Bic Sport Wing Air (SA) 11’

As a company, Bic isn’t really known for much other than pens outside of their native France. And that’s a real shame since they do so much in the plastic industry as a whole. Obviously, we’re not here to discuss international plastics commodities — we’re here to talk about paddleboards!

Length	Width	Thickness	Weight	Weight Capacity
11'0"	32 "	6"	23 lbs	220 lbs

Performance

It’s ironic but this this is more of a performance board than its sister, the Performance Air. While both of them have similarities in their construction and general form, the shape of this board makes all the difference. It’s noticeably faster and tracks better than the Performance air though it isn’t quite as maneuverable. However, the differences are minor and as a whole, we would say are negligible.
One thing that we would say is that if you’re looking for longer distance runs and are focused on speed, the Wing Air is what you’re looking for. But if you’re looking for something that will work well in surf or shallow conditions, consider the Performance Air.

Features

This is not a feature-driven iSUP by any means, though that’s not say that it’s just a plain piece of plastic, either. For example, the embossed EVA foam is designed to give a comfortable ride to the paddler while still giving them enough traction to not worry about falling off while doing any general paddling or even surfing. Instead of having a single solid pad that you would expect in other boards, this one has divisions within the pad that end up creating channels that help water move off the deck, making it as dry as possible.

Something that surprised us (and not in a good way) was the lack of grab handles. Well, we can’t say pure lack of handles since it does have a central grab handle in the center as do almost all iSUPs on the market. Ironically, one of the only iSUPS out there without a central grab handle are some of Bic’s own Oxbow boards, but they’re excuse is that they have at least 4 other handles a piece. Having one a single grab handle on this board makes for a more difficult time moving the board in and out of the water or getting back on if you fall off.

Design

Bic apparently in the “let you choose your color” business since they don’t ever really give options for their iSUPS. While this board isn’t outright unattractive, but the grey, blue and orange does leave quite a bit to be desired.
Up front is what we would consider a standard storage area of a bungee area connected by 4 D-rings. This allows you to store items like coolers or drybags both below the bungees or to be connected to the D-rings. Along with the 4 D-rings up front, there is also an additional D-ring on the back designed to be used with the included ankle leash.

The nose of the board has what we call a low rocker, which is a term we use for when the front comes at only a slight angle. This means it moves better through flat water and doesn’t handle choppy water or strong turns too well.
Underneath the board you’ll find a thruster fin setup. That means that in addition to the single 8” tracking fin, you also have 2 side fins that act to cut down the drag that center find would normally generate plus create a little bit of speed on their own. An added benefit is that it give more maneuverability to the board as well.

Construction

Bic uses their own unique construction process for their iSUPs called SUP AIR Construction. This involves using a single layer of PVC material that is reinforced both internally and externally. The internal side of the reinforcement involved high density drop stitch construction inside while using stringer on the outside. Essentially, this involves a belt being wrapped around the board from nose to tail to make the board feel as solid as possible. In addition, they use double layer PVC on the rails since that is the most vulnerable part of the board.

Included Accessories

Bic uses their own unique construction process for their iSUPs called SUP AIR Construction. This involves using a single layer of PVC material that is reinforced both internally and externally. The internal side of the reinforcement involved high density drop stitch construction inside while using stringer on the outside. Essentially, this involves a belt being wrapped around the board from nose to tail to make the board feel as solid as possible. In addition, they use double layer PVC on the rails since that is the most vulnerable part of the board.

Our Verdict

Just like its sister board, the Bic Sport Wing Air is pretty beige. It’s almost a relic of a bygone past where there were very few options on the market and people just went with a brand they recognized and went with it. In the modern market, there are so many innovative manufacturers that offer new and exciting ideas as well as premium equipment at a reasonable price.
Let’s just say that there’s nothing wrong with this board and honestly, if you find yourself in a pinch, this is an ideal board to get yourself in a seaside surf shop as a good deal of iSUP makers prefer to sell direct to the customer online.
If you find yourself in a position where you’re given this board as a gift or to use in a rental situation, you wouldn’t have a problem at all. But if you were to purchase a board yourself, there are a lot of more inspired iSUPs within the same price range.

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