Rooster 8.1 rig on Laser

Sorry Rick, wasn't targetting the scaremongering comment at everyone, although there has been a bit of it.

Just looked through some notes I have on the loadings of the standard Laser, and through looking at the figures, the 8.1 rig looks like it will only impose a few kilograms extra of loading, 10-15kg very max by my estimations. When you compare the strength of the hull and components, it isn't too much in the larger scheme of things. 

Well, I am over 90Kg (well over unfortunately) and for many years have longed for a single hander for which I could be competitive in, sails well on the sea, does not weigh the same as a 505 and has a plentiful supply of second hand boats, the impossible dream.

With the advent of the Rooster 8.1 my prayers would seem to have been answered, so it was with some trepidation that I took up Steve's offer of a sail on Saturday.  The conditions were glorious, 15 to 20 knots of breeze, wind over tide producing some good waves, the sun out and pretty mild.

I have sailed a Laser on and off for the last 20 years and am well aware of how they feel in these conditions with a lump like me inside. I am glad to say this was now in a completely different boat to what I was used to it was lithe, nimble and exciting. For the first time I could drive the boat down wind and waves not getting stuck in the troughs, 5th gear had finally been found.

As the final test I lined up against a good friend of a similar weight who normally sails quicker than me downwind. I took 20 to 30m out of him in 150m of sailing. 

In short the Rooster 8.1 has delivered a boat for the big guy, which is a market the major dinghy manufactures have completely ignored. .  Will it be faster than a standard laser? That is a more complex question, the optimum weight to sail a laser would appear to be 80-82 Kg, what this rig does is make the boat feel that way for a larger sailor. The more important element for me is that sailing a Laser can be fun again.

I'm not so sure that't true it's certainly not for me... except the athletic perfection of course . I struggled to see the point in buying a boat that despite it's merits of being very common I would be pretty much outclassed in due to my weight and fitness (before anyone says it I'm not interested in getting thinner of fitter). If however there was a fat gits alternative that allowed me to race in a massed 'Laser' fleet I might be tempted, because even if I had the only 8.1 It'd still feel more like class racing than racing in my present 'Fast Handicap' fleet of RS200s, Albs and GPs.