Search results

You might also check out the prices at Colie Sails in New Jersey (http://www.coliesail.com) which gave me a great deal on a new North sail, put on the numbers for free and even added some wind indicators. Plus, the folks in the store are very helpful. You might want to compare prices between...

In my tiny sailing club in Maine, I'm one of the youth (and I'm 46). I routinely get my butt kicked by Laser sailers (and Sunfish guys!) in their 60s, 70s and even 80s. Granted, we are a lake-sailing bunch who don't usually have to deal with the big wave, big wind sailing of other areas. Many of...

I've had the opposite experience. Originally, I thought they were a pain in the butt (literally). But I have tendonitis in both arms and, after a summer of racing last year, my arms were in terrible shape from grasping, holding and pulling the mainsheet. A fellow racer - one who wins most of the...

Hiya: Well, my sailing tribe just returned from a week at Fort DeSoto Park in Tampa Bay. The good news: the park is wonderful. The bad news: @#$@#, is the water ever shallow! We had driven from Maine to Florida :( between snowstorms and arrived March 1. We had brought four sailers, three...

We've got our camping reservations already. In fact, the county's website even has pictures of the individual sites. Thanks for the tip about the possibly rocky launching areas. That's par for the course up here in Maine. PS....I'd like to second Michelle's suggestion for Bahia Honda State...

We went trailer shopping last year and, from what we heard, both Trailex and Kitty Hawk produce fine products. We went with a customized Trailex which was built to take two boats (Laser and Zuma) and a bunch of sailboards. So far, it has been terrific. It's unbelieveable how light the thing is...

We're planning an escape to FL in early March, towing a Trailex with one Laser, one Zuma and three sailboards. Woo-woo! We're planning on staying for a week or so at Fort DeSoto Park on Tampa Bay and sailing off the beach. It looks like a blast. Anybody sailed from there before? :cool:

The first time I got any applause at my sailing club was when I managed a very pretty dry capsize during a particularly gusty race. I'd rather take a first place trophy, though... :eek:

My advice - don't be too frightened of capsizing a Laser. I managed to roll my Laser three times in one of my first races (a new club record) and still finished my race. The Laser is a lot easier to right than other sailing dingies. After a few capsizes (and some terror on my part) I figured out...

I knew there was a good reason I pulled my mainsheet cleats off the boat.... Anyway, in the states, a lot of waterfolk use kayak helmets for sports other than river kayaking (kitesailing, high-wind boardsailing, etc.). One popular brand of helmet is Pro-Tec. We have a couple old Pro-Tecs that...

I don't mean to sound glib about my head getting boom-bashed. It does hurt and, in some situations, it could be dangerous. But I think it should remain optional for grown-ups to sail with helmets. It is probably a good idea for kids to use helmets in Laser training, especially those in organized...

I'm a beginning racer and I'm trying to improve my standings in my local club races (that means, I want to quit finishing dead last). More experienced racers have recommended that I change my position in (and on) the cockpit, particularly on windward legs of the race. In moderate winds, for...

Helmets are becoming standard issue in many outdoor sports (think alpine skiing). Is it needed for dingy sailing? I don't think it would help much for the lake sailing I do. But it may be helpful in those areas where consistantly heavy winds are expected. I generally get bonked in the forehead...

APS (www.apsltd.com) has a nice refit kit for $88 for old lasers. It replaces all the old lines with new and gives you additional lengths to allow for some creative re-rigging of the outhaul, vang, etc. Although I didn't buy the kit, I have been slowly rerigging my old boat in this way. I'm...

I re-rigged my old Cunningham by following a diagram from Dick Tillman's "The Complete Book of Laser Sailing." The diagram also includes ways to re-rig old vangs and outhauls. The new system works great and saves you the money of a complete refit.

My '79 Laser came with a strange, swiveling mainsheet block/cleat dingus. It was used by the elderly sailor who sold me the boat. If you pulled hard through the block, the mainsheet would automatically be clamped down. It drove me nuts. When I was heeled way out, I could never manage to lean to...

I sail in a lake-based racing club. Although our lake seems a bit bigger than yours (30 km. long), the same challenges exist for many lake sailors. Chances are, you won't have some of the big-wave problems experienced by ocean sailors (boat meets wave face, boat ejects captain). Instead, you...

I've been using a new Rooster mainsheet this season and have been very impressed. I generally coil it like a climbing rope (big, loose loops) between sails and then toss the line into the lake (while holding one end!) to straighten out the kinks. By the end of a night of races, it has its...

Thanks for the question....and the answers. I was just asking myself the same thing. My boat's a '79 and the sail - not the original - is a '78! I've had bedsheets that have more snap. Time for a new one.

Carbon Fiber? Aluminum? I stick with the classic - wood. My '79 still has a stock wooden tiller. I recently grafted a Vanguard aluminum Sunfish extension onto it (hey, it was in the basement...). The tiller still works great, the extension, less so. The Vanguard grip has a bad habit of slipping...