PY - BANDITS

Think the laser has fuller shape in the bow sections which must go along way to her punching above her length

Yes, the Contender is broadly the same shape as the laser and at 16 ft is 2 ft longer. It was designed before the Laser but that must just be a coincidence......

Originally posted by 423zero Anyone ever tried adding an extra foot to hull length ?

To a Laser, or in general? To a Laser, the nearest would probably be the Megabyte, but it's also been blown up a bit at the same time.

I have wondered what a Mirror would be like if cut in half and 2' added in the middle, and a mizzen added, but that might be for another thread...

Originally posted by Rupert True, forgotten the stern overhang. Shows what a great hull shape it is, really, that a whole plethora of longer waterline dinghies struggle to be significantly faster, despite rig advances.

Echo that sentiment.

Then it does give the lie to the damn Bandit getting slower every year.

Originally posted by Rupert Originally posted by CT249 Originally posted by Rupert Originally posted by Sam.Spoons Originally posted by iGRF It's got more to do with the Laser performance in waves imv, certainly at our club, being over 14 ft which is the magic cutoff for dealing with waves at our particular neck of the channel, that and by the lee sailing dead downwind in waves.. A Laser is less than 14', 13' 9" LOA and only 12' 6" LWL (which is what matters)? Childhood memory says 13' 10 1/2" overall length, but where does the 12'6" number come from? Maybe without a person on board, as the stem isn't that raked. Still nowhere near 14 feet. Maybe the inland handicap bias is because lots of people who can't roll tack sail them on lakes compared to people in Solos? Bruce Kirby told me in writing that the Laser was designed to have a waterline of 12'6", which he felt to be the minimum for good performance. Still trying to work out how we lose 16" of the overall length, but I've never measured bow rake and I guess the transom is designed to be clear of the water.