Clydesdale in a Laser

uacatz

New Member
I spoke with Vanguard and they said the max crew weight for the Laser would be approx. 250 lbs. I am 6'0, 210 lbs. and would like to give the Laser a go. Has anyone weighing in my range had any performance issues or does the boat still perform well?

Thanks!:D
 
You should be just fine.

In the light stuff, little guys will get past you, but in medium and heavy breeze, you should be able to keep that boat flat and go FAST :)
 
Hi!
Weight is not that big of a deal unless you want to sail at the top level. The general idea is that in heavier air some extra pounds will be an advantage, while in lighter air it will be a disadvantage. Yet, there are top sailors who win light air races while they are heavier then any of the competitors.
Laserites often complain about their weight when they do not perform very well. Mostly it can be regarded as an excuse: there is no crew to blame it on, thus let's blame it on some other factor that is out of your immediate control at this point. There are tons of other excuses for not sailing well (I got this wacky windshift, my bottom is not fast, the wake of a powerboat killed my speed, and so forth and so forth) and I consider weight as one of those excuses. I myself (180) have beaten really light sailors in light air.
A disadvantage of being heavy is that every movement needs to be much smoother. I have seen guys who get nervous or frustrated and move their big * from one side of the boat to the other with the result that the whole rig shakes and the boat speed is pretty much gone. It is always nice to pass those guys and see the frustration increase. On the other hand, with smooth movements you can actually use your weight to your own advantage. I think there is an interview with a heavy weight sailor in Dick Tillman's book, which might be of interest to you.
In any case, you are far from the 250 lbs limit, so start sailing lasers now, so that you don't exceed the limit in a couple of years.

GOOD LUCK!

GWF
 
I'm your exact size and do well in the Laser in heavy and very light conditions. My weakness is the medium/light breeze like 5-8. I always blame my weight, but deep down I know it most likely is not. However, upwind in a breeze I know my weight does provide advantage. Go for it!
 
Is the 250 crew weight limit the limit for racing, or is that the true capacity of the hull? I am about 235, and considering an older Laser just to get back out on the lake (not worried about racing). I'd like to take my son out for a ride every once in a while - but if I put 300 lbs on a Laser will I need a periscope? I seem to remember my first sailing lessons on a Laser included me (at about 220) and in instructor (at about 140). Maybe that was a Laser 2, but I don't think so.

Thanks,
Jason
 
Jason Levy said:
Is the 250 crew weight limit the limit for racing, or is that the true capacity of the hull? I am about 235, and considering an older Laser just to get back out on the lake (not worried about racing). I'd like to take my son out for a ride every once in a while - but if I put 300 lbs on a Laser will I need a periscope? I seem to remember my first sailing lessons on a Laser included me (at about 220) and in instructor (at about 140). Maybe that was a Laser 2, but I don't think so.

Thanks,
Jason

You and your son will be quite happy in a Laser - I've sailed with both my sons at the same time and we were in the 330 lbs range.
 
Jason,

They guys at Vanguard were speaking of racing when they gave the upper limit of 250 lbs.

--Billy
 
uacatz said:
Jason,

They guys at Vanguard were speaking of racing when they gave the upper limit of 250 lbs.

--Billy

So that's racing. You can knock around with a lot more. At my club, they used to put 2 on a Laser for sailing classes, just so it wouldn't be too wild a ride, I guess.
 
Two people in a laser can be pretty wild. I remember when I was young we had a regatta and it was blowing stink. One of my friends who was even lighter than me decided to bring some balast in the form of one of his friends. When he himself fell out of the boat it became clear that his ballast friend had never been on a boat before. His boat became an out of control rocket, which was an immediate threat to all of us, but most of all to himself. He ended up crashing into the dock. No one was hurt.
We had great fun though other times, sailing the boat with three people, trying to capsize it and loose the others, so that you would win the boat for yourself (after which you would pick up the others, of course). Not bad for developing some skills...
GWF
 
3 people on a Laser? Definitely would need a periscope for that! Well, I really have no intention to race unless the local fleet has a higher average weight than most. Anyway, I just want to get out there and have some fun while improving my skills. My last boat (a Hunter 26.5) showed me how much work I really need on the fundamentals - and how much more I enjoy sailing smaller, simpler boats.

I don't plan to bring my son out all that often, but once in a while I think that he'd enjoy it. Maybe he'll get the bug early and I can get him something more his size like an optimist.

Jason
 
Re: Clydesdale in a Laser-The more the Merrier

My record is 5 people on the laster while in high school. I actual fell off the back because it was so cramped during a tack.

Three adults in 5 foot waves after a tropical storm was awsome, the waves crashing over the deck did sweep my friends wife right off, no you see you, now you don't......

With one adult on the bow, you can submarine three foot waves and with any luck you can get the waves to waqsh clean over the deck.

Does any of this help the boat structurally-not really, but she can take it as we did it many times over many years to the same boat.

My very first ride was in the summer before 8th grade, my dad bought me a new 1977 laser, we got on, (combbined we were 310-330), we launced off the beach, caught a gust on a beam reach, hit the wave coming in to the beach and launched the boat into the air...All I could do was smile.......I still have that boat. Your son will love it.
 
You got me beat by a mile, I had 11 teens on my 17 foot Islander (daysailer type) and the centerboard cable hole in the inner hull was under the new water line,......She gets a little sluggish under those conditions, took and hour to bail it out. 19 wow.
 

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