Real Family Values

AQBill

AQBill

Active Member
Dear Laser Forum Members,
I'm responsible for the repair and upkeep of 10 Club Boats for my sailing Club (Muscle Shoals Sailing Club in Alabama). Among these are two 1980s vintage Lasers that have had their mast steps and nearby decks ripped asunder. I presume the original mast steps let loose. Is it worth fixing these hulls or should I look to sell off the parts and deep six the hulls. I've heard that the APS kits are a bit of a bear.
Some practical thoughts would be greatly appreciated... Many thanks in advance.

AQBill:confused:
 
Just my .02

I would rebuild it without the kit. I just used the kit, and I think I could have done a better job with just some marine ply and maybe an old hull that I could cut some of the top out of to rebuild with. The mast base is the key, totally rebuild it and glass that sucker in.
 
AQBill said:
Dear Laser Forum Members,
I'm responsible for the repair and upkeep of 10 Club Boats for my sailing Club (Muscle Shoals Sailing Club in Alabama). Among these are two 1980s vintage Lasers that have had their mast steps and nearby decks ripped asunder. I presume the original mast steps let loose. Is it worth fixing these hulls or should I look to sell off the parts and deep six the hulls. I've heard that the APS kits are a bit of a bear.
Some practical thoughts would be greatly appreciated... Many thanks in advance.

AQBill:confused:
Click to expand...

Definitely worth keeping them, the APS kit will save some time if you're not a good craftsman, otherwise you could rebuild them from scratch. Here's some pics of the process, if you search on google you can find a few more tips http://www.vancouver-boat-repair.com/Laser_Maststep_Repair.html , you can make them like new if you fix up the gel coats.
 
I think it is great that you are giving these boats a new lease on life. I dislike waste, and it would be a shame to just cut them up and 86 them in a landfill.

IMHO, the kit is worthwhile if the step has come loose from the bottom of the inside of the hull. The reason I say this is because if the bottom of the tube has moved, then there is probably deck delamination in the tube area (the top of the tube). Therefore, the surrounding area will be soft and will not hold the Cunningham fairlead or the double padeye. The kit will afford you the opportunity to easily access the step for repair and also replace the deck around the tube with something as strong as what was there originally.

If the tube is just leaking at the base, then install a couple of inspection ports and repair the step as seen in a number of threads in this forum.

Best of luck.
 
To me it's a question of how good the rest of the hull is... if they're nice and solid then it's probably worth a bit of glass and elbow grease to restore them.

If they're soft at all..... just ditch 'em.
 
AQBill said:
Dear Laser Forum Members,
I'm responsible for the repair and upkeep of 10 Club Boats for my sailing Club (Muscle Shoals Sailing Club in Alabama). Among these are two 1980s vintage Lasers that have had their mast steps and nearby decks ripped asunder. I presume the original mast steps let loose. Is it worth fixing these hulls or should I look to sell off the parts and deep six the hulls. I've heard that the APS kits are a bit of a bear.
Some practical thoughts would be greatly appreciated... Many thanks in advance.

AQBill:confused:
Click to expand...
cut out the damaged stuff first then take a close look at the rest of the fiberglass check for stress then get a peice of plywood and make it into the same shape as the deck and hold the ply in the same shape with batterns use the ply to then make a new peice of deck but leave about 2" around the outside drill out a hole for the mast and then get a peice of pipe the same outside diamiter as the inside diamiter of a well worn mast step to rebuild the actuall step out around inside the boat will be some wood rottern wood cut it out and make a tounge and groove joint to fit it back with the rest of the wood fiberglass it all in put the deck and socket witch is all one peice at this stage in the boat and fiberglass up the last two inches around the outside by the way you will need an inspection hatch to get your hands inside to glass it up then buy some deck gelcoat to make it look nice and dont forget to gellcoat inside the mast socket.
 
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