Carbon Topmast for the Radial

Well my wife is 55kgs and 5'5" and she is only interested in club racing and the carbon topmast would be great for her and she'd buy one despite the fact she has no Olympic aspirations - it would just make the boat better for her.

... and before you say it she dosn't want a Europe as there is a fleet of Lasers and no Europes.

regards,

Rick

PS - I am not sure she'd be happy that I put bher weight on this forum so sssshhh!!!

Yes, but this change would affect more than just the 'average woman'.

I have chosen to sail this class now, so would more than likely go with the flow if the change were introduced. But it has to be remembered that think of all those clubs all over the world where the Radial is raced - is it really necessary for the good of the class or just the few women athletes? Are there any thoughts on that?

If the comments on the US laser forum are correct and it is thought $300 would be the price this is about £160. An alu top section is £100. As this will be a mass produced carbon topsection I query whether the quality control will be such to warrant the price increase.

I think until I have sailed with a carbon section I couldn't really say. But from a cost/quality issue, I would say stick with the strict one design we have rather than further lining Laser's pockets.

I am not sure to be quite honest about the change to a carbon rig, as although less weight in the mast technically could make the boat easier to sail, the hull is still very heavy for the amount of sail area. Therefore more body actions are required to drive the boat through the waves, admittedly less so in flat water. I trained a couple of months ago with three awesome female sailors. Two about 70kg and one near my weight about 60-62kg. Some of the sailing was quite windy with big waves and admittedly I was rubbish but us lighter sailors really dropped off sideways sooner than the heavier sailors inspite of all the body actions.

Radial hull weight is nearly 60kg with a sail area of 5.76sqm contrast a Europe hull weight of about 45kg with a sail area of about 7sqm. There is quite a change in the dynamics of sailing such a boat.

A comment made above about about XD kit v. Scheidt not using XD kit is interesting. Even for a feeble person like me it is easy to put too much kicker on in the Radial and make the boat unbalanced if it is not counteracted with other sail controls. It is about using what is right for you as a sailor.

The main thing I would be concerned with about a carbon top section is cost. I have spent more in year one of Radial sailing for replacement kit than I think I did for year one in the Europe. The sails don't last as long, the top sections if you get a bad one bends really quickly, the fittings on the sections corrode quickly, and brand new foils are sometimes likely to be asymmetric when you get them (well my set were and I know others who suffered the same).

However one reason I have grown to tolerate the Radial is when you rock up to an international regatta or a club regatta you know that despite build discrepancies you are sailing the same boat as the next person, so to just get your head out of the boat and race.

I have really struggled in year one in my Radial, far more so than in my Europe, but the challenges have been different, so in many respects can the two boats be considered in the same light? The Olympics affects a select few, as do the Youth Worlds. The Laser was primarily designed as a beach boat and is now a victim of its own success. So can a technical, lightweight boat, be compared with a strict and essentially basic one-design? If you really want to sail at the Olympics and are good enough you will spend all hours in the gym and on the water almost irrespective of the boat.

Sorry Rick, rather a longer reply than perhaps you were expecting.

Elmo - go sail a Europe. One of my Europe chums was a similar weight to you and shorter and she has kit which still makes her go well.

Sarah,

Given your own experiences would you welcome the change?

regards,

Rick