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Older laser construction


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Hi, im 15 and looking to get an older laser to start doing a bit of club racing and summer sailing. I do a bit of sailing but its time I started getting my skills up, so I thought a cheap 70s or 80s laser that i could get at a good price which may need some repairs and maybe a new sail would be a good start.

I would just like to know if there is any real constuction and performance draw backs in an older boat asuming its in good condition? Anything else I should know?

Cheeres :D

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Get the lates boat (highest sail number) you can afford, fiberglass hulls get "soft" if they are sailed hard or as they get older, you can normally use roster sails for club racing they are a bit cheaper than the class sails

 

But most of all have fun lasers are one of the better one man mass production boats :thumbup:

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We bought one of the older lasers late last year. She had been really well looked after, and the hull is still sound.

 

Depends on the boat.

 

M

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Higher the sail no. the better for re-sale

Any inspection ports it's probably had a leak

as w44 mentioned some hulls do get soft so don't be afraind to give them a good push, especially where they rest on the cradle.

check the deck as well,

while they are a production boat many produced during a world champs are likely to be soft or have prob's and would not recommend.

if your serious check the mast rake, they do differ.

rooster gear is good and affordable, although the laser price has dropped of late

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what they said,

 

Lasers are great and dont worry if your budget means you need to get an older one. as long as it not soft it will be fine.

 

Just make sure it has a turbo kit or budget $800 to get one.

 

As for build differences my older 135nnn boat was better finished inside than my newer one (186nnn), the newer one had a lot of rough glass edges on all joins, no difference to sailing performance tho. It sails exactly the same.

 

Great thing about one design is if you sail well you will do well.

Even in an old boat/gear.

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at manly, I know of atleast one boat, sail no is something like 91*** , not even in the hundred thousands, he whips everyones butts! if you get a good stiff hull, you will still be competitive with boats in the 18**** or 19****

 

remember, you can always buy new sails etc... but the hull is the main thing to watch out for!

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its even more for a complete kit!

 

If your just doing some club racing, just ad a couple of blocks to the original vang setup, All i did, and you can have it to the purchase that you want, Just make sure you dont go anymore than the good guys!

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yeah agreed, we thought we were starting to get on the pace a bit last season and a good sailor turned up, borrowed one of our oldest crapiest boats, no turbo kit, crappy sail and well and truly beat us all in medium conditions.

 

Also Mark Orams was ahead by miles at the nationals a few years ago (New Plymouth) in the radial master division, in a 15 year old boat (136nnn). Way ahead even by the first mark.

 

For a simple boat there is a lot to learn to sail them well, and you can spend many seasons in an old boat without being limited by the hull.

 

I got my first boat real cheap as the cockpit floor was starting to seperate from the core. A easy fix (drill a lot of 1/8 holes and inject 100ml of epoxy and weigh down).

So don't be put off by the odd repair. Fixing scratches is easy and dont let them put you off if the hull is stiff. turn upside down and press hard looking for where it is soft, especially across the boat where the mast is located. And on the decks as mentioned already.

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I know there is lots of technique to sailing lasers but at 15years old unless you are a really big 15 yr old it might be tough going when the breeze gets up.

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4.7 rig, their worst decision! but the best for learning with! They are great if you are light, as it makes the boat extremely easy to learn with... even in 20kts, the boat will still be manageable! But lets not go there just yet :wink:

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Anyone that isn't big enough for the Radial rig shouldn't be sailing a laser.

If it is a family boat and you are chucking a smaller rig in then I can understand... but CHOOSING the Laser 4.7 as the learner boat for your kids?

 

The biggest problem is the size of the boat in relation to the sailor. It's all very nice having a big stable platform, but you will learn more skills in a boat where you can feel the difference your bodyweight is making to trim. The Starling is a much better boat for this. Also, the size of sailor the 4.7 rig is targeted at cannot reach the centreboard when the boat is capsized. BIG SAFETY ISSUE.

 

I see some of the older Starlings going real cheap, so there really isn't much reason to put a Starling sized kid in a Laser....

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$800 for a VANG

 

Yep, this pretty much sums up why I don't shop local.

 

I can get the harken system for around $450, complete, and the holt version for around a hundred less! and that's delivered to the door. Although to be fair 203 had it right, just chuck in a swivel and a couple of extra blocks. Cost me about $50 to do that a few months back. I still use the old system, upgraded to 8:1, everytime I've sailed with the new ones I've actually done far worse!

 

As for the weight issue, anywhere above 60kg and full rig will be fine for most conditions. Depending on how fast the rest of your local fleet are, you could even upset a few, especially in light winds. Anything much over 15 knots and you'll struggle upwind, but there are loads of tricks to minimise the losses, and if you've got the skills, you'll blow by almost anyone downwind!

 

In terms of hulls, check for cracks around the mast step, and if there's an inspection port anywhere close by, have a look at the bottom of the tube. The major problem with the old boats is that the wooden "donut" that holds the bottom of the tube in place goes rotten after getting wet, and then the glue lets go, which is when disaster strikes. To find out more, google the laser forum, the experts on there know far more about that than I do.

 

Actual speeds between new and old lasers are pretty similar, I race every now and then, and it's my dumb mistakes that stop me winning. My 30+ year old laser still has what it takes. So did the other 30+ year old Laser I had in europe. Which really upset some of the "hotshots" in brand new boats.

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