Recent content by TJM

Water temperature in the 50s is fine with either a drysuit or wetsuit. If you find yourself getting cold, make sure you have: neoprene rash vest under wet suit (both ideally titanium); (regular rash vests / thermal tops also work, just not as well) neoprene gloves; hat; cag (windproof...

2hp should be plenty if you sail in flat water (lake sailing etc.), and / or if you only want it as a backup or to motor onto a pontoon. 4hp or so could be useful for sea sailing, or where you're likely to encounter strong tides / currents. 5hp and above gets quite heavy to manhandle on and off...

Stitching the battens in permanently seems to work and makes sure you won't lose them.

It's ultimately a matter of compromise. The more changes we make, the more we move away from the one design ethos and the more expensive and less uniform the boat becomes. In some cases the need for a change is so obvious that we can bite the bullet (kicker, cunningham and outhaul systems). In...

The cheap two part marine epoxy is fine. I used the "Plastic Padding" version recently, and the repairs have held up well. The trick is to use a sheet of plastic when molding the repairs and to tape it in place until the epoxy hardens to minimise the amount of sanding needed. Particularly with...

You can always capsize the boat if it makes life easier. If I'm waiting for a squall to pass, I'll always capsize the boat on the slip rather than let the sails flog themselves to pieces. This could be an option for you: capsize, rig the outhaul, right the boat and sail off. Let us know how...

In gusty conditions raising the daggerboard slightly can help by making the boat tend to slip sideways in a gust rather than heel quite as much. This is a tradeoff: you gain more boat control, and keep up your speed through the water, but at the expense of making more leeway.

Agreed. I meant that as a minimum.

Re: Advice needed If you're sailing a full rig I'd advise changing down to a radial. 123 pounds is very light for a full rig: the consensus here is that you should be normally be about 10 1/2 or 11 stone (154 pounds) for the full rig. (Or else very fit & very good!) Keep at it & enjoy!

Reefing I wouldn't be inclined to recommend reefing the laser. I recently went out with a friend, both of us with full rigs, in conditions which were all over the place from 15 - 26kts. I was unreefed but with everything pulled as tight as possible: he had three rolls around the mast...