Old Laser help requested?

Curious where should I look for the hull number?
Very early North American boats and European boats until about 1983: under the bow eye. European boats from about 1983, and all boats from 1992 on: plaque or sticker on the aft wall of the cockpit. Most other boats: transom. These need not to be exclusive, so North American boats since '92 have had the number both in the cockpit and as part of the HIN code on the transom.

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My brother has a sailing school and is often delivered boats for free. A boat quite derelict is a Laser, we found a dinged up daggerboard (mahogany) and have been slowly restoring it.

Was always curious about the hull number, my first Laser had the number stamped on the transom +11,000 series. That was long ago!

Curious where should I look for the hull number?

Av

this is what I used to figure out the sail number. You have to follow the link on the page that goes to Dr Lasers fAQ page. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t.

 
First time sailing since the cockpit drain hole repair.

water in the cockpit. But no water in the boat hull!!!! So the flex seal in the cockpit hole crack works for now.

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new lines. Picked up a new sail from vela sailing.

So not bad for $200 for the boat and trailer.
$69 for the standard laser line set from westcoastsailing
$395 for the new class legal laser sail $20 for the numbers and $20 for the cockpit brass bushing that wasn’t used.

$14 for the pint of flex seal (<1cc used). $8 for the 10cc syringe (10 syringes) and $15 for the 14ga needle (50 needles)

$30 for the bunk carpet using scrap 2x4s to replace the trailer bunks. And $75 for trailer registration $230 for a new axle hubs and new tires (the tires were 40 years old and the axle and bearings had no grease in them)

working on points of sail with the kid. Practiced tacking and gybing. Learning how to deal with thepowerboats when we have to wait in line to trailer.

As we sail more I’ll eventually replace the main sheet block/clear combo that came with the boat with a Harken block that I remember using 20 years ago. I’m hating that the main sheet gets tangled up in cam cleat.
 
My brother has a sailing school and is often delivered boats for free. A boat quite derelict is a Laser, we found a dinged up daggerboard (mahogany) and have been slowly restoring it.

Was always curious about the hull number, my first Laser had the number stamped on the transom +11,000 series. That was long ago!

Curious where should I look for the hull number?

Av
So the hull number, under the bowline eye pad is 365. I have taped it off and we are going to respray the deck. Is there any database for further information, racing history and such.

We have removed all the hardware and the plan is to rig it to a more modern standard. Go out and have fun on it!

Thank you!

Av
 
woodreau that is awesome, and the smile says it all. Good on you and your son. I have a feeling that many more upgrades are in your future as you get better, but that is the (secret) joy of sailing. Love that the Flex Seal worked, it's the 21st century epoxy! :rolleyes: Intensity Sails sell a practice MKII sail for $150-ish, and they have good deals on other parts, if needed.
Skål!
 
i wonder if it would have been better to use epoxy resin rather than flex seal.

im discovering that although the initial buy in was inexpensive, it’s starting to become the black hole that money keeps disappear in, even for such a simple craft...

I now need battens as the old battens for the elvstrom sail doesn’t fit in the replacement sail that I got. It sailed fine without the battens, but the wind was extremely light.
 
I mean, you have to have some winter projects now that you have a boat, right? I would let the enthusiasm from your son dictate the level and needs for the upgrades, and enjoy the remaining good sailing weather. If he starts getting real good, then you might be looking for a 2nd boat and dual trailer option like I've seen posted here before. I'm actually jealous that I didn't get the chance to show my son the joys of sailing when he was younger.
Skål!
 
i wonder if it would have been better to use epoxy resin rather than flex seal.

im discovering that although the initial buy in was inexpensive, it’s starting to become the black hole that money keeps disappear in, even for such a simple craft...

I now need battens as the old battens for the elvstrom sail doesn’t fit in the replacement sail that I got. It sailed fine without the battens, but the wind was extremely light.

1. I use West Systems 105 resin epoxy for all my repairs.
2. Boat = break out another thousand
The good news is that Lasers can be enjoyed on a tight budget.
3. If the battens are long you can cut them down with a hack saw. Buy end caps or sand the sharp edges and wrap in electrical tape. If you need another set of battens you can buy stock and cut them to length. Probably cheaper than buying a set.
You’ll definitely be chasing leaks in the old hull. But doing your own repairs an save a lot of cash. The alternative is paying more upfront for a much newer boat.
 
1. I use West Systems 105 resin epoxy for all my repairs.

so would I mix the 105 with 205 and inject it into the crack like I did the flex seal? would I add a filler like 406 to put into a crack like I had or just use the 105 mixed with 205 with nothing else mixed in?
I’ve never worked with fiberglass before so thats where my hesitation was and why I went with flexseal. There was nothing to mix. But ill need to work with it at some point to work on some exposed fiberglass that I think I’ll need to take care of eventually.

3. If the battens are long you can cut them down with a hack saw. Buy end caps or sand the sharp edges and wrap in electrical tape. If you need another set of battens you can buy stock and cut them to length. Probably cheaper than buying a set.

why did I lack the imagination to think of that? That’s an elegant solution me thinks. Thank you. I’ll be breaking out the hacksaw tomorrow.

I mean, you have to have some winter projects now that you have a boat, right? I would let the enthusiasm from your son dictate the level and needs for the upgrades, and enjoy the remaining good sailing weather. If he starts getting real good, then you might be looking for a 2nd boat and dual trailer option like I've seen posted here before. I'm actually jealous that I didn't get the chance to show my son the joys of sailing when he was younger.
Skål!

i think I’m done with spending more on the boat for now. Now it’s just maintaining it and chasing down leaks.
in addition to sailing, im also looking into taking him up in a glider and soaring. Sailing = soaring. Trying to fly using nothing but what nature provides to fly. That is also something that is equally rewarding as sailing well.
 
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so would I mix the 105 with 205 and inject it into the crack like I did the flex seal? would I add a filler like 406 to put into a crack like I had or just use the 105 mixed with 205 with nothing else mixed in?
I’ve never worked with fiberglass before so thats where my hesitation was and why I went with flexseal. There was nothing to mix. But ill need to work with it at some point to work on some exposed fiberglass that I think I’ll need to take care of eventually.

1. First, if the flex seal is holding then I would leave it alone. You can do the soap test on the hull to find leaks. No leak, no problem. Go sail. If the flex seal is leaking then dig it out. Clean off the surface with some sand paper then acetone. You don’t need a syringe necessarily. Tape off adjacent areas with painters tape. Mix 105 without filler. One pump is all you need for that repair. Small yogurt cup and popsicle stick works well for mixing. Using the stirring stick, let the resin run into the damaged area. After the area is wetted out you can thicken the remainder of resin in the cup with the 406 and fill the crack.
2.WestSystem also has Six10 thickened epoxy in a rube, as well as GFlex.
3. they have great tech support. Read or call them for advice.

 
I now need battens as the old battens for the elvstrom sail doesn’t fit in the replacement sail that I got.
This makes no sense. The battens have been (as far as I know) the same from day one, and even the pockets on the latest MKIs should be the same, "classic" cut.

Don't touch the hacksaw until you've measured them: top batten max 400 mm, the two others max 600 mm, including the end plugs.

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This makes no sense. The battens have been (as far as I know) the same from day one, and even the pockets on the latest MKIs should be the same, "classic" cut.

Don't touch the hacksaw until you've measured them: top batten max 400 mm, the two others max 600 mm, including the end plugs.

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the battens that we got when we bought the boat didn’t look like Laser battens but they fit in the elvstrom sail. (#640) The sail was very worn and had been patched many times and while I didn’t measure the pockets on the sail, the battens fit that sail.



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when I tried to put them in the new sail they wouldn’t fit in the pocket. at first I removed the batten end caps and tried to insert them, they still wouldn't fit. But I didn’t want the exposed ends in the sail either. So went sailing without the battens. In the photo of our Laser rigged on the trailer, the top batten is installed in its pocket, the middle and bottom batten pockets are empty - because neither batten fit.

I measured them and they are 24.5 inches or 623mm. So they are 23mm too long
it looks like one of the battens is using electrical tape as the end cap anyways so I’ll just remove the tape, cut off the extra 23mm and retape the batten.
 
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Ok, those clearly aren't Laser battens. Do what you need to do to them.

What we learn about this: always get a set of battens with a new sail. (I bought two sets the last time.) Having too many of them is rarely a problem :rolleyes:

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