Laser Whinging Thread

I used to believe that there was no functional difference between the real thing and the replicas. However, having been using a Rooster std main for the past 2 years I bought a discounted Laser one at the dinghy show. There is no question that it is cut better than the Rooster one, it's small differences, and I have no problem with the Rooster build quality, but the Laser one sets better. Whether it makes any difference to my speed is another matter.

Funny how discussions around the Laser usually centre on 'improving the rig' (which usually, IMO, means "change the sail" in reality) whereas for my 3p worth, I'd actually start on the rudder first, then perhaps the sail followed by the daggerboard were the brief to be contemplating change at a design level, from my time racing them, the Laser Rudder always seemed a relatively 'poor' assembly compared to those available elsewhere in dinghy racing, whereas the sleeved main over two-section main spar arrangement is <still> quite OK, and would really be greatly improved by simply changing the sail construction, rather than shape or overall design, to allow for greater competitive longevity versus bucks-shelled-out-in-the-first-place.


.... that's not to say a 1-piece or 2-piece carbon mast & a carbon boom wouldn't help


Edited by getafix - 19 Apr 11 at 10:56am

There must be more to this Bike thing than I ever imagined. Perhaps you would like to try my Byte Luke.......? 11 stone? Perhaps not!

Well Chris we will agree to differ. If ever you are in Derbyshire, weigh less than 11 stone you can try my Byte. That may convert you.

I must investigate this bike thing as I cannot understand why my Gitane racing bike in 1961 would be so much slower than any more modern contraption. They look similar to my eye whereas the N12 I learned to sail in in the fifties bore no comparison with any "modern" boat. Perhaps if we had frozen development at around that time you may have been even happier?

Regards John.

Sure Chris, let the bicycle develop until it is pretty near perfection then halt development to avoid an arms race. Laser are very long way off that point. There are better developed boats around than Lasers, take Lightning. Roughly as old as Laser but with proper twinned control lines, centre sheeting and a flexible tracked mast. Always cheaper as well. Not content with an already good boat John Claridge took over and made a series of modifications recommended by existing sailors. Altered deck molding, removed the thwart and supplied an optional mylar sail. The boat is now more desirable and becoming very popular. Did a new or modified boat win the Nationals last year? No it was 104, 30 years old retaining its thwart and with a dacron sail. Is the boat now sexier and more comfortable to sail? Yes very much so and that is why so many new boats are being built even though performance seems little improve. Byte is a different proposition because the alterations were so much more radical. When the C2 rig appeared it did render older rigged boats obsolete but the class was dying anyway. Byte should be more popular than it is but its small size puts it into an awkward market sector which is a shame. If laser sailors wish to keep sailing and enjoying lasers then fine but would it really be so difficult to centre sheet it and dual the controls? This would not massively improve performance. Good sailors would still do well in old boats the same as lightning but the boat would be so much nicer to sail.
If I had any money (which I don't) I would produce a C2 type rig for laser hulls and create a new club racing class.