First ride

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psychonurse91325

New Member
Hi guys, my friend and I took my newly purchased used Laser for her maiden voyage. We decided to get our see legs on a Lake Castiac. It is a small lake about 40minutes drive from Los Angeles. We got to lake and it was perfect. Just a slight breeze. Within 15 minutes wind was howling. Water temp in lake around 48 degrees Farienhiet. My buddy is an experienced sailer. I am not. He wasn't fazed by the wind factor. I was. I was actually having second thoughts about getting in the boat. I summoned up the courage and went with him. Very cool ride I must say. He dropped me off and took it out alone. I wasn't going to push my luck. Five minutes into his ride he capsized. No wetsuit. Needless to say I was very happy with my choice. He did not look happy after his experience. We agreed summer is the time to take her out. I look foward to warm water and sunny days to have fun with the boat. As I put the boat back on the dolly and pushed it back to the garage I noticed that there is now water in the boat. I undid the drain plug on the outside lower portion of stern and tilted the boat back. Some water came out but not all. Do I need to get someone to help be stand the boat completely upright to clear it of all water. Also wondering how the water got into the boat. I don't see any cracks or holes anywhere. Thanks in advance for any help.
 
you can put a pad or your lifejacket under the stern, open the stern plug, and lift the bow of the boat for a minute. ask someone to see if it has all drained. after you have checked all points of entry : mast step, cockpit, cockpit drain, centerboard well, the entire hull for a hole or crack, the entire deck and along the gunwhale lip. after that you can search on this site for instructions a soap bubble test. it will show if you have a leak in the hull. good luck.
 
Did the boat turtle? Because if it did there is a small vent hole underneath the hiking strap and if the boat turtled it is possible that the vent could have taken in some water. At least it was in a fresh water lake.
 
If you don't find a leak with the soap bubble test, remove all through hull hardware and reinstall using fresh caulk.
 
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