Advice on Laser II

drwatershed

Member
I noticed that there are currently 3 Laser II's listed in the for sale ads, and I have been negotiating on one of them. Just wondering if there are folks out there who have experience with the II who can answer a few questions.

Why did the class not succeed? Are they not as fast as comparable size or slightly larger race dinghies?

Do they hold up well?

They don't have a mast step hole, so they can't have that problem but do they have any of the other Laser I problems? (crazing around centerboard in older hulls, deck softening??)

I sailed one briefly years ago but not with either trapeze or spinnaker, are they as fun on a full out plane as a 470? 420? or what do they compare too.

The Laser II class seems to be down to less than a handful in the US but they still race actively in Canada and Europe and still have a nationals. Are they just too dispersed to have any club racing or are they just not what a Laser I is.

I am still shopping for a boat in that size range and the low asking prices of typical IIs seem inviting but then I ask why are they so low?

Any thoughts out there?

BTW not getting out of my Laser I just looking for a training boat for my kids.
 
It is a crying shame the laser2 has fell behind, there has been little or no changes in the class since first being made, although there is a few variations of basically the same boat.
You could say the dinosaur's died out because they could not adapt to the changes in climate, possibly the laser2 has suffered the same , sticking to a one design is good in principle but an unwillingness to change has been its own downfall.
Just look over the years how the laser1 has changed with the times & is still set to change in the future, it basically moves with the times.
The laser2 has stood still from first production with basic 70s style rigging. Over priced sails which you have to buy because of the one design, instead of allowing someone like Intensity sails in to offer an equivalent race spec sail, Harken to offer an updated kicker, Cunningham & outhaul setup, then things may have been different now & the laser2 may have been going strong now.
 
The laser2 has stood still from first production with basic 70s style rigging. Over priced sails which you have to buy because of the one design, instead of allowing someone like Intensity sails in to offer an equivalent race spec sail, Harken to offer an updated kicker, Cunningham & outhaul setup, then things may have been different now & the laser2 may have been going strong now.

Your point is taken, but no one has "allowed" Intensity sails.
 
Your point is taken, but no one has "allowed" Intensity sails.

I would agree, if anything the Laser I has been adament about standing still in most regards even the rigging changes just give you more purchase, which takes away any advantage soemone with strong arms has in flattening the sail. If anything the Laser II is more lax since it would be difficult to find a Laser II sanctioned regatta other than the one in Newport, so who would check to see if you have "legal" sails (Intensity makes a nice set of "practice LAser II sails at a good price too).

So the Laser I is probably the more static boat and though the Laser II is also static in its design, it has several elements which inherently make it more "adjustable" (mostly in that it can carry three sails) My thought is that it just never caught on and my questions is why? Is it no fun? Is it too technical? Are laser sailor's inherently antisocial (to quote Tillerman) and can't find crew to sail a 2 person boat??

Given the condition that most of the used boats I have seen are in, they hold up really well or they never got sailed much. So again Why??
 
Sorry Merrily I didn't phrase that correctly what I was trying to say was , why not allow somebody like Intensity sails to make a suit of sails that was class legal.
 

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