Author Topic: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one  (Read 33950 times)

jjue

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Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« on: August 07, 2008, 08:44:14 AM »
Well  after much thought and research and after  spending a month or so   paddling and sailing my  12 6  1980's wayler windsurf barge ,  paddling a 11' 3" Laird in flat water in Lake tahoe , and  spending a day  and some lessons on  a Hyper 11'6"x29" epoxy board  in Kauai , both  ocean paddling and  take some surf lessons on it   and catching my first couple of waves , I pulled the trigger and ordered a Bic Jungle ?????
Maybe , I am  crazy  but  we shall  see .. I absolutely  detest the graphics of the Jungle , looks like some kind of  1980's windsurf board  but   searching for some internet reviews  and talking to a variety of shop guys who had actually  sailed and paddled and surfed the thing  convinced me ...  Maybe  , it is impossible to produce a compromise design like this  and it ends  up being  kind of  the worst of all worlds but I am hoping it will actually  end  up being  the best of all boards for me ....

here are some links I found ( hard to find alot of folks writing about the Jungle , maybe a  middle of the road compromise  board like this  is hard to get excited about )   

from new zeland surf blog
http://www.surf.co.nz/news/search/news.asp?newsletterId=6244

guy wave sailing the thing in Ireland
http://www.hotsailsmaui.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2176

planche magazine   longboard windsurfer test pdf
http://www.ultrasporteu.com/published/3/resources/documents/BicWind_TestResult-2008-06.pdf

guy  paddling it 
http://www.air-head.com/blog/2008/01/31/bic-jungle-tested-airhead-surf-diary/

I was also impressed by  the  light weight of the thing ,  a couple of guys( windsurfers )   I talked to at different shops  who have sailed a variety of the SUP boards including the Naish and the Starboard line  , think it sails the best of the SUP's

One windsurfer guy recommended the Kona One  but  I seriously doubt that  I would be happy with  that one  in  paddle or  standup surf mode  as opposed to flat water windsurfing where it would be great   ...   

I already have a planing windsurf board,  a nice old style longboard windsurf board that I enjoy in flat water stand up paddling and sailing , and  am looking for a light weight  easily transportable , manueverable ,   board that I can  paddle ,  start to learn how to surf small waves , and also  windsurf  both on flat water and try  wave sailing on small waves ... don't know if   I have made the right  choice but we shall see ... I will report back  on what I find out 
« Last Edit: August 07, 2008, 08:46:49 AM by jjue »

DavidJohn

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2008, 03:02:34 PM »
Sounds nice...Congrats...Any idea of the weight?

Does it come with a paddle?

DJ

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2008, 03:55:51 PM »
You can't beat it for its versatility. I agree with you about the graphics.....somebody beat that designer.... ;D  I haven't tried one but I've looked at them and somehow it looks like too much of a compromise. Be interesting to hear what you think.
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

jjue

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2008, 03:58:24 PM »
Sounds nice...Congrats...Any idea of the weight?

Does it come with a paddle?

DJ

its  11.8kg or 26lbs

doesn't come with a paddle ( bic aluminum sup   paddle is 99 dollars ) ...  I have  an Admundson aquaglide  81 inch  aluminum paddle now  that is pretty heavy .. but  after using a  proper   paddle in kauai ... I really  will ultimately   want  a nice   paddle , sure makes a difference for  paddling  long distances  with a nice lightweight paddle .(. to  get us used to paddling our instructor   took us on a long up wind  paddle  in hanelei bay  in choppy  conditions  ,  .. before we got to do a nice down wind leg and then practice  surfing in some small waves. )
« Last Edit: August 07, 2008, 04:04:09 PM by jjue »

jjue

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First impressions - Flat water paddling
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2008, 08:08:53 PM »
Got my new  Bic Jungle  delivered  and   got to try it out  in SUP  mode  in flatwater   conditions .....  I am a very happy man !    I bought the thing   primarily as a do it all board to windsurf ,  paddle surf and paddle flat water ...  I was most worried about how   a  175 liter 10' 10" x  28 inch  board with  surf rocker in the nose and tail would do  for a  195 lb  beginner   for  straight ahead flatwater  cruising ..... my first impressions   is that  it way exceeded my expectations in this department ...  I am new to  SUP,  a total newbie at surfing , but experienced  river and lake windsurfer, and flatwater kayaker. ., ....  ,so far  I have paddled  a Laird 11' 6"  X 29 " 195  liter board ,  a  Hypr 11'6"  x 29 "  ? volume board, and  an old 1980 vintage wayler windsurf board  ,(  239 liters  12'6"   x 26 3/4 ")..   compared to the Laird  and the Hypr   the  Bic   almost  has the same initial  stability for me  despite  its  narrower dimensions and shorter length .. it does feel a bit tippier  side to side then both the  11'6"  29 inch boards ,  but unlike  my   Wayler  which  has much less  initial  stability .. the   Bic Jungle doesn't seem like it will tip over once you get it on a rail, in fact it seems to be very stable  tipped to  the rail ..   in fact   it  is a pleasure to  paddle   ,tipping the rail easily to the  paddle side  and can easily maintain a straight line , which was  suprising to me ..   in fact the  glide and speed  of the  Bic Jungle   pretty much  seemed to match the longer boards  which again was quite suprising to me ..  I felt relaxed paddling it in flat water conditions almost as much as I did with the 11'6"  boards and much more relaxed then on my  Wayler  ,which even on flat water  I kind of have to work to maintain balance especially if I  am  not paddling fast ...   The Jungle is  way more manuverable then any of the  other  boards I have paddled   and is a joy to spin around   and turn  ... I was worried about the  lower volume .. but no worries , the   board  floats my 195  lbs  right out of the water  but not too high like the   Wayler with its  big volume does...  this  was a great first session and  I am very pleased !

The board itself in person , looks better then  it does in digital pictures , the board is  lightweight at 25 lbs and easy to carry with a nicely positioned carrying slot .. it has an EVA  deck that covers the entire area  that is covered by  graphics .. leaving the tip and tail and rails smooth , when on the rail   paddling  the smooth  rail is in the water and  EVA deck is out of the water  nice for glide !

It  has  a full mast track for   standard windsurf  mast step either  one bolt or two bolt ,  I have a spare one bolt  chinook windsurf mast step  and unilke other  SUP boards the full standard windsurf mast track will allow    extensive adjustment of  mast position forward or backward
there is  a full  deep  saber daggerboard  that is  just pushed down into the slot or removed  , ( this is the only  SUP board with this feature - i was told that the  starboard 12'6" does have a screw on  center fin but that it is not nearly as effective as the deep daggerboard of the  Jungle for sailing . ) , there is plug to seal the slot  that is easily removed or inserted. ,  nice  swept back surf glass  fin  , the fin is  a standard american box  fin   which should allow any  surfboard fins to be used . .. paddling with the supplied fin  seems just fine ..   4 foot straps are supplied    and there are foot strap inserts  for them on the board .. again unlike most other SUP boards.     I think this will be a great longboard windsurf board and I can't wait to get it out in some wind ....

I am very eager to get this thing  out in  some surf and learn how to surf and do some lightwind wave sailing as welll ...  looks like nice surf rocker  tip and tail ,  and very easy to manuver  which should help ...

I still hate the graphics  ... but   everything else seems great  .!
« Last Edit: August 13, 2008, 08:46:05 PM by jjue »

jjue

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First time Sailing
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2008, 07:56:49 PM »
Got the Bic Jungle out for  some sailing today ...  started out in  light  winds  5-8mph ,   that  got  stronger to  around 14mph later in the day ...   I was very impressed  by the Jungle as a windsurf board..    With the deep daggerboard down   and a  7.3  sail  the board  had very nice  glide and was  a joy to  ride ...

Here is my son  sailing  the Jungle  in the  early light wind conditions




Later  in the  day     ,  I was   using   a harness  ,  took the  daggerboard out  and was planing  nicely   in the 14mph  wind , the   board felt  very  comfortable  planing , and easy to tack and gybe .... I  did not put in the foot straps and really didn't need them ...   

after dinner   wind died down and   took the Jungle out    for a flat water SUP  paddle at sunset    , nice and relaxing  and very nice  glide and   very , very pleasant  paddling SUP board ...     I couldn't be happier with the Jungle  !!!

Next up .. will have to   get it down to the coast   for some trys at  paddle surfing and maybe wave sailing !!!    This is one very versatile board .   I really do think  that BIC hit the mark in producing a  wonderful hybrid board  with    windsurfing  prowness,  great flatwater  SUP performance and a shape that should be  very nice in the surf .....
« Last Edit: August 16, 2008, 08:04:24 PM by jjue »

PonoBill

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2008, 12:10:19 AM »
The Starboard 12'6" has a pretty good centerboard fin. The boards come with them in some case--mine had one. I don't care that much for it since it can't be raked back for reaches, it screws into place. The new Starboard SUPer has a real centerboard box and it works much better. You can kick it up to go downwind or racke it for reaches.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

jjue

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Bic Pics
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2008, 06:36:43 PM »
Here are  some  pics   of the Jungle

Top View


Bottom View


Side View (shows surf rocker nose  and tail )


Side View  with windsurf  daggerboard inserted



jjue

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2008, 07:53:56 PM »
I  was inspired by the  beautiful  new pic by Ben Thouard  of Manu  Bouvet  riding the Bic Jungle in the new fall issue of the Standup  journal to search the web for some other  shots of Manu and his wife  Carine Camboulives, windsurfers turned  Standup surfers  riding the Jungle ... Manu and Carine are sponsored by  Oxbow  clothing as well as  a number of windsurf lines  and   I found these pics from the Oxbow web site ..   

Manu Bovet  riding a big wave



and Manu and   Carine  windsurfing the Jungle

jjue

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2008, 08:06:45 PM »
For the 2009 season besides the  Windsurf combo   version of the Bic Jungle ,  Bic is also coming out with a  dedicated  SUP  version  of the  Jungle , called the Jungle Surf .. looks like the same  board but with  out the Windsurf mast track  -daggerboard - foot strap inserts and a more traditional  SUP graphic design  and  deck pad  . It is   the  only   SUP  in the rather extensive  Bic Surf  line of shortboards and longboards.


« Last Edit: November 01, 2008, 08:23:47 PM by jjue »

earthsurfing

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2010, 10:09:24 AM »
Well  after much thought and research and after  spending a month or so   paddling and sailing my  12 6  1980's wayler windsurf barge ,  paddling a 11' 3" Laird in flat water in Lake tahoe , and  spending a day  and some lessons on  a Hyper 11'6"x29" epoxy board  in Kauai , both  ocean paddling and  take some surf lessons on it   and catching my first couple of waves , I pulled the trigger and ordered a Bic Jungle ?????
Maybe , I am  crazy  but  we shall  see .. I absolutely  detest the graphics of the Jungle , looks like some kind of  1980's windsurf board  but   searching for some internet reviews  and talking to a variety of shop guys who had actually  sailed and paddled and surfed the thing  convinced me ...  Maybe  , it is impossible to produce a compromise design like this  and it ends  up being  kind of  the worst of all worlds but I am hoping it will actually  end  up being  the best of all boards for me ....

here are some links I found ( hard to find alot of folks writing about the Jungle , maybe a  middle of the road compromise  board like this  is hard to get excited about )   

from new zeland surf blog
http://www.surf.co.nz/news/search/news.asp?newsletterId=6244

guy wave sailing the thing in Ireland
http://www.hotsailsmaui.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2176

planche magazine   longboard windsurfer test pdf
http://www.ultrasporteu.com/published/3/resources/documents/BicWind_TestResult-2008-06.pdf

guy  paddling it 
http://www.air-head.com/blog/2008/01/31/bic-jungle-tested-airhead-surf-diary/

I was also impressed by  the  light weight of the thing ,  a couple of guys( windsurfers )   I talked to at different shops  who have sailed a variety of the SUP boards including the Naish and the Starboard line  , think it sails the best of the SUP's

One windsurfer guy recommended the Kona One  but  I seriously doubt that  I would be happy with  that one  in  paddle or  standup surf mode  as opposed to flat water windsurfing where it would be great   ...   

I already have a planing windsurf board,  a nice old style longboard windsurf board that I enjoy in flat water stand up paddling and sailing , and  am looking for a light weight  easily transportable , manueverable ,   board that I can  paddle ,  start to learn how to surf small waves , and also  windsurf  both on flat water and try  wave sailing on small waves ... don't know if   I have made the right  choice but we shall see ... I will report back  on what I find out 


Hey- I'm wondering if you're talking about the 10' 10" Jungle?  I'm near 190 and wonder if I'm not too much for it.  Got a potential used one lined up.  Very interested in learning to windsurf and think it will be  a good investment as I live on a river and get to the ocean maybe twice a year to longboard.

Thanks for any follow up on your experience or other recommendations.

K

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2010, 05:15:04 AM »
Surprising (to me at least) that BIC hasn't had a larger effort in this area (windsurfing SUP crossovers) - considering their history.


jjue

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Re: Bic Jungle - found some reviews and ordered one
« Reply #12 on: July 26, 2010, 11:19:30 PM »
Quote

Hey- I'm wondering if you're talking about the 10' 10" Jungle?  I'm near 190 and wonder if I'm not too much for it.  Got a potential used one lined up.  Very interested in learning to windsurf and think it will be  a good investment as I live on a river and get to the ocean maybe twice a year to longboard.

Thanks for any follow up on your experience or other recommendations.

K

yes   , the 10  x10" original bic jungle .. .I weigh also around 190 lbs ,  I think it will be fine for you to learn windsurfing on ..
I  live inland  and use it mostly for windsurfing and   flat water stand up paddling on lakes and rivers .  I really enjoy it a whole lot for both applications ...  I occasionally  go  to the coast and  stand up  paddle surf   on it  but  I am really not very good at it  ,At my experience level  and weight  it is a little narrow and tippy  for choppy  ocean water  for stand up surfing for me  but I think  a lot of that   just has to do with experience in the ocean and in surf .  I can  windsurf and standup paddle it on lakes and rivers  every weekend but only make it  out to the ocean rarely.  . ( ps  . I had no surfing experience prior  to buying it   ,but  have windsurfed a fair amount before getting the jungle .  )
« Last Edit: July 26, 2010, 11:40:50 PM by jjue »

 


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