After several months of shopping I finally got a used Laser and took it out this weekend. Had an absolute blast but not without incident. So at the risk of looking like an idiot I thought I’d start a thread on things that went wrong and hopefully get some feedback or lessons learned to avoid repeating these situations.
1. Boom pulled out of gooseneck. During a tack as I crossed the boat I knocked the boom and in pulled off the gooseneck. I am guessing that I did not have enough vang tension and/or outhaul. While trying to put it back on, I had an idea of trying a piece of line from the van key around the mast and back to the vang key to act as a mast retainer. Actually today I saw a thread about tying shock cord in the same fashion as a means to stop the vang key from dropping out. I will try that the next time I go out but I need to get some reference marks or something on my vang. Also after I replaced the boom I noticed that I forgot to get the mast retaining line above the boom. Hopefully I’ll never have the boom fall out again but if I do I’ll make sure the mast retaining line is properly positioned when I put the boom back.
2. Failure of rudder downhaul cleat. Actually it was a rivet that failed but caused the cleat to release the downhaul, there by allowing the tiller to come out of the rudder headstock. This looked ok during visual inspection but the lesson learned is to really give your hardware a thorough inspection and repair as necessary. Two books that I read recommend not using the tiller retaining pin as it snags the mainsheet so it’s just the downhaul that keeps the tiller secured. I was able to replace the tiller and just lash down the downhaul so I was pretty lucky. If that had been a rivet on the mainsheet block at the end of the boom that would have been an entirely different story.
3. Hold onto the mainsheet when you capsize. The further the boat gets from you is the further your going to have to swim after it!
4. Mainsheet tangled under rudder after righting from capsize. So the next time I capsize, I’m going to make sure the sheet is clear of the rudder before I right the boat.
That all said, in spite of the above mentioned experiences, I had a lot of fun with the boat and I am real excited to get back out with it. I won’t deny I had a lot of concerns if the Laser was the right boat for me with regards to my level of athleticism (or lack thereof), launching, returning and righting after capsize. But after my first sail a lot of those concerns were reduced to the point where I am still cautious but not intimidated. Sure I capsized once, and will certainly do it again, but righting the boat was as straight forward as every makes it out to be, and to be honest it was a little refreshing! That was a big relief. Now I’m not so worried about capsizing and can work at pushing myself a little more aggressively towards getting to the point where I can sail the boat as it was meant to be sailed. Can’t wait to get back out!
1. Boom pulled out of gooseneck. During a tack as I crossed the boat I knocked the boom and in pulled off the gooseneck. I am guessing that I did not have enough vang tension and/or outhaul. While trying to put it back on, I had an idea of trying a piece of line from the van key around the mast and back to the vang key to act as a mast retainer. Actually today I saw a thread about tying shock cord in the same fashion as a means to stop the vang key from dropping out. I will try that the next time I go out but I need to get some reference marks or something on my vang. Also after I replaced the boom I noticed that I forgot to get the mast retaining line above the boom. Hopefully I’ll never have the boom fall out again but if I do I’ll make sure the mast retaining line is properly positioned when I put the boom back.
2. Failure of rudder downhaul cleat. Actually it was a rivet that failed but caused the cleat to release the downhaul, there by allowing the tiller to come out of the rudder headstock. This looked ok during visual inspection but the lesson learned is to really give your hardware a thorough inspection and repair as necessary. Two books that I read recommend not using the tiller retaining pin as it snags the mainsheet so it’s just the downhaul that keeps the tiller secured. I was able to replace the tiller and just lash down the downhaul so I was pretty lucky. If that had been a rivet on the mainsheet block at the end of the boom that would have been an entirely different story.
3. Hold onto the mainsheet when you capsize. The further the boat gets from you is the further your going to have to swim after it!
4. Mainsheet tangled under rudder after righting from capsize. So the next time I capsize, I’m going to make sure the sheet is clear of the rudder before I right the boat.
That all said, in spite of the above mentioned experiences, I had a lot of fun with the boat and I am real excited to get back out with it. I won’t deny I had a lot of concerns if the Laser was the right boat for me with regards to my level of athleticism (or lack thereof), launching, returning and righting after capsize. But after my first sail a lot of those concerns were reduced to the point where I am still cautious but not intimidated. Sure I capsized once, and will certainly do it again, but righting the boat was as straight forward as every makes it out to be, and to be honest it was a little refreshing! That was a big relief. Now I’m not so worried about capsizing and can work at pushing myself a little more aggressively towards getting to the point where I can sail the boat as it was meant to be sailed. Can’t wait to get back out!