Best Laser Book-Opinions

mikescott

mikescott

Member
Well...........now that I have decided to give the Laser another try, what is the best book to read first. My plans are to go out and sail a bunch of times to get the feel for the boat and then to do some low key (and I do mean low key) occasional races before deciding on how to proceed beyond that. Annapolis Performance Sailing has a bunch of different books, making it difficult to decide where to start.

Opinions?

Thanks, Mike

:confused:
 
You didn't really tell us what your level of Laser sailing/racing is, so it's hard to tell you exactly which is best for you

Here are the ones I've read and the level I think it talks to..

RYA Laser handbook - Paul Goodison - Mid level to advanced, specific to Laser, very up to date with a few nuggets in there (such as how to optimise mast bend within the rules) Not much on tactics and strategy

Laser Campaign Manual - Ben Ainslie - " " includes CD with good footage showing you how he does it, which I found better then the written words. Not much on tactics and strategy

Complete Introduction to Laser Racing - Ben Tan - Beginner racer to advanced - much more info, some not specific to Laser, (ie more pages on tactics, strategy etc) then the two books above. A little dated (old rigging shown) Decent section on fitness


Sail Fitter - Michael Blackburn - very specific to increasing fitness for sailing, with much of it geared to Laser sailing.. Beginner to advanced

The Boat Whisperer DVD's from Rooster - not a book, but very specific techniques on DVD for boat handling in both light and heavy air. Upwind and Downwind - geared toward mid level to advanced Laser sailing


I'm guessing you would find the Ben Tan book a good one to start with.

I have not read "The Complete Book of Laser Sailing" - it would be good to hear comments comparing that to the books above to see where it slots in.
 
I enjoy the Dave Perry books... specifically "Winning in One designs." While it is not geared specifically to Lasers, it does help you with a lot of techniques as far as boat handling. There is also a great section on tactics. I read it for the first time several years ago and found that it helped me a lot. I usually go back to it at least once a season and re-read the tactic section as a refresher. I'd rate it as a beginner to advanced book. It's also pretty cool because Dave Perry throws in some stories that helps it to not read like a text book.
 
Tim Davison's "The Laser Book" focuses on the beginner. Lots of pics, not too many words.

Covers Full, Radial, & 4.7 rigs with sail trim tables for each rig.

I refer back to it all the time.

You'll have to order from Amazon since APS is out of stock.
 
I have got both the Ben Ainslie book and the Complete Book of Laser Sailing by Dick Tilman.

Aspects of both were good but they also contradicted each other but I guess that is just a difference in sailing techniques. I do however get the feeling that Ben Ainslie does things a little differently than most others.

Both were good but i am also looking for something that is a bit better than both of these. I might try the Boat Whisperer DVD's but not sure if this will deliver or be worth the pricey $ tag.
 
I just started sailing with Sunfish and Lasers and found "The Complete Book of Laser Sailing" by Dick Tillman to be very helpful so far - with a lot of things to try as I get better.

The last 3rd of the book is comprised interviews with successful racers (old timers, women, heavy, light, husband-wife) which are pretty specifically oriented to particular topics - training, rigging, etc.

I strongly recommend it for other beginners, but think it will probably be a good book for advaced sailors as well..
 
Mike

There are many resources online with this recent internet fad of the past 15 years. :D

You can find many articles covering tuning guides, racing basics, racing tips, moving up in the fleet, and winning on lakes at your finger tips. :rolleyes:

I'll send you a PM

Happy Sailing
 
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