My brother has just sold his byte and is looking to get a laser radial, he`s got about £1500 - £2000 can he get anything decent for this price? are there any specific laser traits to look out for?

Forgot to mention the boat must be competitive as possible as it will be used for racing

Many thanks

Paul

I've never owned a Laser myself but I'm told the hole in the deck the mast goes into is a weak point, especially right at the bottom.

Also, not sure if Radials are different, but standard Laser sails don't last in top racing condition very long, so a boat with a recent sail would be worth paying a little extra for.

The mast post is certainly an area to be checked carefully. The older Lasers, sail numbers pre 100000 had a plywood block securing the base of the mast post.  In time, this plywood can rot, the mast post fail and the deck of the boat will rip out.  However there are things that can be done to secure this block before failure occurs.  The Laser Centre or other reputable repairers will know what to look for and can advise.

The other problem with the mast post can occur (in boats of any age) if sand dirt and other grit is allowed to accumulate in the mast post.  When you sail, this grit will grind the base away, resulting in a hole at the bottom of the mast post and ultimate failure of the deck.

For the budget, you should be able to buy a reasonable boat and still have some money left over to upgrade to a new sail and remain competative.  There are a number of boats listed in the classified section of the Y&Y site - http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/classifieds/?s=102&category=4&SearchText=laser&MinPrice=&MaxPrice= - Click here for some examples . 

Thanks for all the help, ive had a look on the classifieds sections, is it worth going for as high a sail number as i can afford and then upgrade with time?

I didnt realise boats pre 100000 had potential problems with the hole in the deck, are there any other problems with the decks to look out for on newer boats? Is the mast prone to bending?

Sorry for the twenty questions but ive never owned a laser before

Essestially you are right, get the newest boat you can for the money, but consider the use it has had.  Some very new cheap boats will have been sailed hard, a slightly older one may actually be in better condition.  Also consider how many rigs you want, and look at the condition of the sail. 

Speak to people you know who have bought lasers second hand, take someone who really knows the boat with you if you can when you look at a boat.  Also rememebr that just because you have gone to see a boat you do not have to buy it.  Be prepared to say no, and dont for get to haggle, people always advertise boats for more than they expext to get!!

hope this helps

For £2300 you can get a top notch radial with XD carbon knobs on.

Maybe better to get a slightly cheaper one and get a new sail to go with.

Spend less than £2k and you get something good to practice in but it won't win anything.  Old lasers are slow, old sails are slower and racers always have expensive new kit ("one design" maybe, "one budget" not).

Some people get a new sail twice a year - so a fairly recent numbered (170600+) used but hardly worn sail (about £300 from rooster) is not a bad thing to get.  Laser's new sails being horribly overpriced.

Im sorry but i totally disagree with that, my laser is number 80841 and i find i can stay at the front of the fleet quite easily. 

If i was racing internationally then maby a newer boat would go better but for club and open meeting racing iv never had a problem.

old boats are very slow in the laser fleet as if they have been kept outside they lose thier stiffness and are very slow in waves. Yes the masts bend but every boat in the fleet has this problem when i was racing mine i bent the top section every time i sailed you just bend it back again when you get off the water. Ideally you want a boat sail number post 170000. you should be able to get a good one in this age range with all the xd kit and carbon tiller/ extension try and get a kiwi carbon tiller if you can instead of a rooser or laser centre one as they are far better. Rooster carbon extensions are the best.

Hope this helps

I know someone who, when he was in the Laser national ranking top-10, was getting a new sail every few weeks. He was fortunate enough to have a sponsor to pay for them.

So how did you do in the nationals? The guy I'm talking about was in the top half-dozen in the Laser national rankings for a while. I'm not being argumentative: I'm genuinely interested in whether spending on sails at the level he was doing makes a difference at the front of a nationals-level fleet. He certainly thought it was neccesary.

Steve's a great guy. Any idea how old the sail was? I also have a feeling Radial sails last longer than the standard ones, which really are an awful ancient design.

at club level the age of baot shouldn't make too much difference,

my radial (182618) has all the XD do-dars its so much better then the old rig set up, especially be as light n small as i am, i can de-power the rig fine, with my old boat (144679) i had the old riggin, n it was not a touch on this one for ease of handeling and de-powering  

Thanks for all the help, we now have a laser, only been sailed three times with full and radial rigs and all the gear (but not xd).  It has a relativly old sail number 160,000ish but due to it not being used is ideal, just need the XD kit now

Paul

You guys who win laser races in old boats and ragged sails are spoiling it for the rest of us.

Come on now, leave all us old blokes in tatty boats some excuse for loosing!!!!

Of course it's the kit, nothing at all to do with too many glasses of wine on Friday night or a complete lack of training, it's the sail number (129???) that's the problem.