Laser - New Standard Sail and Carbon Top Section

Everyone knows it - but there's nothing else that offers the same quality of racing so people put up with it I guess (me included).

Originally posted by SoggyBadger Originally posted by bustinben Everyone knows it - but there's nothing else that offers the same quality of racing so people put up with it I guess (me included). The quality of racing depends more on the people than the equipment. If you all moved en mass from the Laser to another class which has better build quality you'd still get the same standard of racing as you'd take the quality with you.

Originally posted by bustinben Alas the quality comes from the fact that it's the mens/womens olympic singlehander, so it's up to isaf.

Ah yes the Olympics. A politically-driven 5-ring circus held every 4 years to test which country has the most advanced drug test cheating technology.

Originally posted by bustinben Aside from the equipment issue I think it's an excellent boat however.

They must have changed a lot since I last sailed one about 20 years ago then. I found it an insipdly dull, charmless little tub.

Originally posted by bustinben Very easy to sail,  but very difficult to sail fast.

That statement applies to most classes.

Originally posted by bustinben There is no tuning cheat sheet that will give you boatspeed in a laser.

There's no tuning "cheat sheet" that will give you boatspeed in any other class either. When you look at the number of DVDs and books about the techniques of sailing Lasers and compare that to a few sentences about mast rake and spreader deflection which is about all you'll find for most classes (if you're lucky) then it's obvious that the Laser has a whole library of "cheat sheets".

Originally posted by bustinben It's also slow enough to make downwind wavesailing extremely interesting.  Most of the time your boat wants to be going slightly slower than the waves, but if you can get it to jump on the escalator, and then start skipping down the steps... Smile  Very rewarding.

There's lots of classes like that.

Originally posted by Chris 249 And exactly how are 45 people (in my club alone) going to all en masse find ready buyers for their boats (at the same time that every other Laser sailor in the world is selling their boat) and then go out and buy another OD?

That's your problem.

Originally posted by fudheid Felixstowe ferry have got a hyde sails prototype for the laser (infact they have got 2 both different) they are the same panel layout as the photo they have been used by the club lasers (for any club memebers use) for two years now i think.