Call me a heretic…but I was really impressed by those plastic Bic boards. I borrowed a 9’4" longboard with the side fins out and took it out to that spot (“Rockpiles”?) at the tip of Magic Island (next spot over from Bowls) with some fun waves barreling right infront of the breakwall that protects the keiki lagoon. I usually don’t ride longboards, but selling boards as a lil side biz (& also as way to test different designs),I’ve ridden probably over a 100 boards, and this thing was so much lighter then a similiar sized board. It was easy to flick it around like a board about 1.5" feet shorter. But what really impressed me was when the leash snapped when my brother was riding the board and it slammed into the breakwall (the waves were breaking big enough to throw spray over the breakwall on Friday)and the damn thing didn’t even have any damage, expert! Anyone know how these things are made? Are they hollow? They seem lighter then SurfTechs. Even though some supposed expert on the future of surfboard designs (in an article in Surfing) claimed that boards would be made from some kind of baked plastic (like the stuff helmets are made from), I think that’s way off in the future. But compared to the first plastic board i tried about 12 years ago (I don’t remember who made it), they’ve come a loong way! So, don’t worry foam mowers, you don’t have anything to worry about anytime soon…atleast until they come up with a way to make custom boards 
ooops…note to self: proof read!“expert!” should read: except a few scratches. Alrighty now back to cold water!
BIC Longboards are a favorite for the river bore we get in France : it surfs OK and it’s strong (getting in and out of the river is sometimes rather acrobatic and while surfing the bore you may hit some pieces of wood …) By the way : last saturday longest ride surfing the bore was 24 minutes, and it was with a BIC longboard. Visit : http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/news/article.php?newsid=146&lang=us http://mascaretgironde.free.fr/index_uk.html
The boards I had actually had a polyurethane core, but this is how they are constructed http://www.bicsportsurfboards.com/tec/index.php?language=us . You can ding them, but the only time I’ve dinged mine was when a brick from the chimnee feel down and hit the board laying in the backyard. It created a 1/2" puncture. I’ve dropped that board on the asphalt a thousand times and got washed up on rocks plenty too. They do ding tho, the rentals on Fuerteventura looked like shit from pressure ding(not much punctures), but then again they’ve got plenty sharp lavarock reefs there. I don’t care much for the bic longboards, I’ve only tried them in really small mushy waves though. However, the old 8’ (replaced by the 7’9") bic is the most underrated surfboard in the buisness IMHO. Wish I never sold mine. regards, Håvard
Does anyone know a good way of fixing a bic board? Part of my nose shattered this winter when I ran in to a tree while sleding on it? I was thinking some type of epoxy or some thing, or am I just sunk?
Of the life time of boards that Steve Biggler (pushing 60 yrs. old) has ridden and has in his Quiver, he rode the 10’ 0" Bic Pearson Arrow into the finals @ Secos a few weeks ago. He’s the style master , and like many here , could ride just about anything well. His was a gift from Nat the previous year. Bigs modified his by cutting ~ 12" off the nose. He was pitted against the great , up and coming Zander Hartman of Malibu. A mere high school graduate. They dueled it out on the building swell. I thought Steve won. The boards work pretty well.
I rode a Bic at Cowells in Santa Cruz. Biggest piece of crap ever. Sure, it was light, but it couldn’t catch waves. That’s why I now ride a 10.0 classic shape with volan glass. I can actually catch up with waves that pass me by on the smaller days. No Bic will ever do that, brother. Oh, and same goes for the surf techs. They are light, but they ride like crap, and they can’t catch waves like a heavy board. I mean, what has more inertia? An oil tanker at 30 knots, or a kayak at 30 knots? Which do YOU think will keep its momentum going after the push lets up? Heavy boards catch waves easier. That’s why Gerry Lopez, Rory Russell and the other guys got into Pipe so early back in the 70s. They were riding heavy boards. The guys riding Pipe now may surf it better, but they drop in severely late.
different strokes for different folks…as they say. I didn’t say that I would trade in my quiver for some Bics…just yet. Mainly because I have no clue how thier newer shortboards ride. But if they performed just as well as my polyester boards (epoxy doesn’t have that lively flexy feeling), and were as durable as the longboard I tried, I wouldn’t have any problem riding them (even if it meant enduring heckling from self-conscious surfers who are more concerned with the pedigree of thier surfboard then having fun). And I think that’s the main reason Bics are taking a backseat to SurfTech when it comes to building boards that last. They won’t win any beauty contests and the fact that they’re built by a company more known for thier lighters & pens is really bad marketing. They would probably double thier business with just changing thier name. As for the peformance of the board that I tried, the lightness helped in making quick, instant direction changes on waves that were breaking infront of some rocks that looked painful! No ballerina drop knee turns here! 
I was more impressed by it’s durability then it’s performance, which I couldn’t really guage since the fin kept sliding around in the box. But like the others have said, those boards don’t get the respect they deserve. As for your assumption that a heavier board equals a better board, well, that’s true if you want to catch mushburgers…no offense meant. And don’t get me started on those slick-bottomed soft longboards Those things are like having a flexy step deck in the nose and tail! Btw, I have a garage full of vintage boards, those guns that Lopez rode really weren’t that heavy, he got into the waves early because they were FAT!!! (considering that guy is a flyweight)> And thanks for all the responses everybody, this forum rules!
Melt it! You could propably go to a plastic welder for a profesional repair, but I just used a solering iron to melt the edges together on my board. Looked like shit, but watertight. regards, Håvard
I’ll try that plastic melting thing, it sounds like it should work. Do you know if I could melt some extra plastic over top?
Bic, maker of the world’s worst lighters, pens, razors and surfboards. It’s a sweep!
hey, nobody insults my Bic lighters without a needless reply! Why? because they’re made in the good ole’ USofA…dammit! (It says so right on the chrome). And besides, Bic does make the best board when it comes to durability, there’s no doubt about that. And if it’s good enough for the Style Master, Nat Young & Haavard, then it’s good enough for for you & me (as a back up board)
ooops…Havard, I meant
Zippo’s are made in the USA and I assure you that no Bic surfboard is good enough for me. I have high standards.
Zippo’s are made in the USA and I assure you that no Bic surfboard is good >enough for me. I have high standards. I’ve heard that those metal boards didn’t work all that well. Plastic is better, whatever the kind. Never heard of a custom zippo, 'cept for the decor. 'Nuff said. regards, Håvard