competitiveness of 20-year old hull?

dawgcatching

New Member
I am considering purchase of a 20-year old Laser w/Standard rigging locally. The hull was made in 1994. Any ideas? I know what to look for, it seems to be pretty solid, no soft spots, but I can get this one for $1600. I can probably get an early 2000's for $3000. Just getting back into racing, but there doesn't seem to be much of a market for used boats, so I don't want to get stuck with something I want to "upgrade" later.

How much slower do you think this boat will be, all things considered? Not a big deal compared to skill and other factors?
 
I would disagree, the market for used boats is still out there. Boats may turn over quickly so you may not see many ads.
 
Picked up a '94 myself for $2500 (including Trailex trailer) earlier this year and am very happy with her. Had been kept indoors and lightly used her whole life, so apart from the sail she felt brand new. Haven't had a chance to race her yet but can't see why she wouldn't be very competitive.

The one issue with the older boat is you may find yourself wanting to upgrade to the newer vang/cunningham/outhaul setups which will cost you another few hundred $$$.
 
it really depends on the condition of the hull, I've seen 1994's that are in better shape and more competitive than 2000's hulls

boats are always out there, you might have to look a little deeper sometimes, I find that if you ask around a little bit people that sail either have an extra boat or are too busy to sail and want to sell their boat.

you'd be surprised, some of the older boats are fast, some is the keyword

one thing that you could do is have the boat weighed at a weigh station, that way you know if you're at least in the competitive range weight wise

that's a good point about the controls, the vang is a big one, the costs of new blades and rigging adds up really fast

lastly, lasers fun no matter what, I've sailed in hulls while teaching a class that had the deck even with the waterline, it was still fun, plus a 1994 that doesn't leak is still faster than a 2013 that does leak
 
A 20-yr old hull made in 1994! Boy, time flies; at first I thought you made a mistake and meant a 10-yr old boat.

How does the mast step tube and spar fittings look? If the hull has been in salt water, look carefully at the metal-to-metal junctions on the spar fittings.
 
I'm sailing a 1976 Laser, 24877 "Firefly". When I got it the bottom was rugged with deep gouges from being dragged over things, the foils were beat up, and inside the hull the foam blocks sat in plastic bags full of water. Bit of bog & polish, some upgrades and it goes OK! A few kg overweight, a little more flexy in the bows, but even so I find negligably different in straight-line boat speed to new boats. One single tack, one tactical decision, one puff of wind will make more difference to your race than the age of the hull.
Of course, at Olympic level where you need a perfect race, you'll be that one mistake behind rivals no matter how well you sail.
Personally I bought a Laser to enjoy close racing, and "Firefly" puts me right in the thick of the action. Perfect!
 

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