1987 Laser for fleet racing

2 months ago I bought this Laser Hull in Brick, NJ for $225. It has proven to be an amazing way to get out on the water with the laser fleet cheap. Only takes on about a gallon of water after 2 hours of 20+ knot wind sailing. Deck is solid but has one depression by the downhaul cleat. After sailing against some other boats at my club. I have begun to wonder whether I can be competitive against other boats that are 10-20 years newer, any insight? Either way, I wont loose money on this one :)
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Great deal/buy on the cheap, love it. If you are friends with other Laser sailors in your fleet/yacht club, hopefully they would let you take their boat out for a quick sail/race if they couldn't make it. Or, time yourself around a couple buoys sailing with yours and then theirs. To me, that is really the only true test to know.
 
I would recommend to find the leak and fix it.
Sailing with a gallon of water inside the hull won't help you win races. :)
There are some fairly common trouble spots; just search this section of the forum for hints.
 
I would recommend to find the leak and fix it.
Sailing with a gallon of water inside the hull won't help you win races. :)
There are some fairly common trouble spots; just search this section of the forum for hints.
That is definitely the core of my plan. I am also looking to sand the bottom of the boat to get rid of some gel-coat spider cracking and improve performance. Will this impact the boat negatively on the rack over the winter?
 
What's your skill level compared to the competition? That will affect things way more than a new hull.
 
I have won Opti and O'pen Bic regattas (10 years ago) and am skilled in sailing many double-handed racing boats. My experience in the laser is limited, but I am not a novice.
 
Thanks for the detail, but your experience wasn't the question. The question was "What's your skill level compared to the competition?"

Case in point. I'm pretty darn competitive on my local/regional level, but put me in at the Master's NA's or winter series in FL and I'm a mid-fleeter at best. My current boat is a 2001 hull in great condition. All of my gear is top notch, (I think Dennis Conner once said "Never let your gear be an excuse for poor performance" a mantra I've lived by) but buying a new PSA hull would not increase my performance at the NA level. Getting better starts in a 60- 80 boat fleet and having a better grasp on which side of a foreign course to favor on the upwind leg would go much further to improving my results.
 

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