New-Old Fleet

Charlie Clark

Thistle1046
Our club got a fleet going in the late 80s and it has since died out. Our club is looking to get it going again. Does anybody have tips for getting more people interested in Lasers?
 
Is it for adults? or juniors? you need to make lasers look fun. Have a day where anyone can come and sail a laser just to see what its like. It works at our club, and especially for me, like when we have 420 day or a-cat day,and we spend some time trying it and get to experience it without making a commitment.
 
Post ads looking for all of those Lasers from the late 80's. Encourage those people to either sail them or sell them. Now that there are generic parts available, it is fairly inexpensive to update an old beater boat.

We have several juniors who recently have started in Lasers. Their parents buy an old one for $1000(sometimes including a trailer and/or dolly), throw a new training sail and new line at it. They get the kid on the water having fun for $1500-$2000. In Australia a new Laser costs $9000 tricked out.These older boats are a bargain. The parents are just not going to spend any where that kind of money unless the junior is already drinking the Kool aid or they are cashed up.

I think many people in the past have walked away from decent Laser hulls simply because the prices of the new gear is so expensive. Generic has solved that problem. Just the $600 new sail price would kill someones's interest in buying an older boat. Thank you Intensity and I-sails.

Make it perfectly clear that any minor non-Laser upgrades are tolerated in club racing(odd blocks, vangs, odd rigging). It will take financial pressure off of new potential sailors. Get them having fun on the water and new and good boats will quickly replace the older ones.
 
I agree, class legal equipment pricing is a joke. The class could have many more active sailors if they brought equipment prices to a reasonable level! Thanks for the help!
 
Yes, there is not need for brand new equiptment, and the used boats usually are reasonably priced. But, if the child is really into it, it may be worth it to buy a new boat like my parents did for me. I got a used older boat to see if I liked it, and recently my parents bought me a brand new boat. Promote the cheapness of the sport
 
I hate to say it, but doing well in some tired old ugly boat often will feel better than winning every club race in a new boat.

It would be really cool if there was a handicapping system at the club, where the local Ace has to use an old blown out sail that looks like a prostitutes bedsheet. Imagine how it would clash with that shiny new white hull and flashy carbon tiller.

In the States its not that common to have personal handicapping in sailboat racing. In Au it seems to be standard practice. It helps to encourage newer sailors who can enjoy the glory of winning. The sailing handicap is similar to a golf handicap.
 
Yea I have never heard of handicapping in races here, but now that I think about it I wish we have them because the beginners like me wouldnt do so bad in the races.
 
One thing I have seen is where fleet members pool their money to buy one or two boats. If someone drops by the club and expresses interest in the fleet, there is a boat immediately available for them to purchase.

This works if there is a nucleus of 4-5 active boats looking to grow. If you are looking to grow a fleet from scratch it is a harder sell. And this was for a class other than Laser where not many used boats were available in the general area. In the case of a Laser, a motivated sailor can generally find a good range of boats to choose from in a 200-300 mile radius.
 
word of mouth, videos, pictures, free trial period, lower fees, website

get the word out as much as possible, I started sailing in my fleet after talking with a member of the laser fleet at another yacht club,

If you have other fleets in the area, make sure you invite them to come laser sailing, if you talk to people individually its more work but it's easier to convince people to join the fleet

our club has 2 club boats, that really helps for people that drive a long way, are looking to buy a boat, or have never sailed a laser

best of luck!
 

Back
Top