I'm a laser owner... Again.

Chuso007

Member
Hi all,

I haven't posted in over a decade, I had to move and sold the laser, but I've been thinking about getting one for a while and finally it's here.

I don't know how old it is (very old I suppose) but it looks good enough. The different guides to date her haven't been very helpful so far. This is what I know:

The hull number is engraved on the transom (in negative, as if you were looking into a mirror) and covered with a silver sticker. I had to use the old paper and pencil trick to find out what the numbers were.

The number reads: AYI06952 or AY106952

The grab rails are made of wood.

Previous owner bought it second hand 18 years ago.

Probably made in Europe.

If it's hull number 6952, it's VERY old, I'd be surprised... But I would also be surprised if it was 106952 with wooden rails.

It could be missing a number, but I dont's think so. Any ideas? I'll try to get some pictures later.

It's nice to be back! Cheers!

Chuso
 
Interesting. The backward transom code is especially weird, and doesn't point to Europe really. Lasers have been built in Europe in England, Ireland and Switzerland, and they all had the sail number under the bow eye until 1983-ish. Something makes me think it might be a very early Australian boat... or not a Laser at all.

Waiting for the pictures. Sail markings (number, tack label, insignia), hull colour, foil material (wood or foam), rudder fitting material (stainless or plastic), other fittings?
 
I can't post pictures now from my phone, but I spent all morning cleaning her up... Later today I will.

It has some issues but I'm definitely going enojy this boat, there's somethinf loose inside I think, weird since it has no portholes.

I'm puzzled about the age too...

Thanks for your reply
 
Checking the "AYI" hull ID code against American manufactureres, I get this:

ADVENTURE YACHTS INC

MIC: AYI Status: Inactive
Company: ADVENTURE YACHTS INC Company Official: JUTTE, PATRICK
Parent Company:
Parent MIC:
Previous Company 1: CAMET INTERNATIONAL (OOB)
Previous Company 2: ALAX YACHTS(OOB)
Previous Company 3:

Previous Company 4:

Address: 1220 WESTLAKE AVENUE NORTH City: SEATTLE
State: WA Zip: 98109
Country:
Phone: 2062833010
Fax: 2062838611 In Business: 4/8/1985
Out of Business: 5/4/2010 Date Modified: 5/6/2010
Type: Importers
Inboards, Cabin Cruisers
Addtional Address: FACTORY: PRESIDENT MARINE LTD TAIWAN & SYMBOL YACHTS TAIWAN POC E-MAIL: [email protected]

I'm pretty sure they never made Lasers.
 
I can't post pictures now from my phone, but I spent all morning cleaning her up... Later today I will.

It has some issues but I'm definitely going enojy this boat, there's somethinf loose inside I think, weird since it has no portholes.

I'm puzzled about the age too...

Thanks for your reply

That something loose inside are probably the cubitainer floatation devices. They are there to give the hull some positive buoyancy should it get filled with water.
 
ADVENTURE YACHTS INC
City:
SEATTLE
In Business: 4/8/1985
Out of Business: 5/4/2010
Type: Importers
Addtional Address: FACTORY: PRESIDENT MARINE LTD TAIWAN & SYMBOL YACHTS TAIWAN POC E-MAIL: [email protected]
If this information is relevant, it points towards a Taiwanese Laser copy. One making its way to Galicia through a Seattle dealer is pretty far-fetched though.
 
Wow, I didn't see that one coming... Taiwan? Really? a copy?

Don't tell anyone!!:cool:

Here are the pics...

The "plate:

IMG_20171216_104542.jpg



IMG_20171216_103921.jpg
IMG_20171216_104516.jpg
IMG_20171216_115958.jpg
IMG_20171216_115945.jpg
 
Looks like the real thing close-up. Colour + general condition points towards the 1980s. The cockpit rails are obviously a later, homebuilt replacement. The lack of the normal identification features is strange; on a European-built boat of that period, there should be some markings under the bow eye, as well as a plate on the back wall of the cockpit. And nothing on the transom... I read the sticker as "AYI00852" backwards, but that wouldn't be any less cryptic. It could be a red herring anyway, having nothing to do with the origin and number of the hull.

What's on the sail? What do the control systems look like?
 
Looks like the real thing close-up. Colour + general condition points towards the 1980s. The cockpit rails are obviously a later, homebuilt replacement. The lack of the normal identification features is strange; on a European-built boat of that period, there should be some markings under the bow eye, as well as a plate on the back wall of the cockpit. And nothing on the transom... I read the sticker as "AYI00852" backwards, but that wouldn't be any less cryptic. It could be a red herring anyway, having nothing to do with the origin and number of the hull.

What's on the sail? What do the control systems look like?

I know the sail has no numbers and no button.
IMG_20171217_023115.jpg


It came only with the vang, nothing else. The rudder is not legal (nautos Brasil)
IMG_20171213_201211.jpg

The daggerboard is legal (but bent at the tip)
 
Looks awesome! Plenty competitive.
Get a new (replica) sail, flip your top section and join your local fleet.
You'll have the time of your life!
E
Thanks!

I will be doing some racing in the future (I hope) So I'm not sure if I'll get a new replica or a used legal sail. It depends on whether I get a good deal. I can always buy the replica and borrow a sail from the club for racing... It's not like I'm going to beat all this youngsters out there or anything...
 
The "Computer cut" text on the sail label points to the mid- or late 1980s. I believe that that type of cunningham eye was changed to the current one in 1985 or '86. There were no buttons yet at the time. The sail number might actually be 106952, which would make it a 1983 boat.
But then there's "Camet International", which brings us back to torrid's post:
Checking the "AYI" hull ID code against American manufacturers, I get this:

ADVENTURE YACHTS INC

Previous Company 1: CAMET INTERNATIONAL (OOB)
City: SEATTLE
Least unlikely scenario: Adventure/Camet is a Laser dealer in Seattle, and gets their own code backwards on the transom on one of their boats (which was likely built in Canada). After many years, the boat ends up in Spain.
I would take the sticker off to see if there are more, possibly very subtle clues...

The rudder is, as you said, very fake. (I've never seen a plywood "Laser" rudder blade before. It's probably very flat, too.)

Plenty competitive.
Get a new (replica) sail, flip your top section and join your local fleet.
You know what I think about this.
I'll just say that the community standards of racing with illegal equipment may be very different in Spain than in your region.
 
Lali, your knowledge is impressive, thanks a lot.

I don't think I'll ever buy a new legal sail, I find them stupidly expensive for what they are and at 44, and not completely sure my knees and back will be as enthused about the laser as the rest of my body, I'm more into having a blast with the local master sailors than competing against the young guns.

On the oter hand, this is Vigo, we always have good events. Galician regional championship will be here in october and the Euromasters as well (not that I'm planning on participating but...)
 
The "Computer cut" text on the sail label points to the mid- or late 1980s. I believe that that type of cunningham eye was changed to the current one in 1985 or '86. There were no buttons yet at the time. The sail number might actually be 106952, which would make it a 1983 boat.
But then there's "Camet International", which brings us back to torrid's post:Least unlikely scenario: Adventure/Camet is a Laser dealer in Seattle, and gets their own code backwards on the transom on one of their boats (which was likely built in Canada). After many years, the boat ends up in Spain.
I would take the sticker off to see if there are more, possibly very subtle clues...

If CAMET put their own code, where's the builder's? I will take the sticker off and see it there's any other clue...
 
If CAMET put their own code, where's the builder's?
That's the question. Like torrid, I'm pretty sure no Lasers were ever built in Seattle. However, in 1983 Laser production was in a crisis after the bankruptcy of the original parent company. It's at least thinkable that this messed up the coding for some boats.
this is Vigo, we always have good events. Galician regional championship will be here in october and the Euromasters as well (not that I'm planning on participating but...)
Funny thing, I noticed just last week about the Masters Championship being there... and of course thinking, why not? It's only a 4000 km drive after all :D
 
For the record, I don't think the AYI of the company I found from Seattle has anything to do with the AYI from the hull ID on Chuso's boat. However, Camet showing up in both places is a strange coincidence.
 
For what it's worth, fake Lasers were being built in USSR / Russia at one stage, one of these making its way to Spain is far more likely than from different continent with the wrong makings
 
fake Lasers were being built in USSR / Russia at one stage
Yes, and this was one possibility that I had in mind, but not anymore after seeing the pictures. The Soviet version of the Laser was/is called the "Lutz", and in Soviet times they were built in Tallinn, Estonia. I have seen several live, and they're pretty easy to spot, mainly by their curved deck, different anti-skid texture and Harken-ish blocks.
 
Funny thing, I noticed just last week about the Masters Championship being there... and of course thinking, why not? It's only a 4000 km drive after all :D

You can use my boat...:p
For the record, I don't think the AYI of the company I found from Seattle has anything to do with the AYI from the hull ID on Chuso's boat. However, Camet showing up in both places is a strange coincidence.

I'll make a few questions to the previous owner, He's half kiwi, so who knows...
 
You can use my boat...:p
Thanks, but I think you should race it yourself! And if you don't have all legal/working parts by then, I can bring with me what you need, at a very good price :D

(Ok, there's maybe only a 10 % chance that I'll actually show up. But it would be really cool to sail in your home waters.)
 
BTW, I have no idea how am I going to get rid of the cunningham padeye that's epoxied to the deck.

Would it be illegal to tie a couple of blocks to it and use it as a plate? Would it work?
 
I have no idea how am I going to get rid of the cunningham padeye that's epoxied to the deck.
A hammer should do it quite easily :D Some gelcoat will probably come off, but that can always be filled in.
Would it be illegal to tie a couple of blocks to it and use it as a plate?
Yes. But you can run both the cunningham and the outhaul lines through the fairlead! It would be a bit crowded there, though, as you have to have the mast retention line attached there as well.
 
A hammer should do it quite easily :D Some gelcoat will probably come off, but that can always be filled in.
Yes. But you can run both the cunningham and the outhaul lines through the fairlead! It would be a bit crowded there, though, as you have to have the mast retention line attached there as well.

The hammer is a good idea... If I can take the screws out first! I suspect it wont be the case.

I'll see what I can do.
 
Don't waste your time, (waiting on parts) and money on class legal parts. Get the aftermarket stuff from someone like Intensity Sails and get on the water! If you decide to get serious, (and LP gets their act together) then start working on the class legal parts. If you do decide to race your local group should not take issue with you using aftermarket parts for the local non-GP events. Have fun!
 
I got a great deal on an Allen XD Cunningham/outhaul Power pack on a local shop (it looks like it's been there for a few years...) and yesterday I bought a second hand Holt vang system and a bailer...

I need a tiller extension and I think I'm ready to sail with the almost destroyed standard sail that came with the boat. I'll try to find some used radial base and sail in the near future.

In a week or two I'll be sailing, I hope.

Thanks to all of you for the help, although I still don't know which is the correct hull number...
 
Excellent work! You can keep it inexpensive AND class legal when you pick up used gear! There's some great opportunities for that on the classifieds section here. Good thinking! You may hit a snag on the "little things" like daggerboard brakes, deck cleats and some of the other small parts that do not lend themselves well on the used item list. That's where you may need to check out the aftermarket parts just to get a part. Keep it up. You'll be on the water in no time.
 
Excellent work! You can keep it inexpensive AND class legal when you pick up used gear! There's some great opportunities for that on the classifieds section here. Good thinking! You may hit a snag on the "little things" like daggerboard brakes, deck cleats and some of the other small parts that do not lend themselves well on the used item list. That's where you may need to check out the aftermarket parts just to get a part. Keep it up. You'll be on the water in no time.

Thanks a lot Rob, I'm going to open another thread regarding some gelcoat work I've noticed is needed on the hull, (no, it won't keep me on the dry...)
 
I still don't know which is the correct hull number...
Some of the details which we've discussed above point to a somewhat newer boat, but you might as well go with 106952 when that's all you've got. I thought of another (probably very weak) lead that I could follow; I'll post the results here if anything interesting surfaces.

Do you need a rudder blade/head?
 
Some of the details which we've discussed above point to a somewhat newer boat, but you might as well go with 106952 when that's all you've got. I thought of another (probably very weak) lead that I could follow; I'll post the results here if anything interesting surfaces.

Do you need a rudder blade/head?
I will need one eventually, because mine is illegal. Actually the head is the one on ILCA's website shown as an example of illegal. :D (Nautos Brasil)

And the blade... Judge yourself (sorry for the bad picture)
IMG_20171213_201211.jpg
 

Back
Top