Laser Dinghy - Advise sought

[Magma5813]

Hi,
I've just acquired a Laser 1 dinghy. It's old, but in almost perfect condition (kept in dry storage and not used for about 20 years!). I'm getting on a bit, but in my younger days used to do a lot of sailing in a variety of classes, but not Laser - it's new to me - so here's my question.... in with all the rig supplied there appears to be no boom included, excuse my ignorance but is this a "boom-free" boat?

 

[IanR]

A laser would be expected to have a boom google laser boom for details

 

[Searush]

Expensive to replace if you buy new from Performance sail craft, but you can get "pattern" ones & used ones off e-bay, or you can buy alloy tube & put the relevant fittings on it.

I suppose you could sail it boomless, especially if you are a little portly & find it hard to duck under a boom only 12" off the deck. Hmm, maybe I should tray that?

 

[William_H]

Laser class is very tightly controlled. So only nominated builders around the world are permitted to sell Lasers or Laser parts. Yes the Laser has a boom.
The Laser comes in 3 classes (maybe more) depending on the sail size. The original full rig. A Radial rig which has a smaller sail area and shorter top mst section and yet a small size sail whose name escapes me. Around here with plenty of summer wind the full rig is pretty hard to amange. My son had one for a season. He reckoned if he capsized 12 times ina race he would give up. He is pretty big and strong.
We had the World Saing Chmapionships here in Fremantle nearly 2 years ago. Laser was one of the contested classes. Mens and womens in full and radial rigs. I was involved in preparing the boats by fitting GPS trackers. I went to help ina big store shed,. There were 280 new Lasers all on trolleys. All contestants had to put their own boats away and race on randomly allocated new boats. The supplier provided a 50% spares of bottom mastand a huige number of top sections and booms as spares. masts do break easily.
It was interesting to see the wold champions sail their Lasers. Very physical they almost seemed to row the boats along. If I rmember rightly ben Ainsly of UK was the fastest.
Though asctually disqualified. I hope i have that name right.
Anyway IMHO a horrible little boat (I saialed my son's boat twice and fell off capsized both times) but with a huge international following but beware if you want to race some of those guys are just so good. good luck olewill

 

[dur]

The small rig is the 4.7 and has a different bottom mast section with a pronounced bend in it. The bottom mast sections should have the gooseneck fitted so if yours doesn't, there is something strange going on!

 

[Skylark]

Anyway IMHO a horrible little boat .........but with a huge international following.......

Couldn't have put it better. A bit like Marmite, I guess, love it or hate it. I suspect it scores "high" to skillful sailors and "low" to the rest of us.

My issues are the low boom....ouch.......and the mainsheet getting caught around the quarter. They also accelerate with blistering speed on a reach and, for me, this usually means that I'm about to go for a swim.

Dinghy sailing is meant to be fun, so I'll stick to something like a Solo. Built for gentlemen.

I hope you enjoy your Laser, sounds like you're found a good one. Ebay will undoubtedly resolve the missing boom issue.

 

[TangaraToo]

OP - where are you based?
I have a spare laser boom which I might be persuaded to part with.
Would have to be collection though as will not post.
I also have a radial rig and an almost new 4.7 rig.
Bought the laser for my son who then discovered the joys of trapeze boats with genakers. Now the laser is far to tame for him so it sits there unloved.

 

[Ruffles]

OP - where are you based?
I have a spare laser boom which I might be persuaded to part with.
Would have to be collection though as will not post.
I also have a radial rig and an almost new 4.7 rig.
Bought the laser for my son who then discovered the joys of trapeze boats with genakers. Now the laser is far to tame for him so it sits there unloved.

4.7 rig would be good fun for coastal sailing for a grown up. The boom sets higher than the standard rig. Does it use a different top mast section? I think the radial sail does...

 

[TangaraToo]

4.7 rig would be good fun for coastal sailing for a grown up. The boom sets higher than the standard rig. Does it use a different top mast section? I think the radial sail does...

No, all three rigs use the same mast top section. It's the bottom section that changes with rig.

 

[markhomer]

And 4.7 rig is meant for chidren ,in competition with the topper . Unless your a partucularily small adult or want to sail in a force 7 (which a well sailed full rig can cope with ) forget it .

Enjoy your laser , they are great boats despite the slagging they get , ever notice anything that is widely successful is applauded with disdain , hobie cats too despite being worst cat in the world "are also the most numerous .

Rooster , do a variety of laser spares from fittings to spars , sails etc all at very good prices , well tried and tested , the evem do an extended rig the rooster 8.1 for the more portly adults ,or those wishing more than the standard rig in light winds


Aftrr a few sails you will find your falling out the boat on reaches will dissapear and boat a delight to sail

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

Best value boat I've ever had! Bought for £375 in 1979, sailed for about 2 times a week for just under 21 years, and sold for £400.00! Had just 2 secondhand sails in all that time and the youngster who bought her off me finished 3rd. in an Open Meeting a week later.

 

[Greenheart]

Funny how the Laser polarizes attitudes. I sailed a Topper in the '80s & I envied anybody with a Laser. They were faster, the boat was bigger and looked so much cooler...

...the fact that the Topper & Laser are of a type - simple, car-toppable designs with unstayed masts, sleeved sails & daggerboards didn't stop them being very different.

Now that I have a much bigger dinghy with a relatively complex (but conventional) rig & pivoting centreboard, any design which obliges the user to hike, not trapeze, and responds to shallow water with a shuddering halt rather than an undamaging swing-up of the board, and which doesn't allow the crew to hoist and lower sails...none of that appeals at all.

I'm routinely wrong-footed by the size and power of the Osprey (I know it was a mad choice for one who like to sail alone) and sometimes I wish I had a singlehander again...but however broad the Laser's popularity and in spite of its Olympic status, I don't personally go for its super-simplicity. I'd prefer a slower conventional singlehander like a Europe...

View attachment 36235

...but I think criticism of the Laser isn't all fair. They're exciting and not difficult to own or sail. Youtube Laser footage must help to propagate the species... http://ow.ly/q3STg

 

[Leighb]

When you do get the necessary boom, make sure when you rig it that the mainsheet is threaded through the loops provided on the underside of the boom. If you forget you tend to garotte yourself every time you tack.

Guess how I know that.

 

[Iain C]

Guys, really, honestly, the Laser is not fast. It's an overpriced, badly engineered, badly marketed little chopped strand polyester snot box that is in complete contradiction to it's alleged "one design" status, and that's before we open the whole manufacturing rights/Kirby Torch can of worms. Granted, they may have been fast in the '70s when we were all wearing wooly sailing kit and spending most of the season varnishing, but hey, an MGB was fast in the '70s. They are popular but they undoubtedly offer excellent close fleet racing...on a Wednesday night at Draycote there will be more than 20 out for a club race which is more than the whole asymmetric fleet at many summer regattas, and that is what you buy into when you buy a Laser. A Supernova is an absolute revelation by comparison.

Dan, your second picture isn't a Laser. It's a Starling, with foils fitted.

 

[Bobc]

Guys, really, honestly, the Laser is not fast. It's an overpriced, badly engineered, badly marketed little chopped strand polyester snot box.

Very eloquently put Iain! But I will bring you up on one point. It was very well marketed. That's why it became so popular (certainly not for any other reason).

Hateful boats...

 

[maxi77]

Guys, really, honestly, the Laser is not fast. It's an overpriced, badly engineered, badly marketed little chopped strand polyester snot box that is in complete contradiction to it's alleged "one design" status, and that's before we open the whole manufacturing rights/Kirby Torch can of worms. Granted, they may have been fast in the '70s when we were all wearing wooly sailing kit and spending most of the season varnishing, but hey, an MGB was fast in the '70s. They are popular but they undoubtedly offer excellent close fleet racing...on a Wednesday night at Draycote there will be more than 20 out for a club race which is more than the whole asymmetric fleet at many summer regattas, and that is what you buy into when you buy a Laser. A Supernova is an absolute revelation by comparison.

Dan, your second picture isn't a Laser. It's a Starling, with foils fitted.

I tend to agree the laser was designed as a beach boat not a one design racer and the poor quality of much of the one design controlled parts was always an unnecessary drain on the sailors pocket. Having said that it did provide good level class racing for thousands, yes there are faster singlehanders around today but the otherday I met an old sailing chum rigging a laser, now he had been Contender world champion and still races a skiff but told me he was having great fun with the laser. So despite it's shortcomings it fills slot in the fleet

 

[merlin3688]

OP - where are you based?
I have a spare laser boom which I might be persuaded to part with.
Would have to be collection though as will not post.
I also have a radial rig and an almost new 4.7 rig.
Bought the laser for my son who then discovered the joys of trapeze boats with genakers. Now the laser is far to tame for him so it sits there unloved.

Looking for a Radial rig if you want to sell, kids only have a full rig which is to much for them in any breeze! Happy to part with cash or can supply rigging or Spinnaker poles etc! Away until the first week in November but can pick up emails.

 

[Ruffles]

Looking for a Radial rig if you want to sell, kids only have a full rig which is to much for them in any breeze! Happy to part with cash or can supply rigging or Spinnaker poles etc! Away until the first week in November but can pick up emails.

Kids would be better with the 4.7. From memory the radial tends to get baggy in a breeze.

I was told that in strong winds the 4.7 was faster than the standard rig as it set flatter.

 

[merlin3688]

Yes realise that but kids (Twins) are 17! Had a 4.7 rig before but never used it, club tends to race with either full rig or radial (Brightlingsea)

Kids would be better with the 4.7. From memory the radial tends to get baggy in a breeze.

I was told that in strong winds the 4.7 was faster than the standard rig as it set flatter.

 

[Greenheart]

Dan, your second picture isn't a Laser. It's a Starling, with foils fitted.

Hmm, I had intended to show a Europe, and eventually I edited it...but I forgot how to get rid of the previous thumbnail I'd used. I'll see if I can delete it from my attachments...

...sorted it.