Laser 2 vang same as Laser 1?

[RyanM]

Picked up an older Laser 2 that was missing the kicker/vang blocks. I'm having a hard time finding ones specifically for Laser 2 though I'm noticing it looks to be an almost identical setup to the Laser 1? Would what I found below work?

http://www.intensitysails.com/orstvablforl.html

Also while looking around this forum for info, I've seen some complaints about the original vang setups.. is there something I should be upgrading to instead? Keep in mind this is just a beach boat to learn on.

Thanks

 

[whitfit]

Not the same - I am working from memory here, but I think there was one more purchase, and a bit of a better quality of blocks. But, it was a jam cleat, like the old laser vang.

The boom vang is not as troublesome on the Laser II as the Laser, because (1) you are two people, so the crew can haul on it, (2) you don't need to put as much vang on, and (3) you are not racing.

To add to that, although it isn't as bad on the Laser II, it still is a sub-optimal set up. If you aren't racing, and don't need to stick to class legal setups, you can get any combination of blocks with a cleat that work. Ask at a knowledgeable boat shop, and they should be able to set you up with something. I recently bought a good setup with Harken blocks that included a cam cleat at one end for a boat I needed a vang for, and that wasn't restricted. I would do that, and to be honest, for learning, the old school Laser vang would probably work fine, though it isn't optimal.

The Harken 4:1 small boat setup here: http://www.apsltd.com/c-1114-traditionalvangs.aspx would probably be great, with the addition of a vang key to go in the boom. But, not necessary, and the 4:1 dinghy setup on that page would probably be closer to the original Laser II setup and work just peachy for your purposes (again, I think you'd also want the vang key).

 

[KeithP]

Here's a snap of the original vang that came with our Laser2.

It was made by RWO with 4:1 purchase. The vang key and jam cleat are stamped as part of the steel. It works just fine for learning.