is what? 137 liters.
Veloce is modern enough, for the sails the OP has. And modern enough for new sails, maybe not new wave and freestyle.

[bred2shred]

Use the Veloce 100% of the time until you are comfortable with it. Then maybe use the Presto in higher wind.

The Veloce is a more modern version of the Presto. Both are intermediate level boards, intended for someone who is working on planning skills such as getting into the foot straps and gybing. The Veloce was Bic's first "no-nose" board and was first introduced around 1996. It was very successful at the time. The increased tail width makes the board easier to get on plane and easier to gybe than traditional shaped boards like the Presto. It has a very forgiving ride. Ideal sail sizes would be in the 7.5 to 5.5 range. In general, the Veloce does everything the Presto does, only better.

The narrow tail on the Presto may make it a little easier to handle in higher wind, but really, it's pretty similar in size to the Veloce, so a better option would be to get a smaller board (like 90-100L) for your high wind board and keep the Veloce as your light wind board. With two boards, you would be able to cover a huge amount of wind range.

sm

[johnl]