Recent content by Nipper

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    Finn Pumping, Handicap Race

    Everyone can pump in a handicap race subject to the limits of rule 42.3c which says " Except on a beat to windward, when surfing ( rapidly accelerating down the face of a wave) or planing is possible, the boats crew may pull in any sail in order to iniate surfing or planing , but each sail may...
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    Dolly Launch

    I sail on the sea, where generally the the wind is onshore, and this is my method for launching into the wind and waves, based upon the fact that I hate the sailing flogging, and the clew bashing me and others, and being as ready as possible before I hit the water. 1) Move the boat on its dolly...
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    Complete Newb Needs A Lot Of Advice

    One word of caution if you are going to sail without a jib. The wire in the jib and the jib halyard is normally tensioned to support the mast whilst sailing to resist (amongst other things) the forces of the mainsheet and vang. So not using the jib, means you are relying on the forestay to keep...
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    Is this a legal set up for a laser outhaul?

    The plate has to be "builder supplied" but the blocks are optional, and can be between 15 and 30mm dia. See Part 3, section b, para viii of the ILCA rules
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    advice on beach landing desperately needed

    Carlos, As free agent says, I never raise the centreboard comletely, the boat just "slides" with out it, you need some grip to make it go where you want it to go. I never sail into a downwind beach with the sail still rigged for normal sailing, undo the mainsheet and let it blow out in front of...
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    Rudderless

    There was a thread a couple of moths ago about rudderless Laser sailing, and as Jeffers has said, it is enormously difficult in a Laser, and I cannot see you will learn much. The general census before is that it is best to leave the rudder on, and tie it off in the middle of the boat...
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    best way to rig outhaull to goosneck XD

    When the rivets holding the goose neck to the mast started to corrode, I took the opportunity to turn the gooseneck upside down before bolting it back on. This then put the small hole in the gooseneck side plate at the bottom left hand side (looking towards the bow). Thorough the hole I have...
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    Raising Centerboard

    Simply questions, but no easy reply, as it does depend a lot on the water/wave conditions. I'm 180lbs (82kg) but when I started in Lasers with a ful rig I was 165lb, and I sail on the sea. If I was fit enough I could be described as a weekend warrior. In flat water overpowering I use board...
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    Raising Centerboard

    I'm not convinced any other boats board issues are relevant to the Laser, because the Laser is a slow una sailed boat with a dagger board. There are a lot of aerodynamic, hydrostatic and physical things going on in 505's & Fireballs etc, because they can adjust everything. They use...
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    Rudderless Sailing Theory/Roll Tacking Technique

    Do not forget that even on a board you still had a skeg, and although not moveable, it is still providing lateral resistance, which you need to stop the hull rotating around the vertical axis of the daggerbaord. Hence the practice that Sailorchick has done, where they tie the rudder on the...
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    Rudderless Sailing Theory/Roll Tacking Technique

    Interesting, but I can see why it works, pulling the cunningham on opens the leach, and pulls the draft forward so that centre of effort the sails is closer to the centre of effort of the hull, as basically the hull "spins" around the centreline of the dagger baord. Have you tried sailing on a...
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    Rudderless Sailing Theory/Roll Tacking Technique

    I don't think you could ever sail a Laser or in fact any una sailed boat without a rudder, you would just spin in circles. As Sailorchick says, you have to tie the rudder on the centreline to do rudderless sailing. It is the reason why windsurfers have skegs, you needsomething in the water to...
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    advice on beach landing desperately needed

    Sailor Chick, my experience of Laser returning to the beach in surf is based on sailing on the Solent, where in a South Westerly and high tide it can get a bit nasty. However this is toy surf compared to Newhaven. I remember sailing a Fireball open meeting there in 1985 (probably before you...
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    advice on beach landing desperately needed

    I'm sure that would work, however, where I sail we have a 3.5+m tidal range, so sometimes we can launch at low tide, when the surf is not a problem, but at the end of the race, the water level is a 60m walk higher up the beach. These are the joys of sailing off a steeply shelving and then flat...
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    advice on beach landing desperately needed

    I have spent all my life sailing from a shingle beach on the South Coast of England, where the prevailing and surf is straight onto the seashore. In the Laser, one thing you learn is that you do not want to be messing around trying to hold the boat and derigging it in the surf, you want to get...

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