New to Laser Sailing?

Each year over two thousand sailors set sail in a Laser, Laser Radial or Laser 4.7 for the first time. Hopefully this article will provide a few basic tips to help our new members get a little bit extra from their new purchase.

Equipment

If you have a used boat, take an hour to check through all the equipment. There is not much that can go wrong with a Laser if it is well looked after.

Spars and Fastenings

Almost all the rivets on the spars and rudder are areas of stress and potential corrosion, especially in salt water. Check that there is no play in any of the fitting attachments. If in doubt replace the rivets. If there are signs of white crystals round the edge of the fitting, the fitting should be removed to check for corrosion under the fitting.

Check for movement on the upper mast collar and signs that the rivet in the mast collar has been stressed. On older spars it is good practice to remove this rivet so the metal under the collar can be checked for stress cracks. If corrosion is found on spars it may be safer to remove all the fittings and "end for end" the spar. If you do "end for end" make sure you replace the fittings in the correct position as shown in the class rules - details in the class handbook and at www.laserinternational.org.

When replacing rivets use monel rivets and use a barium chromate paste or other similar sealant (not silicone) to seal the drill hoses that will not be protected by anodizing. Check the mast to make sure it is not bent. If the upper section is bent it will normally be at the collar. Put the upper mast into the lower mast and place the top and bottom of the mast on wooden supports with the bend uppermost. Apply gentle pressure at the mast join, checking for straightness frequently. Lower masts are more difficult to straighten but fortunately rarely bend. Support the lower mast only between two wooden supports and the ends and apply pressure in the bent area. You will need a lot more pressure than for the topmast.

Bailer and Hull

Turn the hull on its side and check the bailer is working properly. After sailing, check that the hull is not leaking by raising the bow to shoulder height and getting a friend to remove the bung in the transom.

Ropes and Lines

The biggest improvement to your equipment of your Laser is to make sure you have good non-stretch control lines and an efficient purchase system for the cunningham, outhaul and boom vang. The most common faults seen amongst sailors new to the Laser are inadequate control lines which are not/cannot be tensioned properly to de-power the rig in medium to strong winds.

The changes in the control line systems, introduced in 2001, allow for the addition of blocks in the sail controls, which are well worth the extra expense. There are now a number of possibilities allowed in the class rules. Here are a few general guidelines for setting the controls:

Except for very light winds the traveler should always be pulled on as hard as possible. Upwind in most wind conditions the mainsheet should be pulled as tight as possible so that the blocks on the traveler and boom sit together side by side.

In strong winds the cunningham needs to be pulled very tight for upwind work to open the leech of the sail. As a guide the metal cringle in the sail should nearly be touching the boom. The cunningham should be released for off wind sailing. For upwind work the outhaul can also be used to de-power the sail and should be progressively tightened as the wind increases. Remember that the outhaul will only work at maximum efficiency if the clew of the sail is tied tight to the boom.

Depending on your weight and sailing ability, there will be a point in strong winds when you will need to ease the mainsheet to de-power the rig, even though you have maximum tension on the cunningham and outhaul. To stop the boom rising, making the sail fuller, when you ease the mainsheet you need tension on the boom vang. To set the boom vang for these conditions pull in the mainsheet as tight as possible, then pull on the boom vang so that all the slack is taken out of the boom vang lines (called "two block") and then apply a little more tension. When you release the mainsheet the end of the boom should rise no more than 10 cm from the deck. In this position the mast and boom have very high loads on them. BEFORE sailing off wind the boom vang must be eased to the "two block" position or you risk bending or breaking the boom or upper mast, as the boom end will catch wave tops. When this happens you also have a high risk of capsizing!

Sailing - 4 Tips

1. Keep the boat upright! If the boat is heeled you will slip sideways, you will get weather helm, the rudder will get heavy and the boat will be difficult to steer, especially off wind.

2. When bearing away from a beat to a reach ease the mainsheet and raise the centerboard to half depth before bearing away.

3. Sit forward in the boat except when planning off wind when you should move to the back end of the cockpit.

4. When gybing in strong winds move your weight as quickly as possible across the boat just as the boom starts to cross and be on the new side of the boat before the sail loads up on the new tack! While gybing try to keep the boat sailing within ten degrees of downwind. Most capsizes when gybing occur because the boat is allowed to luff up on the new tack.