Boom Preventer

no the laser must stay how it has always been, thats what why the lasers are great, always the same :)
 
no the laser must stay how it has always been, thats what why the lasers are great, always the same :)

Sorry, but the Laser is not how it has always been. It is close, but has undergone changes in its 37 year life.

In keeping with the one-design philosophy, minor rigging changes that make the boat more enjoyable to sail (and arguably faster) do not make the Laser different.
 
seriously, its not like I'm trying to get foils added here!:eek:
 
It is an interesting idea both on the idea itself and the concept of a "one-design". I would be happy racing against a boat that had one of these straps and when I lost I would not be rushing out to buy one (at least not because of losing). I would not say the same about many of the other changes introduced (all the XD kicker/Cunningham/etc.).

Would I use one - don't know. One of the reasons I like the Laser is it is quick to rig. when I had one ages ago it was really quick. When I rigged my new one the other day (with the XD stuff) it took a lot longer. Maybe it will get quicker as I get more used to where everything goes and how far to de-rig it. anyway, more bits of rope/elastic to attach would slow things a bit more. However, just because I might now want to use it does not mean I should stop others if it gives no performance advantage.

Ian
 
Laser never changed? Oh, not so, grasshopper. Here are a few:
Name change from 'Weekender' with TGIF on the sail to Laser
Wood foils to glass/foam
inside rails wood to plastic
original Elvstrom sail to 3.2 to 3.8 oz cloth
tillers and extensions opened up
sleave allowed in boom
traveler line knot arrangement allowed
lots of configuration of the lines of vang, outhaul and cunningham allowed
deck mainsheet cleats allowed
bungee on board allowed, recently modified
all new vang, outhaul and cunningham systems introduced
line, then velcro and then metal JC sleave allowed at clew tie-down
M, radial (several incarnations) and 4.7 rigs intoduced
tape allowed here and there
Anyone think of more?:
I'd not enjoy the original Laser as much as I do today's craft. I bought Ron Krippendorf's 1974 boat with all original equipment a couple years ago. Strictly a museum piece. He used it three times and garaged it for 30 years. I opted not to sail it. Newer boats are more fun.
But lack of a JC strap to automatically hold out the boom off the wind is not a deal-breaker.
Dave Ellis
 
its kind of like the Clew Strap, you dont have to use it, its not a speed advantage, but if you want to use its there for you, and its more than welcome
 
My two cents:

The only time it would be usefull is running when the wind is light. If the wind is that light I am far enough forward in the Laser that I can just push/hold the boom out. There is a good chance of a preventer backwinding my sail too. If my sail does not want to stay out in those conditions I usually listen to the boat and throw in a nice roll jibe, or head up slightly to restore the airflow accross the sail. Once I am back in the groove I strongly consider sailing by the lee. Bottom line, I don't want one. I would not be upset if the class allows them though, seams like it could be accomplished with nothing more than a peice of bungee.

Ian, I have my pro rig set up so that it is every bit as quick to rig as my first boat was in 1983. Perhaps even quicker because the boom sleeve makes the outhaul much easier.

Jimmy
 
Laser never changed? Oh, not so, grasshopper. Here are a few:
Name change from 'Weekender' with TGIF on the sail to Laser
Wood foils to glass/foam
inside rails wood to plastic
original Elvstrom sail to 3.2 to 3.8 oz cloth
tillers and extensions opened up
sleave allowed in boom
traveler line knot arrangement allowed
lots of configuration of the lines of vang, outhaul and cunningham allowed
deck mainsheet cleats allowed
bungee on board allowed, recently modified
all new vang, outhaul and cunningham systems introduced
line, then velcro and then metal JC sleave allowed at clew tie-down
M, radial (several incarnations) and 4.7 rigs intoduced
tape allowed here and there
Anyone think of more?:
I'd not enjoy the original Laser as much as I do today's craft. I bought Ron Krippendorf's 1974 boat with all original equipment a couple years ago. Strictly a museum piece. He used it three times and garaged it for 30 years. I opted not to sail it. Newer boats are more fun.
But lack of a JC strap to automatically hold out the boom off the wind is not a deal-breaker.
Dave Ellis

One more:

The rudder gudgeons changed from metal to plastic.
 
another good idea just came up from a Finn sailor from Sailing anarchy

instead of dead ending it at the boom bails, it could just be kept going to the clew, and also work as an inhaul, seems like a good idea to me, but i would put a block on either side of the boom bails for the bungee to go through, to keep it nice and collected
 

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