Colourful Laser Radial Sail

David HKG

New Member
Anyone know if there is/are any big sail cutting difference(s) between a colourful radial sail and the most recent one with a blue clew corner?

I was the only one using a colourful radial sail and felt that the sail was not as competitive as others (please refer to the attached photo) in terms of pointing and depowering.

Obviously, my sail is much older than others but it has not been used too many times.

Any idea?
 

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You need a new sail. The most powerful component in the sailing equation is your brain.

When your brain knows, deep down inside, that everything about your boat is as fast or faster than all the other boats, then when you're low and slow it will keep searching for the reason, tweaking, trying things, trying *harder* until it figures out how to make up the difference and you are now going as fast as your competitors.

Conversely, when your brain already "knows" that the colored sail isn't as fast, well then, when you're low and slow, then your brain already knows the "real" reason and it will look for no other.

Nothing you read on this forum is going to convince your brain otherwise, it has already "learned" that the colored sail "feels slow." That's why I say you need a new sail.
 
Thanks for the enlightenment from fellow laser sailor.

I am sure MK5 and MK6 radial sails have different cutting. Maybe I shall re-phase my question as how can I tell the MK (mark) no. of my multi-coloured radial sail?

Is it as simple as those white radial sails with a blue coloured clew is MK6 and the rest is obviously non-MK6?

By the way, the window pane on my multi-coloured radial sail has a number (5.7) written on it and I hope someone could identify the Mark no. of my sail.
 
Colored sails are fast. This photo shows me crossing the finish line ahead of NA Vice President and former North American Masters Handicap Champion Eric Faust.

80589%20whumping%20Faust.jpg
 
probably the only minus to having a colored sail is that they can easily tell if your boat is over early on the starts
 
probably the only minus to having a colored sail is that they can easily tell if your boat is over early on the starts


In the race where that photo was taken I port tacked the fleet and led the entire race.


In fact, there was a chae boat at the pin end and I was chatting with them while the rest of the fleet was lining up a the boat.

I told tehm teh waves were all wrong to start at the boat and that I was going to blast across everybody's bow and tehn sit on teh fleet for teh duration.

In situations like that, you WANT a special totally recognizable sail.

Here is a mid race shot of that same race with former ILCA president Ian Lineberger trying in vain with his new 3.8 oz sail to catch me and my six year old colored rag...

80589%20whumping%20Ian%20L.jpg
 
ok... heres the deal with coloured sails. they look awsome new, and they preform just as well as the white ones NEW. now since most coloured sails are old, this is what you have to worry about. UV effects the different colours differently, so one part of the sail would deteriorate alot faster than another, thus you have a very slow sail. and keep in mind, those pics look pretty old to me, meaning the different colours would not mean anything towards speed.
 
Here is my 2 cents worth, when I raced Hobies I heard that that the multicolor sails stretched
unevenly you tell by the fully batten main. The different colors came from different sail rolls
so therefore you have different stretch patterns. As for the all white it was sewn from one roll
and we could always see a uniform stretch. Looking at the "Gouvs'" sail HKG maybe you could
make a deal with him.
 
I can understand the different bolts of fabric stretching slightly differently, but the UV damage...I dunno.

Ha ha..I can hear the discussion taking this kind of turn:
The sail is faster if the light colors are in the lower part of the sail and the darker colors are in the top, thus making the sail deteriorate more lower down and less at the top, so when you let the vang off some the top part doesn't overtwist....upwind the more stretched lower part of the sail can be tightened up by cranking on the vang and outhaul.

More insane logic: The sail numbers keep the white cloth from being damaged from the sun and you'll see outlines of numbers on a used sails if the numbers/etc. are removed.
 
Anyone know if there is/are any big sail cutting difference(s) between a colourful radial sail and the most recent one with a blue clew corner? ....

Your sail was been produced by former official Sailmaker for Laser sails "Haarstick". If your Laser is about the same age like this sail (from mid of 70ties up to beginnig of the 90ties) you sail it in accordance with the Laser class rules. The actual Radial Sail is a "Mk VI" and your sail is much beore of that. Yes, there are differences. Here is a text the ILCA-Executive Officer- Jeff Martin wrote to discribe differences between The Radial Sail types "Mk VI"- and the "Mk V"-Sail. I bet, you probaly have a "Mk III" or "Mk IV". It depends on, when your Sail has been produced.
http://www.laserinternational.org/rules/lrsail01.htm

....I was the only one using a colourful radial sail and felt that the sail was not as competitive as others (please refer to the attached photo) in terms of pointing and depowering.

Obviously, my sail is much older than others but it has not been used too many times.

Any idea?

You say, your sail is not used often. Congrats, as long the sail is not worn out, you have a very nice sail to race with. At my old Laser 46438, I used a Haarstick Standard Sail ("compucut", colour: white), that has been produced in the mid of the 80ties. Is hasn't been used to much, so it was a very nice racing sail in light to medium wind conditions (better than a Sail modern of Hyde or North, I say). I sailed with that sail in 2004/2005. I sold that sail with the boat, 2 years ago.
I had a coloured Radial sail (violett-pink-white colour) of the first production line, with a halyard. This sail was very-very few used and not worn out. I made away that halyard-line and I had a very nice racing sail for Radial racing. Those sailors, that gave me a smile at the rigging zone, in reason nof my old Radial sail, later, on the water always saw only the transom of my Laser at the races....

Only if the sail is going to wear out you need a new sail, but not earlier.

Ciao
LooserLu
 
Sorry, I forgot to add a photo to my reply.
Lu
 

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