Newbie question capsizing and mast bending.

pbr3232

New Member
I am quite new to sailing but would like to get a Laser. The main question I have is what happens say if you are speeding right along and you capsize. Can the mast dig into the water and bend back causing damage to the hull and the mast. I have been watching Lasers on You Tube capsizing at high speed and it hard to tell what happens. Any imformation much appreciated.

Thanks

Peter
 
Only the most extreme capsizes will damage the mast. 99.9% of the time you'll just get back upright and carry on without any problems.

The only exception to this is if its shallow water. At my club you cannot fully invert the boat as the mast gets stuck in the mud. Still doesn't usually cause any damage (other than a big brown stain at the top of the sail) unless its particularly windy and a particularly fast capsize.
 
its unlikely you will damage you boat on a capsize, even in high winds I have yet to break anything from capsizing.
 
I'd echo what other people have said and add that the one mast I've broken didn't break due to capsizing (just very heavy wind). It also wasn't on a Laser.
 
The concern regarding the deck being damaged is if the mast step fails, can be when sailing.

Many threads on this topic.
 

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