RS aero

The lightweight laser sails needed to be changed for major events (regardless of what is/was claimed). They were hopeless in that regard.

Even club sailors looked at at least annual upgrades if you sailed regularly.

Dacron sails on stayed masts (Contender and lots of other two man boats) can remain competitive for a good while.

They also can on an OK - unstayed rig. So if the Aero sails and rig generally are up to the sort of technical level of an Ok rig they may be fine - if they are mass produced like the Laser there may be issues. Time will tell ?

Dacron must still be the way to go for 'holiday company' boats ?

My only point is not about the quality, lifetime, efficiency etc of the rig - its just its visual perception (to me). When I see the Aero next to the Zero I see 'quality, high tech etc' versus 'fun boat' - I totally accept that that is unfair perhaps but that just the perception.

When the Laser came out it looked modern racy and a step up from anything else around. Of course that's hard to do now with so many boats about.

Buyers of the Aero will no doubt think, and know, that the boats are great - which I'm sure they are.

As said the Dacron vs Laminate has been done to death and I am not qualified to comment.

Originally posted by Eminoxon i dont see whats so bad about dacron, lasers are dacron. they have a much longer life too. unimpressed with the feva mylar sail, had to be repaired quite quickly at the clew. dacron is easier to read the wind in ligt stuff. te old 200 sail is heavy duty and i think probably better quality than whatever they are going to replace it with.

I'm sure that could well be what you've been told, but in my opinion the Dacron used on an Aero sail will have a far shorter competitive life than say the Mylar on an RS300, or an ODL06 Mylar Phantom sail. That is certainly my experience with Dacron Laser sails.

i dont see whats so bad about dacron, lasers are dacron. they have a much longer life too. unimpressed with the feva mylar sail, had to be repaired quite quickly at the clew. dacron is easier to read the wind in ligt stuff. te old 200 sail is heavy duty and i think probably better quality than whatever they are going to replace it with.

The rig works extremely well and if people think its a 'beach rig' well thats fine. It generates a great deal of curve in the mast and in that respect looks not unlike a finn or even a windsurf sail. 

Edited by SimonW99 - 12 Feb 15 at 5:47pm