Recent content by sorosz

Sorry, it looked a heck of a lot better when I posted - the formatting was still in the tables but I see that it got stripped out somewhere along the way. It's much more readable on the original website.

It's probably a 1975 hull. The Old Dr. Laser FAQ (https://web.archive.org/web/20020805045147fw_/http://www.drlaser.org/frm/FAQfW.html) has helpful info for this although it is North America centric: "How do I determine my sail number and boat year? On the transom is the serial number of the...

Check out Cal Sailing in Berkeley, I think they have some Lasers and might do rentals as well as classes. If you want to get into beer can racing check out the Treasure Island Laser Fleet - they race every Thursday night . Sailing on the Bay is more challenging than Marina Del Rey which is...

Well if your boat is 8 lbs over weight - a gallon of sea water weighs about 8 pounds as I recall. So with 4 quarts to a gallon and 500ml being roughly half a quart, if you're pulling that much out every week then you've got about 8 weeks worth to go. You're in the home stretch! But in the...

Great idea!

It wouldn't hurt to try. I think because of the curve of the rail it would be harder to find the balance point and you and your friend might have to be at the ends which would mean you couldn't see the reading on the scale so you'd need another friend to do that. If it doesn't work on its...

The "best" way is probably to use a hanging scale like the ones used for big fish or by hunters (like this or this) but if you don't have access to one you can improvise with a couple bathroom scales. With the hanging scale you just rig a sling for the boat, hang the scale on something...

My guess would be that the extra water is coming from the areas that are reinforced with plywood (or possibly foam under the deck). If they weren't 100% covered in the fiberglass they could have absorbed water and it will probably take time and patience getting it out. Have you weighed your...

Looking on the bright side, maybe the rights to the Laser name will become worthless and the Class can pick them up for a song. In the meantime, maybe the Torch will adopt the long hoped for new sail design and we'll come out ahead.

The April issue of Latitude 38 (p18) has an ad from Westmarine that says: Laser Performance Hardware Now West Marine has the genuine Laser Performance hardware you need to optimize the performance of the world’s most popular one-design! We carry the Laser Clew Sleeve, Outhaul & Cunningham...

It shouldn't damage the boat - I believe they store them that way at the factory . You need to put some blocks of wood or something down so the weight is actually on the gunnels and not the gudgeon. Like this, although you'd probably want it to lean the other way to maximise drainage.

Was it wet with salt water or fresh? If it was salt, did it get rinsed out well? I think remaining salt helps trap moisture and makes it harder to dry out. . . If you have room in your shed to store your boat on the transom that might help drain any residual water. If you can keep the boat...

Since it's an older boat your mast step probably has more wear and thus a looser fit than a newer boat. My guess is the chipping around the edge are from someone in the past struggling to step the mast. You might want to patch the chips but if the step is otherwise sound (ie holds water etc.)...

Yes. Probably not. I reckon there's a lot of collective wisdom in the class and if something isn't commonly done there is probably a good reason why. My guess is: The bottom of the can is not completely flat and thus probably won't match the bottom of the mast step leading to uneven wear. The...

Just saw this post today on Latitude 38. Who knew that a Laser sail was so versatile?