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Laser radial sail price
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Laser radial sail price
    Posted: 18 Apr 17 at 9:40pm
I'm guessing most people who buy a 20 plus year old Laser aren't really buying into the Laser dream, they are simply buying an old boat to race against their mates. If the sail is knackered, they have 4 choices. Live with it, buy new, buy secondhand or buy a replica. Given the reputation Laser sails have for getting knackered quickly, it isn't surprising many opt for replicas.

Edited by Rupert - 18 Apr 17 at 9:40pm
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Eisvogel View Drop Down
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Posts: 135 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Eisvogel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 9:03am
Exactly. I bought an old Laser for less than the cost of a Laser sail, to have a fallback if I can't find a crew for my Ent. I haven't got any prospect of getting "into the chocolates" at our club races with it, and frankly, I don't care about that. 

The boat came with two old sails, and, they're probably old and knackered compared to a new one, but am I really going to spend that amount of money on a new one? It's a hobby, not a profession, so: no. If my sails are beyond use, I'll either get a second-hand one, or, indeed, a replica one.

I think I'm at one of the two clubs Paramedic mentioned above, just wondering which one... :)
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sixlasers View Drop Down
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Posts: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Quote sixlasers Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 9:10am
I was happy to pay the £394.95. It was the 37% price hike I was objecting too. I havent been able to find out or understand why this increase happened. As far as I am aware no other sailmakers have raised prices to this extent.
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Sam.Spoons View Drop Down
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Posts: 3401 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Sam.Spoons Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 10:16am
North Blaze sails went from £760 to £895 overnight recently, thats 18%, almost exactly corresponds to changes in the Dollar/Pound exchange rate at the time.
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PeterG View Drop Down
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Posts: 822 		Post Options Post Options   Quote PeterG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 1:01pm
I was happy to pay the £394.95. It was the 37% price hike I was objecting too. I havent been able to find out or understand why this increase happened.

Some is clearly down to exchange rate - and I don't think anyone can complain about that.

However, the increase is about twice the exchange rate difference. Purple Marine are still selling Mk1 full rig sails for £378, and Mk2 full rig for £540. The Mk1 Radial is now £540 too. So it seems that Laser have increased the price, above exchange rate issues, for the Mk2 sail - which is probably reasonable as it has involved development costs, probably is more expensive to make, and should last longer. However, they appear to have also decided to jack up the price for the old, unmodified Radial sail at the same time by the same amount.

It's the same sort of over charging and lack of respect for customers that has been strengthening the market for replica Laser sails for years. 
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fudheid View Drop Down
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Posts: 241 		Post Options Post Options   Quote fudheid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 1:41pm
yes, the business model is to buy them from a rather large sail factory in the fareast.....where the labour part of the model is not earning UK minimum wage.
if you actually asked a uk sailmaker and i mean  a sailmaker who actually physically makes sails and not one who orders a sail to be made for them in another country, to make a radial sail that they design, cut and stitch together do you think it would still be significantly cheaper than £549??
likewise a crosscut dacron sail the materials cost the same pretty much wherever you are in the world so a £200 sail is saving on labour costs mostly (some of the replicas i have seen use a cheaper cloth).
the unfortunate fact regarding the laser sail is that it is made in warehouses with cheap labour. Buying a replica is supporting no one really but large industrial sailmakers and forcing smaller sailmakers to cut their profits to compete against huge multinational sailmakers.
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Posts: 3011 		Post Options Post Options   Quote RS400atC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 1:42pm
Retail in the US&A is just over $600.
Take off about 10% sales tax, divide by 1.25 ish for exchange, add 20% VAT, that gives you about the number Laser first thought of.
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blueboy View Drop Down
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Posts: 512 		Post Options Post Options   Quote blueboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 2:16pm
Originally posted by fudheid

Buying a replica is supporting no one really but large industrial sailmakers and forcing smaller sailmakers to cut their profits to compete against huge multinational sailmakers.


Sorry but I can't see the relevance of your argument. Neither replicas nor "genuine" Laser sails are made by small sailmakers.
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Paramedic View Drop Down
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Posts: 929 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Paramedic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 3:39pm
Has anyone checked to see how much the replicas have gone up by?

They will have done, as cloth prices have increased 


Edited by Paramedic - 19 Apr 17 at 3:40pm
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Eisvogel View Drop Down
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Posts: 135 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Eisvogel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Apr 17 at 3:56pm
A Rooster (Sailing Solutions) Laser Standard Mk2 (Radial cut) is £210. Radial is £185, 4.7 is £175.
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