Class Politics Block attached to outhaul fairlead - allowed?

Chris Nash

New Member
Hi,

Spotted the following ouhaul configuration (see photo) at an open meeting this weeked on a newish Laser (206xxx). It works really well, the owner was quite convinced that it was allowed but I suspect not after reading :-
http://www.laserinternational.org/rules/classrules/parttwo/controlsystemsetc/outhaul

I assume this would have been updated if a change had been made?

Just for clarity, the ouhaul uses 2 lines, the grey one pictured secures the block to the fairlead it does not turn/move through the fairlead.

Thanks
image.jpeg
 
I believe you are correct. There is not a moving section of line passing through the boom fairlead.
 
As said above this is not class legal because the moving line MUST pass through the fairlead at least once.
 
Agree with Torrid and Jeffers as well.

Has there been any explanation why the requirement to have it move thru the fairlead still exists ? Is it to save ourselves from having to spend $10 on a block ?
 
Possibly because this is a fundamental rule or possibly because no one has suggested a rule change. I am pretty sure it would have been covered when the new control systems were developed.
 
It's not a "fundamental" rule, just a regular one that happens to be written that way, for whatever reason. It's kind of similar to the rule that requires the cunningham line to move through the grommet.

Someone at my club had rigged his/her outhaul in a similar way a couple of months ago, I guess people just come up with this independently of one another. I remember thinking then, "now that's illegal"!
 
It's likely the rules were written to prevent the use of the block being attached to the fairlead because a block on the fairlead and on the sail cringle would hit each other and not be fully adjustable when using an older stretched sail. The ILCA technical committee tries their best to make sure if you adopt a change that you only need to change the part being changed by the rule change, and not multiple other bits of equipment.
 

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