Recent content by LaLi

"I want the old type of Laser aluminum tiller extension with the metal swivel that was screwed onto the wooden tiller. Don't need tiller; only extension." Why do you want something old-style on your boat when new parts work better? _

All world-level sailors own dozens of relatively little-used sails which are just a waste of storage space for them. I'd be very surprised if they didn't want to sell any, and at very reasonable prices, too.

Have you contacted any of the top sailors in your area? They go through many sets every season. If I were you I'd ask these guys first: Contact & Help

Take it from a Lightning sailor: a steel centreboard is a very bad idea. The only thing it's good for is hitting rocks at slow to moderate speed. The Lightning centreboard weighs around 50 kg and doesn't add any significant stability. It's just useless weight and a pain to handle. And it...

The rules don't say anything about where to do the penalty turn except "well clear of other boats". In practice, it depends on whether you started prematurely or not. If you were over the line early, then of course you want to come back right away while taking the mark-hitting penalty "as soon...

If you're going to sail singlehanded, then you get a singlehanded boat. Do not listen to anyone who says you can sail a doublehanded boat by yourself. Of course it's technically possible, but it's not very good sailing and makes it harder to learn (I can elaborate if you want). Lasers and...

I think this is much less of a problem than you think it is. It doesn't matter how old the surface is, but that you get the colour close enough. And "close enough" doesn't mean "identical"... the deck and cockpit of my Lightning are clearly light beige- or ivory-coloured, but I've always used...

Why wouldn't you cover just the "polkadots" with gelcoat? That's how my cockpit was done, and you don't see those spots unless you look very closely. I think any other way would be overkill, redoing the whole damned deck massively so. I'd like to see what you have done so far!

How did that work out? I'm sorry that I couldn't help you more with that since I don't know/remember the details of the process. Did you remove any of the foam between the skins? What material(s) did you use to fill the cracks/voids?

I don't know what the Harken pin diameter is, but the class rules say, "The mast tang hole may be drilled to take a larger pin." No measurements given. I'd say it's safe to enlarge the hole to take whatever pin the Harken fitting takes. The Radial isn't a reefed Standard. The different rig...

The tiller is supposed to fit into the rudder head very tightly and be held in place by a very tight downhaul line. You shouldn't rely on the pin to keep it in; most top sailors don't use one at all. Glueing or other permanent attachment is illegal. Taping is ok but don't use duct tape but...

It's a long time since I had mine done, I don't remember and would have to convert from € to CAD, too :D But I assume it would be hundreds, not thousands in either units... You could ask this very promising-looking shop in your hometown: www.heritagemarine.ca

Sounds pretty similar to what I had. Purely sailingwise, it's not a huge problem, and won't make the boat slower (except psychologically maybe). It's not likely to get much worse in a few months, and probably isn't a safety (leaking) issue either. So you would get through the season without...

Hi again! Is the floor actually soft? Is it softer in other places and stiffer in others? What does it sound like when you knock on it at different places, and compare it to how the deck sounds? Does "spongy" include the presence of water? The front corners of my cockpit floor went soft...

:D I have the Laser model: Dinghy hiking exercise bench They are quite useful as a part of a good physical training program for sailing a hiking boat. It's tougher to hike on these than on a boat, because there is nothing else to do, and a solid floor is much less forgiving than wind and...