Demise of the Laser 4000

I am of the age when a lot of the hugely successful and popular Laser 2 fleet I was in, with a very well supported and sponsored circuit, migrated to the L4K. It was the explosion of the skiffs, with Topper ISO etc providing other brand competition. And then sailing in general and all sorts of other life factors played a part in the general downturn and almost extinction. I dont think the L5K had anything to do with its demise - in fact, I thought it provided a "halo" around the L4K. All similar skiffs eventually died in the same way. Some are still around raced by enthusiasts. I thought it a good boat, if a little heavy - but then they all were in those days.

Edited by Chris_H - 01 Jul 20 at 9:08am

Originally posted by Bootscooter Same for me Chris - 110 boats at the Mumbles Europeans, nearly that for the Plymouth Nats in '95..... it was a wonderful time. Nearest modern day equivalent (for attitude, racing and parties) is probably the RS200 now. '95 was the beginning of the end I think, with a significant number of teams jumping ship to the 4K after the Sarasota Worlds, and I guess we all started getting a little older..... I've raced against 4Ks in handicap events and it always looked a good boat, and seems to be sailed by nice people.

We have a few 4k’s still at Rutland. We have had 4K match racing events as well.
As a fleet there was a general loss to the rs 800 And a few to the B14’s when we realised how to sail them in the early 2000’s. LP then stopped building them when the sales fell to replacement levels rather than expansion. The build, like the 5k was heavier than needed, and there was no attempt to update the rigs or racks. I still get in one from time to time, and a revival did happen a few years ago. But with no active builder and an ageing fleet this is only ever going to be an enthusiasts boat.
It was a shame as I found both the 4K and 5k great boats. Yes they were heavier, but the also has more rocker that made them much more rewarding in light winds and also bigger waves than their Bethwaite contemporaries. Clearly though those boats were far superior in normal wind conditions, due to weight and better rigs. They also required more regular replacement, and evolved more proactively when issues became apparent. The Laser way was to use cheaper materials and over engineer everything.
I did wonder if there was a place for them a few years ago. But given the price of their nemesis classes has also fallen for older examples, I feel it will only be a niche class.
We have found that 4ks and also laser 2’s are fantastic cheap boats to coach our youth sailors. We have managed to create a multi class club based structure for them. We have a mixed fleet of 2 handlers they sail, which are based on a subscription usage model. They all have their own single handed too. Parents are also beginning to use these boats, so hopefully improving participation as well. They include fireflies laser 2’s 420’s rs 500’s 29ers and 4ks.
Apart from the 500’s and fireflies (club owned) and 29ers I don't think any of the others cost more than a few hundred pounds.
Only issue now is that covid has apart from household combos meant they are on the beach.
I have discovered that with my daughter, a reluctant 13 year old, the laser 2 has been a revelation. Which given at uni I thought their only real use was as a plant pot was a great surprise.
Many apologies to the laser 2 from years of verbal abuse I gave them

Andy

Apologies for bursting the bubble Sam, but whilst the 4-Tonner has had better attendances than I would have expected (and it always seemed a nice single-trap assy boat), the Fireball results are missing from the Y&Y stats - 26 in 2018 (depressed by the worlds) and 44 in 2019. These push the Laser 4000 down to 4th o/a and 2nd adult boat in 2019.

Can't beat the 4000 for 'bang for buck' in terms of fun.