Are Lasers worth the money?

   I'm new to the sport and thought that a laser would suit my needs initially, particularly with the sail options allowing me to get used to the boat with a radial rig before going to a full size rig. What I am staggered about though is the cost for decent used boat. Thirty year old lasers are fetching over 700 quid. My question really is this. For my budget of £750 does a laser represent the best overall buy or is there something else I should consider. I accept at 38 and 15st I'm not going to win any races but then again with so little experience I could be half the age and half the weight and I still wouldnt win any races. 

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lucky Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 19 Sep 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Post Options Post Reply Quote lucky Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Are Lasers worth the money? Posted: 13 Jun 07 at 10:31pm
	I'm new to the sport and thought that a laser would suit my needs initially, particularly with the sail options allowing me to get used to the boat with a radial rig before going to a full size rig. What I am staggered about though is the cost for decent used boat. Thirty year old lasers are fetching over 700 quid. My question really is this. For my budget of £750 does a laser represent the best overall buy or is there something else I should consider. I accept at 38 and 15st I'm not going to win any races but then again with so little experience I could be half the age and half the weight and I still wouldnt win any races.

Merlinboy Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 03 Jul 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3169	Post Options Post Reply Quote Merlinboy Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jun 07 at 10:47pm
	Short Answer is NO, but you dont loose money on them !

Guests Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 12:23am
	in my experience of lasers only buy one you want to race against boats of the same class and not have to travel halfway across the country to get to the nearest race. Also watch out on some of the old lasers i think they have a tendency of the back falling off

les5269 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 11 Oct 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1530	Post Options Post Reply Quote les5269 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 6:19am
	I know of a really good one for sale for £350!
	49er 531 & 5000 5025 and a mirror(now gone to mirror heaven)! Grafham water Sailing Club The greatest inland sailing in the country

Rupert Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rupert Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 8:57am
	Lasers are a good "don't have to worry about what I do to it" boat with the advantage of a strong resale value. They get slged off on this forum, but they were designed as an easy to sail beach boat and they do that very well indeed. There are plenty of cheaper boats out there, but with a Laser you know you will be able to sell it very quickly, and, so long as you don't pay over the odds to begin with, you won't loose any money. Look for one with a decent sail, as replacing the sail is one of the pricer bits of Laser ownership, and you never get the same money back when selling the whole thing. Also look for a soft cockpit floor, the decks splitting away from the hull and large gouges in the gelcoat on the bottom. Then go look at another if you find any of those things, and don't want a "project"!
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

WildWood Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 14 Nov 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 136	Post Options Post Reply Quote WildWood Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 8:59am
	To be fair they are pretty tough boats and can cope with a lot of abuse. If it comes with a trolley, covers and all the bits you need and the hull is sound, then 700 quid is pretty good value. You can transport them on the roof of a car so a combi isn't essential, spare parts are relatively cheap and there isn't that much can go wrong anyway. They are also pretty good fun to sail (although they seem to get a sl*gging on this forum!) - they wouldn't be as popular as they are if they weren't fun.

Late starter Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Feb 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 481	Post Options Post Reply Quote Late starter Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 10:31am
	IMHO you're unlikely to do better than a Laser for your budget. I'd question if you need to spend £700 on a 30 year old example, but I guess it depends on the condition/how much kit it comes with. A bloke at my club has just bought a 40,000 sail number boat for £350, and while it doesn't have the latest control lines (or a decent sail for that matter) it seems sound, water tight, and has got him on the water racing at club level. Add a £200 Rooster replica sail (if your club allows this) and you could have a reasonable club spec boat for very modest money. At 15st you're probably a little heavy for a Laser, but if you look at what the alternatives are that carry weight better (eg Phantom) than £700 is likely to buy you a wooden shed thats miles off the pace of modern spec boats.

jeffers Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048	Post Options Post Reply Quote jeffers Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 10:39am
	A cheap Solo would also be an option. They carry weight much better than the Laser. The Phantom has already been mentioned adn they are talking about getting a 'classic' fleet going for the wooden boats with tin rigs so the older boats might be worth snapping up if they are in good nick. Regards, Paul
	Paul ---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74

Laser 173312 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 08 May 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 416	Post Options Post Reply Quote Laser 173312 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 11:03am
	You can't really go wrong with a Laser. Every club sails them and you'll find plenty of people to help you. If your going to get a second hand one, ask an experienced laser sailor to come and look at the boat before you buy. They will know where to check for damage and soft spots on the boat. Thing to look for are Don't buy a boat that has been painted Check under the hull at the rear of the center plate slot. If there is a crack don't buy the boat. Check the rear of the mast step for wear. If you can see the fiber glass don't buy Check all the fittings are solid on the boat and that they haven't been replaced with a none standard fitting. I got caught on this when I bought my first Laser. Finally take the rear bung out of the transom and see if any water comes out. Any more that the smallest trickle probably inticates a leak. Good luck

Chris 249 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 10 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2041	Post Options Post Reply Quote Chris 249 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 07 at 12:36pm
	You've got the right attitude from the start, by admitting that it's your lack of skill that's the problem. With that attitude,you can pick up the skill later. You're 10kg heavier than the world champ in your age division, Brett Beyer. It's a fair bit of weight, but then he regularly beats the top North American sailor (who is a full-time sailor, unlike Brett) and when he was even heavier he could beat the world Open champ in light winds. A 30 year old boat can be effectively fully competitive against the world's best in your age division, so the boat is no problem if it's okay for its age. Jeffers. what's the top competitive weight for a Solo? Of course, i suppose we have to factor in hte fact that no national class will be as competitive as an Olympic class and that changes what you mean by "competitive". PS While the original request for the Laser design was for a "beach boat", that request was made by an I-14 champ to an I-14 champ designer and the rig was created by an Olympic silver medallist. In its first regatta, the Laser tied with a hull designed by the man who created the boat that was the world's fastest dinghy - not a bad performance for a prototype. Being the sailors that they were, the trio behind the class couldn't help but "interfere" with the basic beach-boat concept and they created a very simple but very efficient boat - just like the Kirby/Bruce Int 14s were very simple but very efficient. So while it WAS commissioned as a beach boat, it never really was a pure hack. And look at other comparable boats - the Finn, for example, started out as a hairdresser's cruiser-racer. The OK was a cheap trainer designed around cast-off mainsails from a boat like a Snipe. The Europe was a "failed" Moth. But they are all great boats!