Traditional Outhaul Sailing?

I

Islander

New Member
Hi Folks,

I am brand new to this forum after being away from sailing for over 20 years. Good fortune brought me a traditionally rigged Laser to keep indefinitely for a friend, so now I have a few questions. I hope you all will bear with me through this reintroduction to this fine little sailboat, as I never was that proficient as a youngster. I appreciate all the information on this forum and may need a bit more time to master the search facility. In any case, I could not find an answer to the following question, which some will no doubt see as quite common sense. However, as with mosts sports, the common sense answer is not always the best answer, and so...

Using the classic rigged outhaul, how do I slack the clew, just reach up to the cleat and pull up the line?

Thanks!
Mike
Charleston, SC
Serial number ZFS76352M79J

P.S. Any idea what date this hull is? I assume early 80s.
 
Your boat's sail number is 76352, which makes it registered as 1980. Not sure what the M79J relates to as the key available here only goes from A to L. It's a common enough question but one I can't recall the answer to.

As for the outhaul, I've never used just the jamcleat on the boom by itself. It should be really quite easy to rig up a way of running it to the deck without getting too complicated - a bit of extra line and an 19mm pulley would do it. You'll have real trouble adjusting the outhaul underway in anything above ten knots as it stands.
 
Chainsaw said:
Your boat's sail number is 76352, which makes it registered as 1980. Not sure what the M79J relates to as the key available here only goes from A to L. It's a common enough question but one I can't recall the answer to.

As for the outhaul, I've never used just the jamcleat on the boom by itself. It should be really quite easy to rig up a way of running it to the deck without getting too complicated - a bit of extra line and an 19mm pulley would do it. You'll have real trouble adjusting the outhaul underway in anything above ten knots as it stands.
Click to expand...

Hi Chainsaw,

I think I read somewhere that the letters represent months in a fiscal year that runs from Sep-Aug. I saw that I = April, so figured J = May. I thought the M79 meant built in 79. How did you get 1980 from my sail number?

Back to the main topic, I appreciate your reply. I will definitely run a system at least near the vang if not into the cockpit. I'm probably not going to be changing sail tension that much in the near future, other than adjusting the cunningham a bit. Not into racing, just high wind fun! I used to just tighten everything tight and go out when we got a good blow.

Best, and thanks again,
Mike

P.S. It is only a matter of time & money until I succomb to the modern system.
 
Islander said:
Hi Folks,

... just reach up to the cleat and pull up the line?
Click to expand...


Basically that's what you do.

Preferably done while the boom is sheeted in, i.e. upwind, and when there is less pressure in the sail.

On a downwind course I just grab the boom (sheeting in would be too slow) and try to uncleat and release it quickly. Can be tricky.
 
Der_Dude said:
Basically that's what you do.

Preferably done while the boom is sheeted in, i.e. upwind, and when there is less pressure in the sail.

On a downwind course I just grab the boom (sheeting in would be too slow) and try to uncleat and release it quickly. Can be tricky.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dude,

That is basically what I remember, but it was 20 years ago so I wanted to make sure.

Best,
Mick
 
On my newly bought Laser, I've rigged the outhaul from the clew down to the back of the boom (there's a pulley), then forward to the cleat on the middle of the boom, there's a bowline on the boom, but should that bowline also go through the clew too, to hold it level with the boom at all times?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top