Am I TOO light.

Laserracer519

Laserracer519

New Member
I weigh 109lbs. and sail Laser Radials should i or should i still be in an Opti. My friends mom said that i shouldn't be in a laser. Ive handled one in hevy winds only flipped 3 times. one time my foot slipped off the hiking strap and i fell in the water. But, i also singledhanded a 420 in moderate winds. Whats your opinion?:confused:
 
At 109 pounds you would probably do well to sail a 4.7 rig, at least in heavier wind conditions. Sure, you can sail a Radial or Standard Rig Laser in light winds too. But my advice would be to start with the 4.7, master all the boat-handling skills in all wind conditions, then move up to the Radial when you get heavier.

Welcome to Laser sailing. The best boat and the best people in the sailing world.
 
You're definitely too light for a full size, but you could sail a Radial. You might not be competitive in a breeze, but you could probably handle the boat and have fun sailing it.

You could try the 4.7, but I don't know how many people you would have to sail against. Also, I'm guessing you would outgrow it pretty quickly. I would think at 109 lbs. you have basically outgrown Optis.
 
Unless you're on a tight budget, I would definitely get a 4.7 rig so that (as stated already) you can get basic boathandling and sail trim down. Though lasers are simple there are a couple more strings to pull than in an opti, and it's much easier to learn in heavy winds when you're in control of the boat, which is in turn much easier with a smaller sail.
 
In my oppinion it depends on how tall you are because my friend sails a radial and he ways 98 pounds but he is too tall for an opti
 
I would reccomend the 4.7 but you should be fine in Radial just practice your hiking posture. Straight knees, no arching back and get your toes on the straps
 
This thread brings back memories of the little neighborhood kids who had 26 inch bikes while the rest of us still had 20 or 24 inch bikes.

Sometimes the families were dirt poor and Dad could only afford one bike and he had given his to the kid.

We generally mocked the others for begging for and then having to use a bike that was impossible to use decently.

Relating to today?? Giving a kid a 4.7 rig is a lot like giving a kid a big bike with the cross bar cut out. Sure the kid CAN reach the pedals, but the bike is heavier and will not perform for those little legs and tiny lungs.

A decent sailing community would invest and develop a kid sized hull with forces the kid can always handle. If the already well established Opti sailboat with its well established fleets and regattas is not good enough for our next generation we need to build a new kid boat just for the kids.

When the Opti was designed FOR LITLE KIDS the designers could have chosen Laser hull with pathetic tiny underpowerd rigs. Those good people didn't buy tehLaser buuilder's sales pitch and A couple generations of Opti sailors have already enjoyed learning and racing at the highest levels in boats actually designed for kids.

If you believe the Opti is an old design that should probably be replaced, you may also wish to look at the even older and more obsolete Laser hull design and construction.

At the very least, isn't it time to quit tolerating throw away boats made with 1960s technology?
Let's make 2007 the year we AS
 
ok that seems like it has nothing to do with my question. Oh and with that design part i have a friend who is designing a step-up boat from an opti to a laser. It's supposed to be a lot like either a Duster or a Moth I cant remember. I'm not sure but i might help him design and build it. But its not definite hes got a lot of work to do before he starts designing.

gouvernail said:
This thread brings back memories of the little neighborhood kids who had 26 inch bikes while the rest of us still had 20 or 24 inch bikes.

Sometimes the families were dirt poor and Dad could only afford one bike and he had given his to the kid.

We generally mocked the others for begging for and then having to use a bike that was impossible to use decently.

Relating to today?? Giving a kid a 4.7 rig is a lot like giving a kid a big bike with the cross bar cut out. Sure the kid CAN reach the pedals, but the bike is heavier and will not perform for those little legs and tiny lungs.

A decent sailing community would invest and develop a kid sized hull with forces the kid can always handle. If the already well established Opti sailboat with its well established fleets and regattas is not good enough for our next generation we need to build a new kid boat just for the kids.

When the Opti was designed FOR LITLE KIDS the designers could have chosen Laser hull with pathetic tiny underpowerd rigs. Those good people didn't buy tehLaser buuilder's sales pitch and A couple generations of Opti sailors have already enjoyed learning and racing at the highest levels in boats actually designed for kids.

If you believe the Opti is an old design that should probably be replaced, you may also wish to look at the even older and more obsolete Laser hull design and construction.

At the very least, isn't it time to quit tolerating throw away boats made with 1960s technology?
Let's make 2007 the year we AS
Click to expand...
 
The post above somehow posted before I was finished writing..Probably my fumbling fingers...

This thread brings back memories of the little neighborhood kids who had 26 inch bikes while the rest of us still had 20 or 24 inch bikes.

Sometimes the families were dirt poor and Dad could only afford one bike and he had given his to the kid. We understood and were brought up well enough to wait respectfully for those kids at the top of every hill.

We generally mocked the others for stupidly begging for a bike that was too big.

Relating to today?? Giving a kid a 4.7 rig is a lot like giving a kid a big bike with the cross bar cut out. Sure the kid CAN reach the pedals, but the bike is heavier and will not perform for those little legs and tiny lungs.

A decent sailing community would invest and develop a kid sized hull with forces the kid can always handle. The designers of the Optimist Pram did that in the fifties and again in the seventies when the Opti was developed.

If the already well established Opti sailboat with its well established fleets and regattas is not good enough for our next generation we need to build a new kid boat just for the kids.

When the Opti was designed FOR LITTLE KIDS the designers could have chosen Laser hull with pathetic tiny underpowerd rigs. Those good people didn't buy the Laser buuilder's sales pitch and a couple generations of Opti sailors have already enjoyed learning and racing at the highest levels in boats actually designed for kids.

If you believe the Opti is an old design that should probably be replaced, you may also wish to look at the even older and more obsolete Laser hull design and construction.

At the very least, isn't it time to quit tolerating throw away boats made with 1960s technology?
Let's make 2007 the year we Laser sailors begin looking for a new supplier of durable toys for the game of singlehanded sailboat racing.

We could begin at the local level by inviting any new durable design that performs about the same as a new Laser to join our races. The designer would have a place to test his new design and eventually we might find a design which could be built for a much lower price while lasting many times as long as the throw away Laser hull and its pathetic excuse for a sail.

Stay in the Opti until you age out or become so big you cannot compete. You cannot go back and ..

most important!!!

Laser fleets are mostly made up of really old men with a few old spinsters and widows hanging on the shore.

All the chicks your age are in Optis.

Don't be like the dumb kid who thinks he is cool because he is using his big brother's athletic equipment. There are baseball gloves for kids your size and you can use any of them better than a glove you mooch from an adult.

Canadian translation:

A little guy with his own hockey stick can actually play hockey.

I will now go over to SA and post the part which does not fit this forum....
 
gouvernail said:
This thread brings back memories of the little neighborhood kids who had 26 inch bikes while the rest of us still had 20 or 24 inch bikes.

etc.
Click to expand...

Very true.

It is always tempting to get the biggest you can handle (at a push) but in gouvernail's terms, riding the 26" wheeled bike probably means you will lose out on learning how to handle bikes as well as those riding the correct sized bikes.

Ian
 
ok to answer correctly: im too tall for an opti! and no all the chicks my age dont sail optis they sail Laser Radials and 420's just like me. I think a 4.7 sounds right but no one in my club uses them.
 
oh and also the oldest Laser sailor in our fleet is 17! Im 14 the kids that sail Optis in our club are 10 or 11. Thats all i have to say.
 
If you believe the Opti is an old design that should probably be replaced, you may also wish to look at the even older and more obsolete Laser hull design and construction.

The Opti was designed 1947 (I think), the LAser 1969. Sorry, but a 1969 boat is not "even older" in design than a 1947 boat. Unless my maths is even worse than I thought it was.

At the very least, isn't it time to quit tolerating throw away boats made with 1960s technology?
Let's make 2007 the year we Laser sailors begin looking for a new supplier of durable toys for the game of singlehanded sailboat racing.

It's proven that a 52,000 series hull is still capable of beating most of the world Masters champs, with a year-old sail. It seems basically as quick as my earlier brand-new boat. That's pretty durable.

A long while ago, but when you were already sailing Lasers, (I think) you could get into the top 25 of the Open Worlds by using just two sails - ONE new sail and one old borrowed sail - in your entire Laser career. That's not too bad.

Like you, though, I'm not at a big fan of the 4.7. A baby Laser could be good, but none of the various versions have been enormously successful.
 
First, I was serious about "just using the Laser hull." My impression of the starter of this thread is he is persistent. He will persevere and become a damn fine sailor and probably , becuase he will be excellent at surviving and depowering, a lifetime super heavy air competitor.
and babbling on ....

HECS said:
If you believe the Opti is an old design that should probably be replaced, you may also wish to look at the even older and more obsolete Laser hull design and construction.

The Opti was designed 1947 (I think), the Laser 1969. Sorry, but a 1969 boat is not "even older" in design than a 1947 boat. Unless my math is even worse than I thought it was.
quote]
1947 was the Optimist Pram. I sailed one of those from 1958 to 1964. The Optimist Dinghy is a much newer design. I am not at all certain of the year of introduction and I am too lazy to look it up but I can tell you ten hulls of the new smaller, lighter, better performing Optis were purchased by the Austin Yacht Cllub in the early eighties. My guess is the new improved design had not been around for more than a few years or the numbers would have been much higher.

Your absurd claims about old Lasers being competitive is obviously a troll activity and will no longer be dignified with response.
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TravisR said:
Dying Out? Bytes are getting more popular up here than before.
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Or not... No one that sails them can go anywheres. They can hardly go to places in Canada let alone USA. Where did you get the info from? Yourself? You only went to ark for less then a day. (If you are the person I think you are)
 
Karma said:
Or not... No one that sails them can go anywheres. They can hardly go to places in Canada let alone USA. Where did you get the info from? Yourself? You only went to ark for less then a day. (If you are the person I think you are)
Click to expand...

I have never had an ark, my name is not Noah, I am not the person you think I am, I am not Fred Schroth, and my opinions has no weight.
 
Karma said:
Or not... No one that sails them can go anywheres. They can hardly go to places in Canada let alone USA. Where did you get the info from? Yourself? You only went to ark for less then a day. (If you are the person I think you are)
Click to expand...
Hey, you're Jeff's friend. I realize I don't have that much experience going to big regattas, however this year I know 4 people who are buying Bytes, however in the previous years all of my friends have been purchasing lasers. This is what I am basing it off of, however I wanted to make sure that the topic creator considered the Byte as a valid choice.
 
TravisR said:
Hey, you're Jeff's friend. I realize I don't have that much experience going to big regattas, however this year I know 4 people who are buying Bytes, however in the previous years all of my friends have been purchasing lasers. This is what I am basing it off of, however I wanted to make sure that the topic creator considered the Byte as a valid choice.
Click to expand...

I never said the Byte wasn't a valid choice. All I was trying to say that you cant sail it for life unlike the lasers. You're going to have to leave it when you get passed 145 lbs which most men easily surpass and even if you stay 145 you still not promised the class will stick around for that long. I don't think the byte will ever match the popularity of the laser. Its a small class only big up here. It will not stick around for long. Someone told me that the cII rig was a last ditch effort to stay competitive. I think we need a 4.7 class up here. If you take a look at some of the sailors the in the class they are going to get killed when they step into the radial. IMHO some of the worst sailors are in the class. I don't know who messed up but they are not training those kids well.

Anyways I take it you couldn't find a laser for this year? That sucks. What are you going to do for next season?
 
Karma said:
I never said the Byte wasn't a valid choice. All I was trying to say that you cant sail it for life unlike the lasers. You're going to have to leave it when you get passed 145 lbs which most men easily surpass and even if you stay 145 you still not promised the class will stick around for that long. I don't think the byte will ever match the popularity of the laser. Its a small class only big up here. It will not stick around for long. Someone told me that the cII rig was a last ditch effort to stay competitive. I think we need a 4.7 class up here. If you take a look at some of the sailors the in the class they are going to get killed when they step into the radial. IMHO some of the worst sailors are in the class. I don't know who messed up but they are not training those kids well.

Anyways I take it you couldn't find a laser for this year? That sucks. What are you going to do for next season?
Click to expand...

Lasers were never actually the plan, me and Jeff have actually just purchased a 29er.
 
Never heard of a Byte but it looks alot like these new OpenBics. Do any of you know anything about these? They've been doing demo's at clubs in my area (MA) but I haven't seen any on the water otherwise.
 
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