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  1. GeoffS

    Media  Various sailing photos and albums: catamarans, iceboats, and landsailers...

    When I'm not sailing I do like to take photos of my favorite sport... More stuff at: http://moving-target-photos.com/samples/ Click on the image to go to the album. This photo came after a day-long postponement so the sun was low in the sky for some really nice lighting: I didn't think the...
  2. GeoffS

    Ice and Dirt - Sailing faster than the wind...

    I didn't see many (any?) posts about low-friction sailing on ice and dirt. Iceboating is one of the oldest "extreme sports"; it was only 11 years after the first America's Cup challenge that the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant of America was first sailed. At that time iceboats were the fastest...
  3. GeoffS

    Dumb question: how many rivets in the gooseneck fitting?

    I'm finishing up building a new boom from a broken top-section. The gooseneck kit comes with four rivets, but I don't remember that many in my old boom (and I can't look at it because the first couple of feet broke off and sank...). Cheers, Geoff S.
  4. GeoffS

    Just checking on traveller fairlead repair...

    After 17 years of hard use, one of the blue plastic traveler fairleads broke while I was sailing yesterday. Three questions: I assume the Aluminum fairleads are the best choice. The inboard screw seems a bit loose/wobbly. I was thinking of filling the hole with epoxy and re-drilling for the...
  5. GeoffS

    Practice Sails - sailing experiences...

    Hi, We have a number of threads discussing whether or not practice sails (like the "Intensity") are good for the class or not. If you want to talk about that, here's a good place for it: http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=4841 I'm interested in hearing from folks who have one...
  6. GeoffS

    Best place to buy a new Laser sail? (USA)

    Hi all, My garage door opener just pulled my best full-rig sail off it's shelf and mangled it pretty throughly. Man am I bummed. I guess I need to buy a new one. Any suggestions on the best (cheapest) place to get it? I can do numbers and tell-tales myself. I see that APS and Collie both...
  7. GeoffS

    Black and Blue blocks: what's the difference?

    I need to get a new traveler block for my boat and I just noticed that APS sells both the black and blue versions: Blue, $18.25: http://apsltd.com/Tree/d9000/e7328.asp Black, $12.00: http://apsltd.com/Tree/d9000/e7334.asp My boat has black blocks on it now, but if the blue ones are better...
  8. GeoffS

    Short-course sail controls

    Most of the Laser racing I do is on very short courses (ca. 1/4 mile, or 1/2 km). Good fun: lots of starts, mark roundings, and close-quarters manuvering. However, I've found that I can't afford the attention to adjust controls all the time (and the payback is pretty small anyhow on the...
  9. GeoffS

    Control line organization...

    Now that I've got the "new" control-line setup on my boat, I need to do something about keeping things organized. What are people doing with the tail ends of the varous conrol lines (vang, cuningham, outhaul) to keep them handy for the common adjustment situations, yet as much out of the way...
  10. GeoffS

    6:1 outhaul - diagram?

    I keep reading that a 6:1 outhaul based on the Vanguard Performance Upgrade kit's rigging is desirable, but for the life of me I can't figure out how you rig it without using an (illegal?) double block at the gooseneck. I'm sure it's simple, and I'm just missing something obvious. Does...
  11. GeoffS

    Recommendations on cunningham/outhaul kits?

    I'm getting ready to upgrade the running rigging on my Laser to the "new stuff". The vang seems pretty much a no-brainer: the Harken pre-rigged package looks about as good as it gets. However, there seem to be nearly an infinite number of variations on the theme of rigging the outhaul and...
  12. GeoffS

    Laser storage - what not to do?

    I seem to remember an article about the things to avoid when storing Lasers. Things like where *not* to place the bunks, etc. Cheers, Geoff S.
  13. GeoffS

    Lightweight Laser Sailor Tips and Techniques?

    I'm not a lightweight, but many of the students in my Laser lessons are. I'm having trouble describing the best techniques for handling the boat (esp. upwind). I'm fine with the normal depowering techniques, but I really have a hard time describing the best way for someone in the 100-130 lb...
  14. GeoffS

    Deck & mast-step repair question...

    Hi, There's a boat owned by the UW sailing club with a pretty damaged deck around the mast-step (I don't have a photo or the hull-number, yet). The mast-step tube appears to be present (at least from the deck level), but I don't know if it's been damaged below deck. The deck for about 6-8"...
  15. GeoffS

    Vang purchase poll

    There's been discussion about the necessary purchase on a Laser vang. I was wondering what ratios people are using out there. There's a simple poll to answer, but it would probably be helpful if people would indicate why they choose their particular ratio. Cheers, Geoff Sobering
  16. GeoffS

    Trying to understand the new rules - vang key block options

    Hi all, I'm trying to understand the new rigging rules. Specifically, I was wondering if it is legal to simply upgrade the common pre-2000 8:1 vang rigging by 1) replacing the 2:1 cascade loop with a block, and 2) adding a sheave running on the Holt key-block "becket" pin (or shackling a...
  17. GeoffS

    Deck-block options/suggestions?

    I'm planning the upgrade of my Laser's controls, so I've been reading the various articles on drLaser. One detail that I'm still not clear on is the kind of blocks that will work as the deck-blocks. I was hoping to get some additional information from those out there who have already upgraded...
  18. GeoffS

    Deck Delamination Repair - suggestions?

    Hi all, I've been working on boats for some time, but I'm new to the intricacies of Laser repair. I have a '94 Laser with some deck delamination (spider cracks). I was planning to do the normal trick of drilling a bunch of holes and injecting WEST into them, but I thought it would be a good...

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