Laser sitting for ten years...walk away???

tgafonso

New Member
This is my first post and i really need your help.

I own a 420, but lack of a sailing partner made me wonder about buying a laser.

I´m interested in one(1988), but has been stored for 10 years, bottom down on the floor, with no dolly.

Does this misshape the bottom in any way?

Would you walk away, even if it´s complete?

I don´t want to compete, only to cruise(ocean waters)
 
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I think it would depend on the price and an inspection of the hull. Check the firmness of the hull, and any deformities should be readily apparent. And even if the hull is perfect, I wouldn't pay very much for an almost 30-year-old Laser.
 
I think it would depend on the price and an inspection of the hull. Check the firmness of the hull, and any deformities should be readily apparent. And even if the hull is perfect, I wouldn't pay very much for an almost 30-year-old Laser.
Thank you, Torrid,
I will go check it out during the weekend.
Portugal is very peculiar market.
When a Laser comes for sale, under 800€, it´s immediately sold, because there aren´t that many.
 
+1 to Torrid's comments - if you're just out for fun + not racing, the shape of the hull isn't much of a concern. The focus is really on structural integrity, which in my own mind, I'd think of these things -
- seams/joints- look for obvious cracks + openings. I'd consider seams + joints easier to seal up with sealant.
- cracks in the hull or deck- harder to repair
- compromises to the integrity of the hull or deck material itself, over a larger area than a "simple" crack in a specific location. This would seem to me to be the hardest to fix, and because of that, the strongest reason to not buy it.

Also with other boats - the joint at the bottom of the mast tube where it's bonded to the inside of the hull was built weakly in older boats, and has often failed; and if it hasn't yet failed, it is very prone to fail under load. When it fails, the falling mast tears up the deck + makes for a very difficult repair job. However, reinforcing that joint before it fails is MUCH easier. There is a LOT of info on this problem, on this forum, if you search for it.

Look for an inspection port near the mast hole - look inside if it's there. See if you can see evident of repair or reinforcement of that joint. I'd pour water down the mast tube + see if it leaks down, or holds it's level. If it leaks, that strongly suggests reinforce it before sailing it. I'd reinforce it even if it DOESN'T leak. That's probably because my 1970's boat broke, and I had to do the big nasty repair job.

Best of luck with it.
 
+1 to Torrid's comments - if you're just out for fun + not racing, the shape of the hull isn't much of a concern. The focus is really on structural integrity, which in my own mind, I'd think of these things -
- seams/joints- look for obvious cracks + openings. I'd consider seams + joints easier to seal up with sealant.
- cracks in the hull or deck- harder to repair
- compromises to the integrity of the hull or deck material itself, over a larger area than a "simple" crack in a specific location. This would seem to me to be the hardest to fix, and because of that, the strongest reason to not buy it.

Also with other boats - the joint at the bottom of the mast tube where it's bonded to the inside of the hull was built weakly in older boats, and has often failed; and if it hasn't yet failed, it is very prone to fail under load. When it fails, the falling mast tears up the deck + makes for a very difficult repair job. However, reinforcing that joint before it fails is MUCH easier. There is a LOT of info on this problem, on this forum, if you search for it.

Look for an inspection port near the mast hole - look inside if it's there. See if you can see evident of repair or reinforcement of that joint. I'd pour water down the mast tube + see if it leaks down, or holds it's level. If it leaks, that strongly suggests reinforce it before sailing it. I'd reinforce it even if it DOESN'T leak. That's probably because my 1970's boat broke, and I had to do the big nasty repair job.

Best of luck with it.
Thanks on the info.

I had in mind that it´s a weak point of the laser, but didn´t know i could reinforce it.
 
Also with other boats ...
... sorry I meant to say "older" boats ...

I've heard that in boats built from the early 1990's forward, this joint was built better in the factory. However if there's a possibility that the mast tube had water freeze in it at any point over the life of the boat, that can weaken the tube and the joint a lot.
 

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