Presto or Veloce?

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

Sorry, I didn't think it through...
The East end crowd at Berkeley have tried the Vivace 95, you know, the guys who pick their way down the rocks instead of using the docks.
Those guys, all in their upper 50's to lower 60's, have all used the Vivace's at one time or another, and they seemed to have liked it until they bought their Mike's Labs.
We can safely assume Mike's Labs were pretty good boards.

dhmark · Joined: 04 Sep 2007 Posts: 376

The Vivace was the exteme no-nose board. The Veloce, you can see, more normal dimensions. The Vivace was rideable, I had a good time with one for a week in Puerto Rico, but in no way was it preferred. You had to shove it downwind to get it planing, and off a plane it would veer upwind. Too much work, me too lazy. dhmark

DanWeiss · Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2296 Location: Connecticut, USA

The 1992 Presto was designed in 1991 as Bic's first take on a lighter-wind course-slalom board. I believe Ken Winner developed it for Bic, as he has been known to do. Note the parallel rails and diamond tail. The sails existing at that time did incorporate pre-twisted leeches, and we saw some of the fins starting to get pretty good.

The key to sailing the Presto is to use high booms. Very high booms. That will allow the nose to lift and ride free, transforming the board from one that seems unable to get out of its own way to one that actually can provide some decent performance.

The Veloce looks like a 1994 issue and will sail more easily without question. It's a pretty good board. Mike Fick probably tested the Vivace, which shared the reverse watermelon seed outline but with very little volume from the mast track forward, thus the weathervane problem when shlogging. The Veloce is a fast freeride, the Vivace a blisteringly fast slalom board.

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

I liked everything about the 95 liter Vivace except for it's excessive weight.
EnergyXR's were very good also, but why such a wide nose?
Presto's weren't bad for their era actually, as were the Adagios, and well set up, could keep up with customs.
E-Rocks, OTOH, could be tuned to top amatuer level slalom racing.
Those years, I had HiPerTechs, Priesters, so the weight of production boards seem excessive.
Now, 28 years later, I prefer a little bit of weight on my boards.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

At 65, my reflexes aren't anywhere near what they used to be.
Everyone around says I jibe fine and well balanced.
I feel like I lose balance all the time, get high sided, catch rails, and wait too long to flip the sail.
Sure, I plane out of most jibes in flatter water, but remedial jibes is a step and a half lower than what I could do 5 years ago.
And lately, I"ve even been falling in once or twice a day! Reflexes slow, we need easier riding gear.

cgoudie1 · Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2014 3:56 pm Post subject:

I think that shape was the Vivaci, kind of a slalomish board.

-Craig

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

Vivaci slogged just fine. I even rode the 82 liter version, their "speed" board, and it slogged just fine for my 150 lbs.
One you cut off the nose 20", you have a modern high wind slalom board.
My RoqueWave 9'2" has WPoint well back, and it sloggs just fine. Gonna cut off 18" of nose for a more modern look, and so it fits inside my van.

gregnw44 · Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 783 Location: Seattle, Wa

I have a custom-production "Carbon Vivace 282" I bought brand new in '95. It's 107L for my 200 lbs... and it's very light. Still in brand new condition, cause it hasn't been sailed much at all.
Bic made the Vivace's and Veloce's in 3 or 4 sizes each... AND different construction techniques. Each name shared the same concept and design goals, across the size range. But they made them in different sizes for different sized people and wind strengths. And different weights. So when shopping or comparing them, you have to know the specs. One is very different rom the other.

Regarding the generation, before the Vivace's and Veloce's -
I raced a 1994 model Bic Rock 130L (designed in 91) last weekend... in the Gorge slalom races, that I bought brand new. I used UP free-ride sails I also bought back then. The Rock was the bigger version of the 122L Presto. I beat a few people, ALL are on new race gear. But back where we are, everybody is late to the start.. and falls at 1 or 2 jibes each race. So, my gear is fast enough, until I don't fall anymore Smile

I sailed a '94 model Electric Rock yesterday at Doug's in the Gorge... with a UP 5.0 B&J sail.
Had a great time, didn't fall much... blasted around as easily as everybody else... gusts - lulls, no worries... easy and fun Smile

Greg -

mark · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 181

For a summary of the early Bic boards go to http://www.bicsport.com/catalog/windsurf/previous-ranges,35.html

Scroll to the bottom for the pre 2000 boards.

The Presto was made from 1992 to 1996. The 137 liter Veloce 298 was made from 1997 to 2000. By 1997 most of the extreme no nose boards had dissappeared from the market for good reason.