My dad has an old laser and I have just left oppies, and am (hopefully) going to start sailing laser 4.7s soon using his old boat. Since I will be racing it competitively, I was wondering if there would be much weight difference between the weight of his older boat and a newer one.
Weight difference?
- Thread starter Kangaroo
- Start date
Kangaroo said:
If the boat has inspection ports, try leaving it in a sunny place with the inspection ports open for a month -- mine lost quite a few pounds that way.
with that said, on an older boat hull stiffness is probably a bigger deal than weight. You want the force of the sail to go into driving the boat forward, not into flexing the hull over every wave.
49208
Tentmaker
rerun said:
Please explain why there would be.
Merrily
Administrator
49208 said:
An older boat gains weight when the fiberglass soaks up water from either spider cracks on the gel coat or from being wet inside from leaky bailers, drain in transom accidentally left open, or a crack somewhere that lets water in.
Laser of the Corn
Member
Depending on the age of the boat it may have foam flotation blocks within the hull. After some time they may begin to absorb water if the boat is not "dry." Through any inspection ports you may have check the hull for the "blocks" and for water and go from there.
49208
Tentmaker
Sorry, I didn't use any emoticons, I should have.
I'll try and be a little more direct.
It does not matter the age of the boat as far as gaining weight. A newer boat will soak up water and gain weight as well as an old boat given the same defects.
So, if the older boat does not leak, there is no reason at all to say that it would weigh more then a new boat, especially in the emphatic way that rerun said. I have a mid 70's hull that weighs exactly the same as my '02.
Even if one hull does weigh more because of wet laminate or soggy foam core in the deck, when given the chance to dry out, it will lose that weight and return to it's original dry weight.
I'll try and be a little more direct.
It does not matter the age of the boat as far as gaining weight. A newer boat will soak up water and gain weight as well as an old boat given the same defects.
So, if the older boat does not leak, there is no reason at all to say that it would weigh more then a new boat, especially in the emphatic way that rerun said. I have a mid 70's hull that weighs exactly the same as my '02.
Even if one hull does weigh more because of wet laminate or soggy foam core in the deck, when given the chance to dry out, it will lose that weight and return to it's original dry weight.
computeroman2
Member
Competitive hull weight is 130-135 lbs. Under 130 is illegal and over 140 is heavy.
to dry it out, leave it in the sun and put a computer fan or the like inside the hull to increase circluation.
to dry it out, leave it in the sun and put a computer fan or the like inside the hull to increase circluation.