Blaze vs Laser Comparison

When I look at the specifications for the Laser versus the Blaze, I am surprised that they appear so close in performance.

The Blaze has a much larger sail with 42% more area,

plus 78% more beam or hiking leverage with those wings,

and a 25 year advantage in sailing science, 

but for all that, it still comes off only marginally (3% by Portsmouth) faster than a Laser.

What gives?

Assuming the PYs are right then presumably performance increase was not the no 1 objective? Ease of attaining performance was perhaps a greater priority?

Originally posted by kurio99 ...a 25 year advantage in sailing science,

Ah well, that's the bit that's confusing you. For whatever my opinion is worth the Laser has a better hull shape.

The Laser does have a very sweet hull shape, and it isn't just the Blaze that has trouble getting too much faster than it. The Supernova, the Solution and many others find that a Laser is hard to beat if sailed well. The rig may be hated by many on here, but it does seem to do the job. The Laser was a big step up in performance from the boats that went before it - Minisail, Bonito for instance, and even boats like the RS300, designed to be a rocket ship, are less than 10% faster.

I haven't run the stats, complete guess work, but it's a forum so perception's reality n' all that... but would it be fair to say that majority of better than average laser sailors aren't arseing around in handicap races very often, whereas the majority of better than average Blaze sailors are part and parcel of their local menagerie... therefore could you argue that returns of the Laser are slightly weighted towards the muppet end of the spectrum? Primary number or not, given the right conditions (which just happen to be prevailing in the UK on inland puddles) and a scrawny fecker steering, the Laser can be a bit of bandit.

As for the trolling re kites and fat boy rigs.... FWIW the Blaze/Halo combo is one of only two dinghies that would tempt me back into racing dinghies again. The original Mk1 toppers were only knaff because of who sold them and the associated stickers plastered all over it, the latest Blazes that showed up at the 2010 Draycote Dash were mint.... one of them with a big rig for the prevailing b**locks wind, well imo, it'd be something worth sailing again.