Estimated Effects of Upgrades on Old Boat

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Eric Cordis

Member
I have sailed recreationally since 77 on a laser. I recently entered a district 7 race with 32 boats with my old boat.

My starts were second row at best, mostly third row starts,
Finished once last (sailed into BIG hole near shore, dumb)
Finished 22 twice and 25 once.

If I upgrade my starts, I could gain ten boat lengths I think,

How much does an auto bailer help (cockpit was half full most of the day, until I drained my water bottle and bailed, but it refilled due to waves)

How much would a new sail help

How much would a sail control upgrade help

Worst case, new hull, this one is dry, but cannot be qualified as stiff, has soft spots on each side of the centerboard.

I know a skipperr upgrade would help, but I'm stuck with me.

It seamed the place where I gained and lost ground was on the upwind legs the most, at most I past one or lost one place on down wind, even with all the controls kept on (I'm not good enough to get to them to adjust for down wind)

Getting my nerve up, and getting into the fray for the start will yield a big improvement, but wondering were to spend the other limited budget dollars for best bang for the buck.

Thanks :)

Eric
 
Eric Cordis said:
I have sailed recreationally since 77 on a laser. I recently entered a district 7 race with 32 boats with my old boat.

My starts were second row at best, mostly third row starts,
Finished once last (sailed into BIG hole near shore, dumb)
Finished 22 twice and 25 once.

If I upgrade my starts, I could gain ten boat lengths I think,

How much does an auto bailer help (cockpit was half full most of the day, until I drained my water bottle and bailed, but it refilled due to waves)

How much would a new sail help

How much would a sail control upgrade help

Worst case, new hull, this one is dry, but cannot be qualified as stiff, has soft spots on each side of the centerboard.

I know a skipperr upgrade would help, but I'm stuck with me.

It seamed the place where I gained and lost ground was on the upwind legs the most, at most I past one or lost one place on down wind, even with all the controls kept on (I'm not good enough to get to them to adjust for down wind)

Getting my nerve up, and getting into the fray for the start will yield a big improvement, but wondering were to spend the other limited budget dollars for best bang for the buck.

Thanks :)

Eric
Click to expand...
Hi Eric,

The diff between a first row and a non-first row start will most likely be more then 10 boat lengths. In short course racing (races under 30 minutes) the start is EVERYTHING. If you can't get off the line in clear air, you will be mid fleet at best now matter how good you and your equipment are.

As far as spending your money, I would start with the auto-bailer. Each inch of water in the cockpit is approx 30 lbs. Half a cockpit full is approaching 200 lbs..

Next I would go for sail controls. If you still have the old style rigging, there are some inexpensive upgrades that can be done that should hold you over until you have more time in the boat and have figured out the rest of the game. Check out the drLaser site, specifically this article : http://www.drlaser.org/NEWRIG-sys.html

A new sail is big $$$ and at this point in your learning curve I would put it after sail controls, ditto for the hull. In wind under 10-12 knots, a new sail is not going to make that much difference over an older sail in reasonable shape. Same thing for the hull. It's only when the breeze and waves come on that it starts to matter and IMHO, they matter less then getting off the starting line and sailing smart up the beats, especially in short races.

Good luck and if you're able to drop by Cedar Point in Westport on a Sunday, come racing with us this fall
 
Welcome Eric,

I was at that regatta, 66451, yellow hull. You started off with a toughie regatta, both in flukey winds, with velocity, as well as angle changes. I had scores from 2 to 26, and I'm a Lake (Champlain) sailor, so should be ok with flukey, etc, but that was another level, lol.. That fleet was DEEP too, the top 10 all have 20-30 years of experience, and some World class resumes. So, welcome, and keep trying.

I am a proponent of doing the cheap upgrades, to get the old boats going, the new high ratio's but using the old cleats. See my posts on this subject. I did leave that regatta thinking this might be wrong, as we needed to power up/down every minute, but had heard from Tim (2nd overall), that it wasn't possible to shift gears fast enough to match these velocity variances. A too tight vang was no good though, as you needed to power up so often.

I do agree with Gregg that the start was more important than your estimate. Your logical brain may say, well, I'm 10 BL behind, but the reality is you are now 30th, and working your way back up (thru!) the fleet/dirty air, amongst some very good boats.

So, the gear is not the problem, time in the boat is what matters. That said, I'd start with a bailer. I never opened mine, except between races, as it doesn't work upwind, only when on a fast reach/run, but I would just "kick" out some on the runs. It does "fair" your bottom, so is worth it. See my posts re. vang, other upgrades, ofrcome see my boat in the spring.

A new sail is not going to help, although a newer sail may. Lake sailing (light) wants a slightly used sail, so ask the hot shots about their year old sails. With a medium sail, your discussions will make more sense, because the hotshots will be talking about how to trim a new sail, etc.

And, time in the boat, is the only real answer. You have a very good crowd there at LM. so do as they do. Listen, learn, and sail! And forget the idea that reaching another level of Laser Masters sailing will help, such as GM or whatever. That just means your competitors just have another 5-10 years of experience!, lol.

Save Tuesdays to race at MBBC on Lake Champlain. It's only 2 hrs or so, nothing for a future addict?

Enjoy,

Al Russell 66451
 
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