The BiC 250

BiC 250

The Bic 250 is a classic 80's longboard modelled after the famous 1982 Dufour Wing (which was the biggest selling board of 1982). The Bic 250 was available worldwide in the early 80's (1984-1986) and could be purchased for as little as $399 USD (complete with rig).

The board and color coordinated rigs were easily identifiable and suited light wind conditions (Less than 15 knots) that beginners often sailed in. But in truth, for many inland/lake sailors these boards and rigs were great because they could be left outside at those lakeside cabins over winter and then in summer would still be in good shape to be able to be dragged down to the waters edge and sailed.

My own Bic 250 has spent most of its life outside (not the sail) and it is suprising how well it endures. The hull still looks new with the exception of a replacement fin, stickers that have come off and some scratches from use.

Because this is a classic long board it excells in light / patchy wind conditions and with the centreboard feels safe to sail in offshore wind knowing you can 'point' back home even in less than 5 knots.

PROS :

1/ Polyethelyne construction meant this board is indestructable and why so many of them are still around today (2026 +)

2/ Simple lightweight easy to set up rig. Note the key feature of the rig is the 'Boom Loop' attachment method. This is detailed in the videos below

3/ Suitability for light to moderate winds and for learning due to its size, indestructability and relative stability.

CONS:

1/ Polyethelyne construction meant the board is heavy

2/ Fin - the BiC has a very unusual proprietary fin attachment. If you have the original fin look after it! , but if you break it you will probably have to customize a new system. I ended up gluing a Sup fin plate system on mine

3/ Rig - Im in two minds about the rig. By todays standards it is very low-tech but honestly the lightweight nature and ease of rigging makes it great for casual sailors and beginners. Although it has a very long boom; in many ways this makes learning a bit easier because most people learning struggle with the few seconds between clearing the boom from the water (when everything becomes unstable) and getting into their sailing position. Teh long boom means the sail is almost in your hands before the boom clears the water - thus reducing the moment of instability.

4/ Semi-retractable centreboard. The fact this board has a centreboard is actually a huge pro for learning and light wind sailing. As a bonus the centreboard retracts (partially) meaning you can sail over sandbars and in shallow water without problems....but if it fully retracted it would be even better in strong wind. But given this is not a strong wind board the semi-retractable nature is perfectly acceptable and in fact a huge advantage over the Original Windsurfer.

Components

Bic 250 Hull with SUP replacement fin plate glued in place

Bic 250 sail

Bic 250 Centreboard

Bic 250 board insert (white part) attached to new Boge Universal Joint (black) and 'Windsurf Maui' Mast Insert (gold part)

BiC 250 original Mast Cup. THis part is the original piece that I replaced with the gold Mast insert in the previous picture. Normally this piece is connected to the Boge (black rubber universal joint) and is inserted into the bottom of the mast. The white plastic loops are used to ie the bottom (foot) of the sail

NOTES :

Mast Base: The original mast base consists of 3 main parts.

1/ 'Board Insert' - the white slotted part - this piece goes into the board in one of the two mounting holes and is clipped in place using the little red levers that are each side of the mounting holes on the board. (note these levers tend to wear with age and break but there are solutions to repairing / replacing them)

2/ 'Universal Joint' - the rubber hourglass shaped boge- these are available at most windsurfing shops (do not confuse these with the more modern Tendon joints)

3/ Mast cup - This was another white plastic piece (see picture 5) that attached to the top of the boge. One my particular rig I have switched out to a modern 3rd party adjustable mast base (see picture 4) so I can use it with a variety of masts and sails.

Sail: The original Bic sail is a simple light weight sail that is easy to set up and use. It is not a high performance or high wind sail, it is designed for recreational sailing where simplicity and easy of use are paramount. You can easily try other sails with the Bic 250 but may need to get a shorter boom (Note - The BIc boom is adjustable so it might be fine)

Boom: The Bic Boom is very light weight an simple. It is adjustable and works perfectly with the original sail. Note the key feature of this boom is the loop atttachment method detailed in the videos below). If you are lucky enough to have a complete original setup then it came with a premade loop that had a red or black plastic ball on the end to make boom attachment simple. Note today most people use 'clip on booms' that can be purchased at most windsurf stores. The clipon booms are fantastic and come in different sizes but most do not extend far enough to handle the original Bic sail which requires a very long boom. For more modern sails shorter booms are the standard. I highly recommend the Chinook Sport range of clip on booms. The are cheap and tough (but not a replacement for the Bic boom when using it with the original sail).

Mast: The Bic came with a standard 4.6m mast. Almost all masts in the early 80's were 4.6 m long and had standard diameters, thus you can interchange the original mast with any other SDM (Standard Diameter Mast) from this period (or even newer two piece masts) providing the length is correct. Note - Warning - The fashion for sailboard at this time was to have quite a lot of mast exposed at the bottom of the sail and to have the boom rigged above shoulder height. At 5'.8" I always find the boom tends to be a bit high even when attached at the bottom of the sail cutout so if there exposed mast I actually cut a few inches off (3-6) so I can get my boom at a more comfortable height and then use an adjustable mast base to add any extra length.

Board: The Bic Board is tough and pretty much indestructable. While you can carry it by youself; you probably dont want to carry it far 19kgs+. It is a much easier lift with 2 people. It should be noted that the board has a rough deck which is great so that you dont slip but can be harsh on bare feet and knees if you are scrambling in and out of the water a lot ! Weak points are: the back fin mounting system and the mast rig insert points. The (red) rig insert holes each have 2 levers that need to be set one way (unlocked) when inserting the white Board Insert and then moved to the locked position to hold it in place. The system works really well but over time those little plastic levers tend to break. There are several solutions to this problem (contact me if you need a hand). The fin mounting system at the back of the board is another weakness. The problem is not the system itself, the issue comes if you break or loose the fin. Replacements are impossible to get so you will probably need to come up with a custom solution. I ended up gluing a SUP fun base over the existing system and using a SUP fin. It works but Im not 100% happy with this solution. Also note - because the board is made from polyethelyne most glues do not stick to it, so you have to get creative when it comes to repairs or attaching things.

VIDEOS (Set-Up and Sailing)

Setting up the Bic 250 rig

Connecting the Boom on a Bic 250 rig

Sailing the Bic 250 with a modern (early 2000's rig)

Sailing the Bic 250 with a 1986 Neil Pryde Garda 6.2sqm sail

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