Bee 289(144) vs. Techno 283
mpet...@my-deja.com
looking at both these boards right now and am really stumped. I don't
want to buy one and then regret not getting the other. I am looking for
early planing ( biggest deal ), ease of use, and I don't really care if
one is just a tad faster than the other. I am an intermediate sailor (
harness, waterstart, not gibing ), 180 lbs, and sail only on lakes in
the midwest. Currently, my biggest sail is a 7.5, but I am looking to
move up to a 9.0 soon. I want it to be my all around board, but will
probably not use it in the really high winds. Any
suggestions/thoughts/ideas/random musings? Thanks.
Mark
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
j...@islandsports.com
Mark,
They both are great boards, and you'd be happy with either one. The
advantages of the Fanatic are: #1 - lighter weight, #2 - better footstaps, #3
-
not a bad price. With the Bic: #1 - better price, #2 - the Techno racing
class is an option should you ever want to get into competition without
losing your shirt. Both boards are quite durable.
Just to complicate matters, don't overlook the AHD Free Diamond 70 (a
little more fun to sail than the others), and the HiFly Free 282.
Have Fun, Jon
----- Posted via NewsOne.Net: Free Usenet News via the Web -----
----- http://newsone.net/ -- Discussions on every subject. -----
NewsOne.Net prohibits users from posting spam. If this or other posts
made through NewsOne.Net violate posting guidelines, email ab...@newsone.net
snowdrft
I currently went to the new wide board style and bought the Techno. I, like
you (skill level included) sail on inland lakes in the Midwest and my
largest sail is a 7.5. I am very happy with the Techno. I can be out
planning (with my little 7.5) while others are on a 8.0 or larger slogging
along. It is plenty fast for me and I like the stability. A friend of
mine has the Bee 289, and it is a nice board. Maybe decide based on the
color. Either one is very nice and your wouldn't have buyers remorse.
snowdrft
<mpet...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:88s31e$grl$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Miguel Corzo
I too had the same dilemma a few months ago. I went with the Techno because
of price, sail range at the time as compared to the 289, all around
performance and comments on this newsgroup about the board. There seems to
be a wealth of knowledge on this newsgroup about the Techno and how to get
the best out of this board. Here is my experience with the Techno (I weight
180lbs and sail in lake in the SouthWest). I hope it helps:
Early planing. I can get this thing to plane at 11 mph no sooner. I have
tried everything (mast placement, fin size/placement, boom etc.) with a 7.5
V8 and a 9.5 V8 and I have been unable to plane below 11 mph.
Sail. The Techno has a 6.0 to 10.0 range for sail size. The sweet spot for
the Techno seems to be a 7.5 w/ 50cm fin. I just bought a 9.5 and after a
few times out, I believe that it is not going to be of much use given the
gusty conditions we have here. It is seldom just the right sail. I also own
a 6.0 '99 sail and to me, the board does not feel too comfortable in 6.0
conditions even when going to a 40cm fin. For me the wind range for this
board is 11-20 mph. After that it is too big and below that there seems to
be better boards out there now. The Bee may get you past the 20mph given
its lighter weight and less volume but not much further.
Durability. The nose seems too thin for my taste and I would strongly
recommend a deviator if you get the board. It has saved the nose in more
than 1 occasion. The top shell is also easy to crack and you need to be
extra careful in the lake if there are small stones around. A lot of people
praise the Techno for it durability and ding resistance, I have to be extra
careful with it if I do not want to dent it.
Speed. This thing is fast once it gets going and very forgiving. Perhaps
it is not the fastest but it sure feels like it.
Fin. The Techno uses a trim-box. I noticed that the new BIC FV1 is using a
Deep Tuttle box so I am starting to wonder if the trim box is on its way
out. I am not sure what the Bee uses but staying mainstream on fin boxes
was something I did not consider and should have. As you buy more fins for a
Techno, your investments seem to want to make you stay with the Bic line. I
have bought several fins for the Techno already and I am still in the hunt
for the perfect fin on the 9.5 that will get me below the 11 mph threshold.
Weight. The Techno feels heavy under 11 mph at 20+ lbs. I believe this is
what's keeping the board from planing any sooner. Over 13mph the board is
quite easy to manage and the extra weight does not feel too bad. I wish BIC
had made this board lighter. A 17-18 lb version of the Techno should be a
killer board.
For me, the fun starts at 11 mph on the Techno and ends at 20 mph. It seems
that most people even with older boards plane just about the same time in
the gusty conditions at the lake (specially the ones with a long board and a
retractable daggerboard <g>). I would expect both the Bee and the Techno to
plane at the same speed more or less. The Techno wins in width and volume
but the Bee is lighter.
Unless you have a smoking deal on these boards (check out waterplay.com), I
would also consider the newer Bic FV1 w/ the new fin box and the F2 wide
boards. If I were buying a board for early planing this year, these two
would be on my list in front of a Techno and the Bee.
My 2 cents. Good luck.
Miguel
2 Rad Inc.
sorry guys, but the Techno technically speaking doesn't cut it. We have
customers brying them back because it's too heavy, too soft, whatever reason
seems to be a good one. After seeing this happening more and more, I decided
to try them both and compare them. Used a few customers to at least get a
more unbiased opinion, and this is what seemed to result.
Beginner to Inter: they liked the techno a lot, it was easy, floaty, stable,
simply the best blast they had ever had.
As soon as I put these same sailors on the Bee, wow, a solid turn of
events. the Bee, to them, was much stiffer, lighter, much lighter,
straps were awsome, much more control at speed, easier to handle through
chop, some of them (heavier sailors) actually were able to handle 5 more
knots of wind. the board felt faster, and they didn't fight
it when the chop was up and wild. they were driving the whole time.
Inter to advanced: The intermediates is were we are having our problems,
they're the ones coming back with the Techno and want to
upgrade. In other words, if you're bying long term, the Techno doesn't seem
to be the best buy. If your wallet determines what you get, then... But this
year, the Bee 144 is priced out at a price that can compete with
anyone any time. You get a better construction, better quality, full
sandwhich, best strap system on the market, and the best rated shape last
season. And lets not forget the Mistral Visions, they're not bad at
all.
Advanced to experts: Well that was an easy one, all we had to do is take a
Bee 289 CDS (Custom Double Sandwhich) or an HCS (Honeycomb
Carbon Sandwhich), and it took one ride on the Techno, and that
was that. In fact we were a little disapointed by the Techno after doing
this, we were expecting more from it, at least that was what we had
been told.
Our resulting thoughts on the matter were, in the case of last year, the
Techno had a definite price advantage, which gave it its edge on the
competition, but we became carefull of who we were selling it to and for
what reason, for how long. Slammed up noses, we've seen plenty of, this
board's construction is heavy, Bic leaned up the nose to reduced obvious
swing weight. The nice curvy nose they put on it can't help either. The same
board in a lighter and stiffer construction would have changed everything.
It's still not a bad shape.
We sell a lot of boards, we garanty the sale, we want to make sure our
customers are happy. We sell equipment that hopefully our our customers
won't outgrow in a season. It's not a bad board by all means, it just
concerns certain sailors. If you love your Techno, then you love your
Techno, if you love your Bees, well, you love them too. As long as your
having fun on the water, the rest is irrelevant. The critisism i've put up,
is on a retailers point of view, not the general public. As a retailer, Bic
always pretty much a stronghold on price point products for many years, but
now, all the leading manufacturers brought their prices down conciderably,
in fact, it puts pretty much everyone in the same game. You get what you pay
for.
Without any malice whatsoever,
Bruno Robida
2 Rad
Juri Munkki
>After trying the Techno last year and comparing it with the Bee 289, i'm
>sorry guys, but the Techno technically speaking doesn't cut it. We have
I have a Bee 289 and I have been extremely happy with it. I also have an
older Tiga 268 SLR that I plan on replacing this year.
I need a board that will be at its best in about 5.5 conditions, but will
also handle choppy 4.0 conditions at least to some extreme. I like speed
and control - I'm pretty good at jibing both boards that I currently have,
so ease of jibing isn't a high priority (but I wouldn't mind getting it).
If the board can handle a 6.8 (doesn't need to support it any better than
my old 268), then that's a bonus, because I would need to take only one
board with me when traveling...
I sail mostly slalom & bump and jump, but I don't go for anything really
extreme.
I'm 68 kg (150 lbs), so I could use a relatively small board.
I have been thinking of getting the smaller AHD MaxxRide. I can't go much
smaller than that (in terms of volume), because the wind is very unreliable
here and I occasionally need to slog back from a few kilometers offshore...
(The alternative is to rescue myself on an island.)
Any pros/cons or other suggestions would be welcome.
--
Juri Munkki jmu...@iki.fi What you see isn't all you get.
http://www.iki.fi/jmunkki Windsurfing: Faster than the wind.
Tom - Chicago
Sailworks Retro 9.5 on the Bee 289.
The Bee is reputed to have a sail range from 6.0 to 8.0 - don't believe it - it
sails like a dream with the 9.5.
Handles chop beautifully. Last season I broke my 100L board and sailed the last
few good days on the Bee 289 with a fully powered 6.0 and a 36 cm fin - while
not my first choice of boards for the conditions, it rode surprisingly well.
Fast, easy to sail, easy to jibe.
Tom - Chicago
snowdrft wrote:
> Mark,
> I currently went to the new wide board style and bought the Techno. I, like
> you (skill level included) sail on inland lakes in the Midwest and my
> largest sail is a 7.5. I am very happy with the Techno. I can be out
> planning (with my little 7.5) while others are on a 8.0 or larger slogging
> along. It is plenty fast for me and I like the stability. A friend of
> mine has the Bee 289, and it is a nice board. Maybe decide based on the
> color. Either one is very nice and your wouldn't have buyers remorse.
>
> snowdrft
>
> <mpet...@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:88s31e$grl$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
2 Rad Inc.
still be the fastest with a Bee. When it comes to top speed, the sailor is
the biggest part of the result. Some people are fast, some people are slow,
and that never changes, no matter the equipment. Speed is not what i'm
talking about, overall fun is. Bang for your buck, etc...
Bruno
2 Rad
Will Harper
>
> In article <38B95EF3...@home.com> wil...@home.com writes:
> >on custom gear. I hit 32 mph on a Techno at the Islamorada speed check,
> >only 4 mph slower than the winning speed--hit on an 8-8 custom slalom
> >board (Forsythe). Bottom line is that the Techno is fast, fast, fast,
> >and still easy to sail. The Bee is easy to sail, and planes well, but
> >not fast. And the Vision, IMHO, is not fast OR easy to sail, from what
> >I can tell (ref Windsurfing mag test reviews, other comments from
> >testers, etc).
>
> According to my GPS, I did 30 knots using the stock fin and a 6.8 m^2
> North IQ+3. Going at that speed in open water (only slightly choppy,
> but not a flat speed zone by any means) is scary, so I think the
> Bee is plenty fast for most of us. With a smaller fin, I would have
> probably been able to go faster, but I like the pointing ability
> and early planing too and I don't think I need to go much faster
> than that (call me chicken, if you want).
>
I never said the Bee was slow, did I? I just said the Techno was
faster. Your anectdotal evidence says nothing to the contrary. 32 mph
is not all that fast for a speed check, but neither was the winning
speed of 36. What was important was that the Techno was within 10% of
the fastest speed that day on some extremely fast custom boards.
Point the Bee into the wind next to a Techno and you will have a horizon
job. The Bee does NOT go upwind nearly as well as the Techno--another
point. For recreational sailors this is not usually so important, so
for many the Bee would still be a better choice. I just think Bruno was
a little too one-sided in his comparison (imagine that!), and failed to
recognize a few things the Techno does much better than the Bee.
Happy waves!
w
--
William S. Harper
e-mail: Wil...@home.com
Will Harper
>
> If your are the fastest with a Techno in your local waters, then you would
> still be the fastest with a Bee.
Not true. If I tried to course race on a Bee I would be dead last.
When it comes to top speed, the sailor is
> the biggest part of the result. Some people are fast, some people are slow,
> and that never changes, no matter the equipment.
True to some extent, the same sailor will be faster on faster gear,
every time.
Speed is not what i'm
> talking about, overall fun is. Bang for your buck, etc...
True, that's what YOU were talking about. And your opinions are not
entirely wrong when you say the Bee is a great board for a lot of
people. I was saying it's not as fast as the Techno, nor does it go
upwind as well, and I stand by that.
MTVNewsGuy
developments in windsurfing in years.
Michael
US5613
2 Rad Inc.
just another marketing agent from Bic that slapped a bit of money down to
start the whole thing, just like they did for the mistral One Design Shit
which is dying. Someone who has a bit of time should start a 3/1 racing
Club. 3 sails, one board registered at the opening of the races. Just like
the PWA, you get a little sticker on your stuff to proove registration. The
manufacturers would have specs to follow, and each and everyone of them
would get on the band wagon with their individual products. Now thats good
for the windsurfing industry. Mistral was making a killing in the good years
of One design, that shouldn't happen, because once again, it was the end
user gushing out the wad. The One Design wasn't made different from their
other stuff, they simply took advantage of the fact that their product was
the only one that caould be used. And once again, the rich prevaled, they
always have the new faster stuff, while the poor bought the used left over
stuff. That's not right.
Tell me what you guys think, I know I would get into racing under those
conditions,
Bruno
2 Rad
RandacF
>just another marketing agent from Bic that slapped a bit of money down to
>start the whole thing, just like they did for the mistral One Design
Seems like one of the biggest problems in setting up a viable one-design type
fleet is that when the technology is changing (hopefully advancing) quickly
whatever is used may become obsolete in a short period of time. I suspect a
one design approach won't last that long until the technology (gear) has
matured to the point that changes are very slow. It appears this has not
really happened in windsurfing yet, even though the sport is about 30 years
old.
Randy
dubois
You seem to know a lot about the Techno and it seems that it is a precious board for you. I have
the same feeling about GO and I wanted to have your opinion about which board would be faster in
under 14 knots of wind. I say 14 knots because for me the GO is meant to be sailed only with sails
of 8.0m and above. The Techno 283 can carry a sail up to 8.5 easily but also it is fun to use
with a 6.5m. The GO is not fun with a 6.5m (for a reasonnable level sailor).
So given the conditions set-out my feeling is that the GO will be much better upwind than the
Techno. The Techno will be better for jibing. For all out board speed (with a wind strength of 14
knots and under) I believe the GO would be just as fast as the Techno.
How do you feel about both boards ?
Francois