Anyone out There Have or Sailed an Open Bic?

[Rick Webb]

I am considering a proposal to get some for our youth sailing program to augment the Optis we already have.

There seems to be a gap between the Opti and the Sunfish and certainly between the Opti and Laser. This looks like a good bridge especially since it will accept the sail rig from the Opti.

http://www.openbic.com/

 

[Ed Schenck]

Not sure what "gap" exists Rick. Our youth program starts with the Sunfish year one. Then a lot of us loan our sloop rigs for years two and three, mostly Flying Scots with a couple of Thistles and Highlanders(mine included).

The Bic is an intersting boat though. But the dinghy also caught my eye.

 

[Rick Sylvester]

Yeah, although

I'm sure I'm not their 'target' market.

Two years ago the builder had two of them on Spa Beach at the St Pete sail show. He said to just take one out because he wanted people to see the boat sailing.

So I did. I give it a thumbs up. Even my slow-ass fifty-sum year old reflexes failed to tip this thing over. It was WAY light air so I never had the gas to really push it but I bet it'd be a HOOT in a breeze. It's very simple, but that's a good thing.

I thought it was decent bang for the buck (I forget the number) and certainly the build is hanging on for a few years. I'd consider it.

If this is for the kids you might find a good stitch and glue plan and let the kids build a fleet. They'd REALLY take ownership and you might save a few bucks. I dunno, just thinkin'.

 

[Rick Webb]

Gap

We start them at 7ish in Optis and by the time they are 9 or 10 they have not quite aged out but have "cooled" out the "baby" boat. Most of them are not yet large enough to right a Sunfish and a Laser is still too hot a boat for them. The Bic sounded like a good transition. So we can keep them intrested and competitive all the way up to the 420.

 

[Rick Webb]

Bic Price

They list for $2,999 we may get a deal buying them for a program and buying a few of them. West Marine carries them and does offer somthing of a break through Port Supply. I'd prefer to go through a local dealer than a national chain although our WM is very supportive of our program. I am sure there is a program deal for schools and clubs but have not gotten that far yet.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Rick...

Our club's Junior Sail Program uses Opti's, Sunfish, and Lasers as the progression of training for the kids. We have two 15 foot sloop-rigged centerboarders as move-ups to head/main boats. We're running sailing camp weeks for the better part of the summer using this fleet.

Each region of the country seems to favor different one designs, but ours seem to be the most common used here on the Chesapeake. Give our website a look: www.neryc.com

 

[Rick Webb]

Opti, Sunfish, Laser / 420

10 year old boys want somthing sexier than an Opti and we lose them to other activities or interests. We have a couple of Hobie Waves as well but are not part of our instruction program.

We just started a website:

http://ecsasailing.com/

 

[Eric M]

I watched a skilled boy about the target age you describe sail an Open Bic in a mixed fleet (420's / Sunfish / Laser) regatta in St. Augustine last fall in hiking required conditions. While the conditions were such that he did flip at one point, the boat was sized such that he was able to right it without assistance. I am a US Sailing Licensed Instructor and have taught JR sailing so I certainly say if your club has the resources to add a few extra boats to help bridge the gap you see go for it.

 

[ZoumUSA]

I am considering a proposal to get some for our youth sailing program to augment the Optis we already have.

There seems to be a gap between the Opti and the Sunfish and certainly between the Opti and Laser. This looks like a good bridge especially since it will accept the sail rig from the Opti.

http://www.openbic.com/

Hi Rick,

I manufacture Optimist sailboats including the Zoum Racer www.zoumusa.com so I'm probably biased but let me give you my thoughts anyway.

I wish that I could go back in time and race an opti as a kid. Aside from the fact that I lack "feeling" because I didn't get into a boat young enough, I also missed out on the social aspects. There's no doubt that the Bics "look cool" but that's not the whole story. At the River Romp last year at Ft Myers there were many Bics rigged and ready to be raced... and kids were playing on them all the time, but at launch time only 15 actually raced. Nearly 200 kids jumped in their optis. I submit that's the story.

We have several Bics at our club (Lauderdale Yacht Club.) My experience is that kids enjoy sailing the Bics when they're fooling around but when it comes time to racing seriously, they are happy to race their Optimist boats. It’s the competition that motivates them and fuels their development. In SE Florida we routinely get 100+ kids on each starting line. We have several joint practices that bring at least 50 champ kids. At Lauderdale, our kids sail in the Ocean. My son is just 10 and he's one of the small kids out there. He's only beginning to learn tactics, make intelligent decisions about the course, and recognize when he's being headed or lifted. He's got a long way to go. Are your kids loosing interest because of the boat or because they're not competing?

Moreover, our best sailors in the 29ner, laser, C420, & I420 classes all stayed in optis until they sized-out. I think we do a disservice to our youth by letting them move-on before they master anything.

That said, if you still want Bics, I have several ideas about how you might give it a try in an economic way. I'd also be happy to share with you some coach contacts that have taken the Bic direction. You might like to speak with them. Give me a call or shoot me an email- Mat