bent top section

lilcumpi

lilcumpi

Member
so ive just bought myself a second hand laser...everything is fine with it and it came with loads of spares. i have a few top sections and 1 of them is bent, can it still be used or should i be looking to get rid of it ?

thanks for any replys
 
You may well be able to straighten it.

Lasernut and me straighten top sections by putting top and bottom sections together. Rest top of mast on my shoulder (preferably in sailing gear so I have some padding for me) and he puts his weight on the mast at the point of the bend to force it back (always bearing in mind it could snap so standing in a way he won't go flying if it did). Others stick the mast on fences/trolleys etc with some padding and put weight on the bend.

Most of the time the mast will straighten with no issues. Remember if it does snap it can easily be converted into a boom.
 
You can straighten it like Sailorchick says. You may have trouble finding a strong shouldered radial sailor, but a fence or similar will do fine. Down here in Australia, we hold the end of the top section in our teeth, but we're bred tough.

I find once it has bent and been straightened once, it doesn't take long to return to the bent shape. You end up having to restraighten it again after pretty much every sail. A good trick is to straighten it then end for end it. Make sure that the old, removed bend is facing forward with the new set up - this seems to give the section just a little bit of extra stiffness, which is fast, especially in light air.

Under the class rules, you can't race with a bent top section.
 
AlanD said:
More of a Queensland thing I believe, and it shows with some of your club mates ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, the remarkable strength of the Queensland sailors is legendary, both on the water and off. I'm glad to see you acknowledge our superiority over you southerners.

lilcumpi, sorry for the thread hijack. How's that mast looking?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top