Mugshots....

Originally posted by 49erGBR735HSC we ripped the spinnaker catcher

U mean u ripped the coke bottle.

The fact that we had the spinny and trap when we didn't really have any experiance  using them, wouldn't have made life any more fun. or should i say easier, sailing a boat you can't really handle is fun- untill you break it! worse when it isn't yours!!!!


Edited by 29er397

Yeah, most High Performance boats don't react too well to being set-up badly, it makes a world of difference setting the boat up right. Think the main problem with the 2 is if you are stepping into it from another class, the fact that it has diamond shrouds can be a little bit off-putting and if the previous crew hasn't been adjusting them, the bottle-screws seize up and can be a nightmare to adjust. One thing that really annoyed me was that we snapped one of the shroud attachment plates on the mast and it was a mission to get a new one. Think its a L2 specific part and after many calls and items being returned to the Laser centre we decided to modify the mast by bolting on a holty part.

I'm with Tim, I really like Laser 2s. We refitted our old one with holt and Harken fittings and my only general complaint about the boat is the masts could have done with some improvements. Spent quite a while sailing them and although they were trickyish at times, wouldn't have sailed anything else over that period if I could go back and change classes. The 2 is a real blast when it starts to plain, feels really responsive and I felt I got much more feed back from the helm than in boats like the 505. Initially the boat was aimed to be a mixed crew version of the I14, and takes it's hull lines from a successful Cherub design, so it can't be all bad. The fact that on a good day it can beat 400s, fireballs and even 505s seemed to impress me a bit.

Oh, well with my choice of boats to sail the laser 2 is the heavy and robust alternative! (my other boat is a cherub!) If they've been looked after then i find there isn't much to go wrong with them. In the 3 years that I've sailed them I've lost 2 kite poles but thats only because they stow really poorly and seem to come undone in the worst possible time, and also lost a whole rudder with stock, tiller and extension.... that fell off in a capsize!

In nuclear conditions (eg at the BUSA nationals this year at weymouth, averaging 35knots) they are insane. I was flat wiring on all points of sail, even a 2 sail very broad reach! Upwind was incredible, with 14 stone on the wire we were pointing a good 5 degrees higher than the other 2's and going considerably faster. Think it may have been terminal velocity in a 2! Brilliant!