Sailing4LIFE
New Member
I am sure many of you fellow Laser Lovers have seen, In May 2010 adiition of sailing world, in the Tech Review section, Ed Adams (2002 Laser Masters World Champ and has owned 13 lasers since 1973) has proposed some upgrades for the laser. He states "The two-part aluminum mast should be made of carbon tubes." now i will hardly be able to afford a radial sail next year because 120 pounds is a bit heavy for 4.7! I'm not sure i would be able to afford new carbon spars, and if im not, how much more of an advantage is everyone else with carbon spars going to have over me? I'm not familiar with the flexibility of carbon, so when i go to crank my vang on in 20 knots and the mast bends, is it going to snap?
There is also talk about changing the fullrig sail design but i am not that smart in sail design so i'll leave that for the experts to discuss. Ed also states "Perhaps it's time to cut the hull weight back to 125 pounds..." I see that this is a great idea but when I arrive to a light wind regatta weighing 10 pounds heavier than some of the competition should i recieve a handicapped rating? I'm not trying to say that these upgrades are rediculous but just looking out for the future of the Laser class. Opinions please and Thank you!
There is also talk about changing the fullrig sail design but i am not that smart in sail design so i'll leave that for the experts to discuss. Ed also states "Perhaps it's time to cut the hull weight back to 125 pounds..." I see that this is a great idea but when I arrive to a light wind regatta weighing 10 pounds heavier than some of the competition should i recieve a handicapped rating? I'm not trying to say that these upgrades are rediculous but just looking out for the future of the Laser class. Opinions please and Thank you!