I am planning to buy a used Laser (1988) that seems to be in reasonable condition but the decks are not very stiff in the area around the cockpit where one sits. The boat has been stored outside on its side on a rack.
I plan to sail this a couple of months a year in a Caribbean bay, mostly recreational sailing but perhaps a little racing. My question is, how big a deal is the lack of stiffness....I assume this hurts performance racing, but is is likely to fail structurally and not function for recreational purposes?
If you have some skills, it is easy to repair. Do a search here, and you will find out how to do that. I would not buy the boat if you cannot repair it, since it will weaken further and cracks will develop in the deck, which results in leaks and so forth.
Obviously, if the problem does not reflect in the price you want to look for another boat.
Good luck
Thanks very much for your quick response. In what area of this or another website would I find the repair instructions...you mention "search here" but I'm not sure what you mean. Thanks for any clarification on how to find this info.
on the top of this page you see a button "Search." Click on it and type "delamination repair," "deck repair", or something along those lines.
I did a repair myself with foam, instead of epoxy resin, which you find here: http://laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=3013&highlight=deck+repair
It also includes a link to a website, which is pretty helpful.
Good luck,
GWF
Hello MN,
The soft decks probably won't hurt you much recreational sailing... The thing that comes to my mind is the Mast step.... If it leaks (fill with water and see if the level drops) or is suspect don't buy it.
Fishingmickey
150087/181157