Check My Rigging & Some Questions

[rick3000]

Hi Everyone,

About 8 years ago I moved away from the ocean and sold my '99 Laser. I recently discovered a large Laser fleet at a local lake, so I started browsing for a good deal on a Laser. As luck would have it, I spotted my old '99 Laser for sale, still in excellent shape plus it had a Kitty Hawk trailer. The hull is perfect, but a lot of the rigging is what it had on it when I sold it. I have been working to replace the more worn out lines, and was hoping to get some input on my current rigging (ie - is it correct and/or legal?). I also have a few questions, because it has been a while since I sailed a Laser.

Thank you in advance for any responses!
-Rick


Mast
-The previous owner wrapped the upper mast with some kind of tape (see picture). He said it was to help the sail slide down more easily, anyone know what this is? Is it class legal?

Main Sheet
-Stopper or Eight knot, which one should I use?
-Do I need to tie the end of the main to the hiking strap? If so where? I have seen this a few places recently, but never saw it when I used to sail.

Downhaul/Cunningham
-The carabiner is stainless, but I am concerned about the load it can handle, thoughts?
-It looks like a lot of people use two single blocks, any advantage/disadvantage, versus the double blocks?

Outhaul
-I currently have two single blocks luggage tagged around the gooseneck, any thoughts on this versus putting one of the blocks on the boom cleat?
-Any issues with the inhaul bungee being adjustable via the boom cleat?

Vang
-I have a key retainer made of bungee with two loops. I have never seen one like this, is it legal? I like it because the forward loop pulls the one holding the key forward.

Rudder Downhaul (Not pictured, but I have a Black Diamond tiller with a Fatso extension)
-I put a purchase inside the head, is that the right way to do it?
-I have the line coming out the back of the head instead of under the tiller. Is that the right way to rig it? It seems like running it under the tiller would cause it to rub on the stern.
-I do not have a retaining hole in the upper pintle (and it is too short to add one), any suggestions on how to secure the rudder in the event of a capsize? I was thinking of running a small line from the rudder head to one of the traveler fairleads.

Centerboard
-I always ran the bungee from the bow around both sides of the mast. It looks like most people now run it to one side. Any thoughts on this? I have it retained on both sides by the mast retainer.

Hiking Strap/Auto Bailer
-The auto bailer pipe looks really corroded to me (see picture). Should I replace it, or is that normal?
-Would it be legal to run a small line from the bailer bung to the hiking strap eyelet to make it easier to pull?

 

[LaLi]

Mast
-The previous owner wrapped the upper mast with some kind of tape (see picture). He said it was to help the sail slide down more easily, anyone know what this is? Is it class legal?

That is totally illegal.

Main Sheet
-Do I need to tie the end of the main to the hiking strap? If so where? I have seen this a few places recently, but never saw it when I used to sail.

Provided that your sheet is long enough, it's smartest (but not required) to tie it to the back end of the hiking strap. Gets rid of one free end of a rope in the cockpit. I thread mine through the end loop of the strap and tie a double figure eight.

Downhaul/Cunningham
-The carabiner is stainless, but I am concerned about the load it can handle, thoughts?
-It looks like a lot of people use two single blocks, any advantage/disadvantage, versus the double blocks?

Sure that hook can take the load, but why do you need one there?
The 6:1 is pretty universal now, less friction than the 10:1 (like yours) but still enough purchase.

Outhaul
-I currently have two single blocks luggage tagged around the gooseneck, any thoughts on this versus putting one of the blocks on the boom cleat?

Mechanically there's no difference. The latter makes for a cleaner gooseneck area, but personally I prefer that the floating block is visually close to the other control systems for quick reference. (By the way, your primary outhaul line is way too short and the secondary way too long. Think about it: the floating block needs to move only twice as much as the clew itself.)

Vang
-I have a key retainer made of bungee with two loops. I have never seen one like this, is it legal? I like it because the forward loop pulls the one holding the key forward.

That's the way I've always had it. (Which means it's legal. )

Rudder Downhaul (Not pictured, but I have a Black Diamond tiller with a Fatso extension)
-I put a purchase inside the head, is that the right way to do it?
-I have the line coming out the back of the head instead of under the tiller. Is that the right way to rig it? It seems like running it under the tiller would cause it to rub on the stern.
-I do not have a retaining hole in the upper pintle (and it is too short to add one), any suggestions on how to secure the rudder in the event of a capsize? I was thinking of running a small line from the rudder head to one of the traveler fairleads.

You can have a purchase inside the head and have the downhaul come out of the back, but I wouldn't recommend either, as the line's primary job after all is holding the tiller tightly in place. It doesn't rub on the deck when it comes out on the forward side.
There should be room for a small hole in the upper pintle. Anyway, the standard retaining clip for the lower rudder fitting should be enough to keep the rudder in place - if it isn't, bend/remount it so that it works. Any other retaining devices than those two are illegal.

Centerboard
-I always ran the bungee from the bow around both sides of the mast. It looks like most people now run it to one side. Any thoughts on this? I have it retained on both sides by the mast retainer.

Having it on both sides is a bit redundant, but your system looks clean and working.

Hiking Strap/Auto Bailer
-Would it be legal to run a small line from the bailer bung to the hiking strap eyelet to make it easier to pull?

No.

 

[rick3000]

Thanks for the reply, it is greatly appreciated!

I will unwrap/cut off that wrap on the upper mast. Hopefully it isn't masking an issue, it was the only red flag I spotted when I bought the boat. I will also look into changing the way the rudder is rigged. Replacing the outhaul line was already on my list, but I needed to replace the vang control first (which was 5mm and too large to run smoothly). Thanks again!

 

[LaLi]

A few small things I noticed/thought about:

The way your mast retainer is rigged may risk bending the deck block plate. I have mine rigged the same way otherwise, but the bowlines for the centreboard elastic (smart detail in itself) in yours keep the line from moving through the block plate eyes. That could cause trouble by limiting the rotation of the mast. I have and recommend a separate, short thin rope loop for the elastic (or two if you want to keep yours rigged both sides of the mast).

If you thread the sheet through the aft boom block becket the other way (from back to front) you can sheet the blocks closer together.

The outhaul hook is tied to the boom in an unusual way - you get the sail a few mm closer to the boom like that, but I'm skeptical of the angle of the hook. Does the sail really stay attached in all conditions?

You probably won't need any new outhaul lines (lengthwise) if you move the other turning block at the gooseneck to the outhaul Clamcleat.

The Harken vang cleating fitting has the 16 mm (diameter) sheaves which should take 5 mm line easily. (Having started with Lasers at a time when rope loops for purchase was a new thing, it's kind of funny to hear complaints involving anything with ball bearings )

 

[rick3000]

Thanks again for the reply. I'll take a look at the mast retainer and the outhaul hook.
The vang line had more problems than just being 5mm, even after washing it, it was really stiff, so I replaced it was 4mm Marlow Excel.