29er GBR 074 Tynemouth |
J24 (Sail No. 4239) Dartmouth |
Laurent Giles 'Jolly Boat' Exeter |
List classes of boat for sale |
Laser - New Standard Sail and Carbon Top Section |
Post Reply | Page <12345 6> |
Author | |||||
bustinben
Far too distracted from work Joined: 15 Oct 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 288 |
Post Options
Quote Reply
Topic: Laser - New Standard Sail and Carbon Top Section Posted: 14 Nov 11 at 10:29pm |
||||
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).
|
|||||
SoggyBadger
Really should get out more Joined: 26 Oct 10 Location: The Wild Wood Online Status: Offline Posts: 552 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Nov 11 at 10:42pm | ||||
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. Edited by SoggyBadger - 14 Nov 11 at 10:42pm |
|||||
Best wishes from deep in the woods
SB |
|||||
bustinben
Far too distracted from work Joined: 15 Oct 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 288 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 6:55am | ||||
Alas the quality comes from the fact that it's the mens/womens olympic singlehander, so it's up to isaf. Aside from the equipment issue I think it's an excellent boat however. Very easy to sail, but very difficult to sail fast. There is no tuning cheat sheet that will give you boatspeed in a laser. 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... Very rewarding.
|
|||||
rogue
Really should get out more Joined: 04 Dec 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 978 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 8:56am | ||||
corrected that for you... |
|||||
SoggyBadger
Really should get out more Joined: 26 Oct 10 Location: The Wild Wood Online Status: Offline Posts: 552 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 10:20am | ||||
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.
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.
That statement applies to most classes.
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".
There's lots of classes like that. |
|||||
Best wishes from deep in the woods
SB |
|||||
Chris 249
Really should get out more Joined: 10 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2041 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 11:18am | ||||
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? It's a little bit like saying all that we need for world peace is for everyone to be nice to one another. Possible in theory, but not in reality. We can complain about any boat. I've got hulls and gear for five classes (3 development classes, 3 SMODs) and every one of them has something that could be described as a major fault. One of the Development class boats is useless because it's outmoded, another is useless because it's outmoded and the class is dead, a competitive up to date rig in the third will cost me more than a competitive Laser, the stick and sails in one of the SMODs is fragile and more expensive than a Laser, the stick in another SMOD is impossible to break but the whole rig is designed around accepting lower performance in exchange for simplicity. Not one of my classes (or any other class) is perfect, and if another class got 1600 sailors to LIMITED ENTRY world titles we could surely push it to the point where there'd be issues as well. |
|||||
SoggyBadger
Really should get out more Joined: 26 Oct 10 Location: The Wild Wood Online Status: Offline Posts: 552 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 11:53am | ||||
That's your problem. |
|||||
Best wishes from deep in the woods
SB |
|||||
fudheid
Far too distracted from work Joined: 21 Apr 11 Location: 51.53 N 01.28 E Online Status: Offline Posts: 241 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 1:18pm | ||||
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.
It feels like it has an advantage in stronger winds against similar aged originals shape retention in wind was much better than the stretchy 3.8oz dacron (think it was made in polykote for those of a geeky mindset) for interest the chinese manufactured replicas do not seem able to keep up..... might be the bloke sailing tho. I have sailed the laser twice in 5 years and beat some good club sailors with new gear xd kits etc....Its hard to compare with 8-10 lasers all using different kit because of replica sails - even the replicas seem to be different sail to sail IMHO if you want to sail a laser suck eggs and buy the one design its the only way to tell if your better (or getting better). If you think laser charge to much (they do) then change class why are RS so popular?
|
|||||
Cheers you
only me from over the sea...... |
|||||
jeffers
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 1:51pm | ||||
How on earth did you swing that! I have been trying various means to get a couple of prototypes to 'have a go on' since I heard about this!
What sort of shape are they in now and how much use have they had in those 2 years?
|
|||||
Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
|||||
Ruscoe
Really should get out more Joined: 12 Jan 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1514 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Nov 11 at 2:00pm | ||||
The problem is change to what? There is no real alternative in the form of SMOD which offers a chuck rig up and go, leave for years in the dinghy park to rot catagory. RS have steered well clear of a Laser alternative and i would guess they always will, both their hiking single handed options are hardly for the 'Laser style' club racer.
Unless someone is willing to chuck millions at building and designing a class with both the infustructurer and manufacturing of the Laser i can't see it happening, to be honest i just dont think their is enough ROI to make it viable nowerdays.
So like it or lump it i think we are stuck with it. As for new sails and masts, fantastic its about bloody time.
|
|||||
|
|||||
Post Reply | Page <12345 6> |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |