The Laser is no more !

[Neil_Y]

Still racing 70649 occasionally, but as a single handed boat an RS600 is way more fun until I can afford a Moth.

 

[lw395]

Still racing 70649 occasionally, but as a single handed boat an RS600 is way more fun until I can afford a Moth.

Must be why they've sold nearly as many RS600s in twenty years as an average month of Laser sales.

 

[Seajet]

The Laser wasn't / isn't exactly faultless, countless people I know have been flipped downwind in multiple capsize recovery attempts - even worse, it let my ex FIL survive this

It is however alongside the Mirror as the the ultimate handy boat, with proper ( not nutter ) performance - not for me, ( when I had to go for a singlehander I went for a Contender, a great disappointment ) but for huge numbers of people.

They screwed up when getting greedy ' let's add this rig, this option, and so on ' - destroying the ' One Design ' ethos; it takes a special kind of corporate greedy idiocy to knobble a world brand leader already in ones' hand.

 

[lw395]

The Laser wasn't / isn't exactly faultless, countless people I know have been flipped downwind in multiple capsize recovery attempts - even worse, it let my ex FIL survive this

It is however alongside the Mirror as the the ultimate handy boat, with proper ( not nutter ) performance - not for me, ( when I had to go for a singlehander I went for a Contender, a great disappointment ) but for huge numbers of people.

They screwed up when getting greedy ' let's add this rig, this option, and so on ' - destroying the ' One Design ' ethos; it takes a special kind of corporate greedy idiocy to knobble a world brand leader already in ones' hand.

It's still selling 6000 boats a year.
It has not just olympic status, but worlds, masters, club racing, and teaching roles.
If that's 'knobbled' what are all the alternatives that sell a fraction of the boats, turnout for a fraction of the races in the PY returns and have a tiny fraction of the grass roots of affordable secondhand boats.

The needs of the manufacturers, class association, World Sailing, individual owners and the Olympic Authority don't exactly coincide. Then there's the ongoing disputes about the design rights. It's complex.

In my view, it's a deeply flawed boat, but all the wannabe alternatives tend to cost more, deliver less and have worse shortcomings.
Of course if you've got a nice bunch of Finns/Solos/Moths/whatever to enjoy racing against, go for it.

 

[rwoofer]

Well the single handed Olympic Equipement Evaluation results are in and the RS Aero beat the Laser by a considerable margin. Let's hope this UK designed and built boat can win the final selection and challenge the Laser numbers.

 

[Seajet]

Quite, it shall always be a Laser secondhand, but the brand does seem to be ' knobbled '.

Personally I'd go for an RS 600 - or foiler Moth if I regained enough fitness ! - unless I had a blue water cruiser able to carry an original Laser on deck.

 

[rwoofer]

Quite, it shall always be a Laser secondhand, but the brand does seem to be ' knobbled '.

Personally I'd go for an RS 600 - or foiler Moth if I regained enough fitness ! - unless I had a blue water cruiser able to carry an original Laser on deck.

Probably the two most difficult dinghies to sail (along with the IC) and the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

One of the reasons the RS600 is so difficult is that it has vices, principally not enough bouyancy in the stern. There was a reason the spinnaker version, the RS700 is a completely different design.

 

[Seajet]

rwoofer,

thanks, that's worth knowing - though I haven't researched as I'm not in the market right now.

I was very disappointed with the Contender as despite what the class association say it has a great propensity to staying inverted...

I'm not into racing, just fast interesting boats - have always fancied an International Canoe, I know a lot of the guys from those moved to Foiler Moths.

As a sideline, it's interesting how the people in these fast difficult boats are never a bother to anyone, very professional; while traditional keelboats are likely as not to put a hole in ones' side if one doesn't clear out of their way - arrogance versus competence...

 

[johnalison]

As a sideline, it's interesting how the people in these fast difficult boats are never a bother to anyone, very professional; while traditional keelboats are likely as not to put a hole in ones' side if one doesn't clear out of their way - arrogance versus competence...

I have never raced anything more exciting than a Firefly but I agree. I have great respect for those that I see out racing these impossible boats in all weathers and I can't think of any occasions when I have felt inconvenienced by them, and I hope they can say the same about me, though one chap in a Sprite off Ramsgate seemed to think that I would have had a copy of his race instructions for a course laid across the main fairway.

 

[dunedin]

Well the single handed Olympic Equipement Evaluation results are in and the RS Aero beat the Laser by a considerable margin. Let's hope this UK designed and built boat can win the final selection and challenge the Laser numbers.

The RS Aero is a good boat. As you would expect with one launched 5 years ago as opposed to 50 years ago (Laser launched 1969).
But it is not yet a certainty that the RS Aero will get the nod for Olympic selection. More steps to go.

The Laser class is by a long way the most successful Olympic sailing class in terms of getting participation from the widest range of countries. And wide country participation is critical to the wider IOC permitting sailing to continue as an Olympic sport.
Newer and more expensive classes such as 49er/49erFX are great spectacle. But the fleets are often half the size or less, as many countries do not have the funding and existing fleets of boats to compete in these classes.
But almost everywhere in the globe has a fleet of Lasers, new and old, allowing sailors to learn to sail them, and compete against local competition, developing the skills to start on international competitions.
It would take decades for any new class to build up these global fleets, and many less well off Member Nations simply could not afford to. They will probably get out voted by the big well funded nations, but that would be a shame. The Laser isn’t a perfect boat, but it provides the closest and widest Olympic sailing competition, and with all boats supplied for the event, it is pure sailing ability not size of wallet.

 

[lw395]

When it comes to competing at a serious level, the price of swapping from Laser to something else is a bit of a detail.
Chap in my club has a son who sails in the 29er class. Not a cheap boat but by far the biggest expenses are motoring to the various events and accomodation. 3 grand a yerar on sails, a couple of gand for boat depreciation. 10 serious UK events a year at £100 in fuel, £80 in entry fees, £150 in B&B, then a couple of trips to Garda or Medemblik or whatever at £XXXX
Still looks value compared to Cowes week?
Sport ain't cheap, even park runs cost one way or another.

The Olympic laserists and club laserist are totally different people. That's not a problem, it's just the way it is. The Laser 'phenomenon' operates on several levels. I don't like the boat much, but I enjoy the racing of it. At my own mickey mouse club level among unfit beer-sodden amateurs.

 

[dunedin]

I

When it comes to competing at a serious level, the price of swapping from Laser to something else is a bit of a detail.

For an individual U.K. sailor perhaps (and having funded a junior sailor through from first sail to international events in NZ etc I know the campaign costs).

But regarding the Olympic boat choice, for a nation to compete it needs tens or ideally hundreds of boats to create local and national competitions to develop and find new sailors. Changing this would take decades in many countries - particularly Africa, Asia etc. That’s why so few nations outside the richly funded ones race the 29er and 49ers, great boats that these are.

 

[Neil_Y]

Quite, it shall always be a Laser secondhand, but the brand does seem to be ' knobbled '.

Personally I'd go for an RS 600 - or foiler Moth if I regained enough fitness ! - unless I had a blue water cruiser able to carry an original Laser on deck.

My laser cost £1,000 and can sometimes get up the front of the local fleet https://youtu.be/FyyVFY2dNNI
RS600 cost £1,000, I14 Cost £2,000.....Moth cost, all of these and more. As a fleet boat the Laser is great as you always get a few in every club race and in Plymouth a few years back we had over 70 entered in a winter series. There is a bit of a 600 resurgence it seems and even a new sail design. Here in Sweden it's all about olympic classes and training sessions rather than fun handicap races.

 

[dunedin]

The RS Aero is a good boat. As you would expect with one launched 5 years ago as opposed to 50 years ago (Laser launched 1969).
But it is not yet a certainty that the RS Aero will get the nod for Olympic selection. More steps to go.

The Laser class is by a long way the most successful Olympic sailing class in terms of getting participation from the widest range of countries. And wide country participation is critical to the wider IOC permitting sailing to continue as an Olympic sport.
Newer and more expensive classes such as 49er/49erFX are great spectacle. But the fleets are often half the size or less, as many countries do not have the funding and existing fleets of boats to compete in these classes.
But almost everywhere in the globe has a fleet of Lasers, new and old, allowing sailors to learn to sail them, and compete against local competition, developing the skills to start on international competitions.
It would take decades for any new class to build up these global fleets, and many less well off Member Nations simply could not afford to. They will probably get out voted by the big well funded nations, but that would be a shame. The Laser isn’t a perfect boat, but it provides the closest and widest Olympic sailing competition, and with all boats supplied for the event, it is pure sailing ability not size of wallet.

As I suspected, the Laser/ICLA (whatever it is now called) was re-selected ahead of the RS Aero for the 2024 Olympics by 36 votes to 5 - subject to agreeing suitable commercial contracts.
No reasons are published, but I expect this will be due to the reasons given above — existing fleets across the globe.
https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/217618/Paris-2024-decisions-made