ILCA drop LPE as a builder

Originally posted by Daniel Holman Graeme - some of your points are valid but re resin, the construction manual will mandate how much in weight finds its way into the part. Even if you have surplus which will depend on temperature, which will likely be controlled. Further, the motivation for all of this skulduggery just doesn’t exist in the laser class, as the biggest prizes in laser sailing, ie the laser worlds and olympics, are sailed in a supplied fleet of boats straight from the (same!) factory. You get what you’re given. I dare say that a so motivated individual could cheat, but who remembers who won Kiel week or Hyères or spa (Holland regatta) in 1996? Who cares? We know who won laser worlds and olympics In 1996. End of the day it’s usually the same person anYway most years. Biggest relative boatspeed differences ive ever seen have been in lasers, and it’s all down to technique.

Dan, with the best will in the world, and I have nothing but the greatest respect for you and your background, education etc etc, but, you'll have to grant me the benefit of years.. Now I'll admit I know not a lot, nor have visited the latter day build facilities of the Laser, but lets face it, it's GRP 'bucket and chuck it' yes it might get measured, it might even get sprayed by robot, but warm works better than cold, just as not humid works better than humid and just as a Tuesday Boat might be better than a Friday afternoon boat in making sure all the excess is either vac bagged or rollered out. I recall a locally built class that I shall not name because the builder is still around, where for a small consideration you could get a Saturday morning light special. Factory workers are human, humans are what they are... No One Design is immune from them by accident or design.

Well I tend to agree re spars, I'm convinced our bloke in the Laser in the 2012 Olympics had a duff top section in the events I watched.

But we're off topic, and my opinion re the ILCA acting above themselves remains, there must have been all manner of bollox down the years, why now do they suddenly decide to be all self righteous and to target just one 'offender' at the end of the day you can bet your life it'll be just down to personalities and there'll be the odd agenda being self served, not that I care a tinkers cuss for it all, but nothing positive for the sport as a whole will come of it, that you can be sure of.


Edited by iGRF - 02 May 19 at 3:07pm

Are the boats currently racing at Hyeres the ILCA or Laser class? I think ILCA have ben deliberately vague in an attempt to have their cake and eat it - seemingly changing the name of new boats but not the class name itself. The reports all refer to them as Lasers.

All existing Lasers are still Lasers.
Existing Lasers who join ILCA can also be called ILCAs - a sort of dual nationality thing. When raced in an ILCA event they presumably should therefore be called ILCAs, but Hyeres reports still refer to them as Lasers.
All new LP built Lasers will be Lasers but cannot be ILCAs.
All new PSA/J built ILCAs will be ILCAs and could be, but probably will not be, Lasers.

I wonder too whether this gives LP the opportunity to introduce the carbon ARC rig without having to get it through ILCA and WS etc. Just speculating...

Yes that is a very good point as providing charter boats with no plaque is rather pointless as they won't be eligible to compete!