Big sailor, big sail

EelcoT

New Member
I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a bigger sail on the Laser. Intensity Sails used to offer a 9.6sqm Powerhead sail, but they have stopped offering it. Rooster Sailing in the UK had a 8.1sqm sail on offer, but they will not produce the sail in the foreseeable future.

I am 6'5" and need all the help I can get!

Eelco
 
I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a bigger sail on the Laser. Intensity Sails used to offer a 9.6sqm Powerhead sail, but they have stopped offering it. Rooster Sailing in the UK had a 8.1sqm sail on offer, but they will not produce the sail in the foreseeable future.

I am 6'5" and need all the help I can get!

Eelco
Are you weighing over 200lbs? At some point you just too big for the boat. I think Robert Schiedt is well over 6’ but his weight is competitive. There’s always the Finn....
 
My Standard rig was more than sufficient to haul me around, and in those days I was a strack bulletproof 185-190 lbs., compared to my current 195-200. Light airs could be a challenge, but when are they not? And in stronger breezes, I'd often have a passenger aboard: if I was lucky, it was a slim good-looking gal with curves in all the right places, otherwise it was one of those ugly f#%ers I call my friends, LOL, and they all weighed about as much as I did. :cool:
 
There is no reason why you shouldn't go to your local friendly sailmaker and discuss having a bigger sail made.
 
All true. I seriously considered the Finn. The point is I am a summer sailor when we are in our vacation location. The Laser is much more convenient in those circumstances. The availability (then) of the bigger sails made me buy the Laser. And then they were not....
 
Whoa, this is news! I'm glad I got my 9.6sqm Powerhead sail from Intensity and will take good care of it now that there's no more new ones. I love this sail. In light air it has perfect airfoil shape and power. In heavy air it is a challenge. Especially to gybe.
 
What about that larger Laser sail from the Northwest? I forget who was making that...I'll look it up.

Edit: Hansen Aerosports. Looks like it's gone now too.

And by the way...at 6'3" and 215lb myself, I'm perfectly competitive in the Laser. Yes it's hard to win races but it's mostly up to time in boat. I'm second overall in our weekly series out of about 30 Lasers. There are plenty of big sailors in our fleet and it's always up to the sailor. In light air the smaller people have an advantage of course but skill still plays a larger role.
 
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Thanks for the effort. Intensity Sails had a return sail, which they offered to me. I have taken it out over the summer and, boy, that is a fast combination.

And it is not so much at to be competitive, but more that I do not want to find myself in the water on the windward side of the boat!

Thanks all the same!
 

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