Recent content by will162878

  1. W

    Laser Booms

    Check out drLaser for details of how to get a bolt to protrude out of a hole in the boom with the head on the inside. It is possible. The godo thing is that once it is done it is unlikely you ever have to do it again unless you buy a new boat.
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    Laser CD-ROMs

    The rooster giude to sailing by the lee is pretty much the definitive text.
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    Laser Booms

    I would suggest bolting all boom fittings ASAP as failure is common and if the hole has increased in size (due to steel/aluminium corrosion) then a quick fix of a new rivet will not fix the problem before the start of the next race...
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    Laser CD-ROMs

    I have a copy of the Rooster CD but it seems to be an interactive advert for rooster goods with videos. I would recommend the CD with the Ainslie book. There will be a new SailDisc CD launched in the near future for coaches/instructors.
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    Weighing your hull

    Get two sets of weighing scales of the sort you would use to weigh yourself. Place on a flat surface and put the hull up side down on them. Add the two weights shown by the scales together to get the hull weight.
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    By the Lee PDF in word format.

    You can now find the PDF document about sailing by the lee on my new site at www.saildisc.co.uk: www.saildisc.co.uk/articles.htm
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    polars

    Estimates have been made but not any accuracy worthy of useful analysis. I have tried searching in vain for a decent one but havent found one yet...
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    transition from displacing to planing

    On a windy day, the Laser will plane if you point a little below a close-hauled course and hike like mad. in reality you go from displacement, to bow out of the water to planing; with noticable performance improvements at each stage. Watching videos of Lasers training you can clearly see three...
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    Telltales

    I use ones exactly the same as the rooster ones and they work great. On the leech I have two lengths of ribbon (about 8in) stuck to the sail with spinnaker tape.
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    Question about the Blue Stopper

    I epoxied mine together and after 3 months it had come off again. Should we explore the possibility of a through-bolt to hold it together. Surely this could be classed as "preventative maintenance" under class rules?
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    Vang purchase poll

    The boom and sail slamming into the water at high speed puts a lot of strain on the mast due to the deceleration. Add this to the already strong force on the mast due to the kicker/vang and any weaknesses in the mast (cracks etc) will be exploited and failure will follow. Also, as masts get...
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    Recovering from Death roll

    A death roll is where the boat starts to roll form side to side violently. often resulting in a capsize to windward if left unchecked.
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    Sail numbers

    Class rules are available from www.laserinternational.org (follow the rules link) and racing rules (RRS) are available from the ISAF site at www.sailing.org
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    Recovering from Death roll

    IMHO, Kragen is right. By the lee is, according to the aerodynamics, meant to be stable. Also cunningham tension will certainly cause rolling. A tight cunningham moves the sail's curve right forward so the sail near the mast is pointing to the windward side of the boat, therefore causing a...
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    when to adjust stuff

    A simple guide to basic Laser tuning. Leave the outhaul so you have 4-6 inches between the sail and the boom. If overpowered upwind, tighten the cunningham. Make sure you pull the mainsheet all the way in until the blocks at the back meet. Take the slack out of the kicker (vang) when you...

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