Who was out this weekend?.....

You're not wrong about the price - but they do have amazing residual so actually good value in the end.

I agree with MerlinBoy on just about every other point.

As for Cherubs or Contenders 'never letting you down', you must never have sailed either in sub-trapezing conditions! There can't be many boats as dull as a Contender on say a light wind run. At least with Lasers you can have the fun of balancing precariously as you run by the lee, engage in tacking duels without looking silly, and sail in fleets nationwide. Cherubs don't fare any better in light winds and although growing, one decent nationals fleet doesn't really constitute a competitive fleet.

£500 for a competative Contender - you are joking! An old plastic Rondar with aluminium spars and clapped out sail might seem ok at club level but it's really not a patch on a wonderful new Bonnezzi with full carbon rig.

You are of course entitled to your opinion - just don't expect to have it unchallenged!

That said, I'd much rather sail a Contender or Cherub once trapezing.

Hey, It's just and opinion. I sail when it's windy! I don't whinge about my PY (1050  ) I don't recall anyone whinging about it, only the people we race against. I didn't want to design a 16 foot skiff, it was just a thought about a 16 foot skiff. I can sail a laser, I sailed a full rig just the other week and I vowed never to sail a laser again. A lot of effort for not much outcome. It just wasn't fun! If I don’t come off the water with a grin from ear to ear, then I have wasted a day on the water. The Cherub is yet to let me down, the Contender never let me down. The laser always seems to let me down. It’s uncomfortable and a bit boring to sail. I had much more fun in a Contender, and it only cost me £500. If I spent 500 on a laser could I be competitive? No. I could with the Contender. They do cost a fortune new though.

Good fleet racing doesn't make a good boat. It makes...well, good racing. I think the laser is popular because it's simple. It's a "what you see is what you get" type of boat.

Anyway, let’s just agree to disagree. I hate lasers, you love them.

PS: We had 27 boats this year. meh....We had a bloody good time though! There were a lot more than 5 competitive boats in the fleet. And if anyone says there wasn't competitive racing then you're just plane wrong. When had a GPS debrief each day and you could see how close it was.

Ross,

Grow up and think about things before you post them!  They are a great boat, i have sailed a lot of dinghy's started out in a topper, then byte, then laser, then,graduate, then national 12, Laser again, solo, phantom, albacore, merlin rocket, OK, International canoe, Boss, International 14 although i still sail the 14 i have chosen to go back into lasers as well because yo just can't beat the fleet!  I mean i could choose to sail a Cherub like you but then, a fleet of 15 boats at the nationals and only 5 competitive ones to me suggests it ain't really a nationals secondly i don't want to winge about racing in handicap racing anymore like you guys who if i remember at a few events i have been to whilst cherubs are there winge if its to light and want a different PY and then if it is blowing old boots don't sail (Except Mr Noyce will and Lucy and perhaps 1 other)  You couldn't design a better boat then the laser, i mean lets be fair you wanted to design a 16 ft skiff now thats hardly going to sell 190,000 now is it! Expensive well you my have a point but they have market leading residual values! and they are only floppy if you don't know what you are looking for when you buy one!  Another thing Laser can build them to weight!  Read a post Rick posted about a month ago! They are the most competitive OLYMPIC class in the world i don't think the Olympic committee would allow one boat 10 kg heavier then another do you ??

I tend to find that the people that sl*g them off most tend to be the people that can't really sail them!

Originally posted by Ross Originally posted by Merlinboy I had my first sail in a Laser for like 10 years and OH MY GOD i ache!!! Thats becasue they're horrid boats. I could design a better boat blindfolded.

I think that the 190000 odd people over the years would disagree there...