Judging a laser?

N

NZsailor123

New Member
Hi,

I was just recently introduced to the most good looking laser I have seen in a while from one of my friends. He's selling it and all of its gear, sails, masts...everything for 3500 its an amazing deal but I cant tell if it racing class. How do I find out if hes not selling just beacuse its a bad racing laser? Its from 2001 but it looks like it's a week old. Is there a person I can get to review the laser because my dad knows next to nothing about sailing/racing but I really cant tell if its good enough to race...

-Matt
 
All lasers are built the same. Unless it's been holed and poorly repaired or the mast step was ripped out for some weird reason it should be just fine. It's only 4 years old. Weigh the hull only on a scale. It should weigh less than 135 lbs. If the guy is your friend he probably won't hose you w/a bad boat.
 
ask him to take it for a sail. See if it takes on water. Feel for soft spots, especially on the deck and cockpit walls. To compare the bottom "hardness," you'll have to compare it to a new boat. It's too young to be soft most likely. Offer 3300 or less, but the boat could easily sell at the asking price. Never offer so low that you offend the seller. I have noticed that when selling to friends, either the seller gives them a really good deal, or they get a little more than the boat is actually worth because the trust built up. Check out the sail before determining the price. -Tom
it is most likely almost perfect. The only people that I know that always need to have a boat under 2 years old are the people who psychologically need to rule out that they aren't being slow because of equipment. Too many times have I seen people with 1980's boats crush entire fleets. Granted, the boat probably wasn't raced hard in its early life. I have heard though if you sail a boat all the time (like 4 seasons) and race it really hard, you can wear them out pretty quickly.
 
NZsailor123 said:
Hi,

I was just recently introduced to the most good looking laser I have seen in a while from one of my friends. He's selling it and all of its gear, sails, masts...everything for 3500 its an amazing deal but I cant tell if it racing class. How do I find out if hes not selling just beacuse its a bad racing laser? Its from 2001 but it looks like it's a week old. Is there a person I can get to review the laser because my dad knows next to nothing about sailing/racing but I really cant tell if its good enough to race...

-Matt
Click to expand...
that is about the avrage price on a used laser. I would sugest looking the hull over becose very often laser hulls will expand and start to crack. i would also look at its sail a crisp sail is always good also chech if theres no cracks in the blades other wise if thats all good go for it
 
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