Difference in New and Old Boats

Bradley

Bradley

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Staff member
Right now I use a club Laser sailboat, but I am saving my pennies to buy my own boat, but would it be worth it to buy a new boat versus a nice one that is several years old. Are the new boats lighter or faster or have some mods that are not in the older boats?

Thanks for your input!
 
lighter ? no, class rules control that
faster ? no, class rules control hull shape

Only difference would be in the rigging if the older boat didn't have the updated vang, cunningham, outhaul (which can be argued that they don't make the boat faster either)
 
Hmm, it does depend on how serious you are...

Brand new boats have a perfect finish and will be completely dry, wheras used boats (no matter how old they are) will have been sailed and so will probably have some sort of markings / something on the surface that will affect performance.

In addition i have a suspicion (i seem to remember hearing something a while ago) that the fibreglass softens slightly from extended contact with water (hence why you need to store your hull as dry as possible).

The advantage of a new hull as opposed to a 2nd hand boat is that very competeite sailors know that the hull is in perfet shape and can take steps to maintain and keep it that way, wheras with a 2nd hand boat, although it COULD have been un-used, no matter how hard you check you cant be as sure as with a new hull.

If your not at the level where you would take special precautions to make sure that the hull is kept in the conditions you want, then there is little point in getting a new hull as you probably wouldnt keep it like that anyway.

That is most probably only at the very top level - the top 30 or so boats at national events most probably (im geusing here btw).

Below that level, in most cases you can take a fairly average hull (in good condition, just used). then good care and concentration on other factors (the state of the hull is after all only a small factor in the speed). You can most probably get the boat to a state where you are very satisfied with it without ever noticing any performance difference from a better hull.

I would say that im at this stage. I have a hull that is a few years old, it was new when I got it, however I had a new hull as a replacement hull from something the laser center did, that hull was new too - but that was my dads before it was mine, and he bought it new because it was a good deal rather than because he wanted a brand new hull.

At the moment im very pleased with the condition of the hull, and i think there are much more pressing issues (such as my foils which are in a state at the moment).

There is of course a limit - you may well notice the effect from a very old nackered boat, and depending on how bad the situation is there is little you can do about it. Initialy my fist boat was a 11 number, this was in quite a state and I was noticing the difference. I dont think any amount of work (at least the amount of work i was prepared to put in) would have made a big effect.

In short: it sounds like that a good second hand boat would be the best option. if you find a good buy, and its in a fairly decent state (im geusing the club boats ur sailing at the moment arent too amazing - i know our club boats could be better, but your club may be different). If you get a better boat and find it sails realy well and you like it... then yer sorted!, if however you find that perhaps your at the level where you need something a little better than what your currently sailing, then if it was a good buy you can sell it on and look for something better.

This is what we did with our old 11 number, we actually made a profit even after having kept it for a few years!

being that our family has 3 laser sailers, this probably means that we could afford to swap / change and sell boats a little more than you would like to.

Hope the above helps.
 
go with a good used boat you probably won't notice any difference. It might be a good idea to upgrade the outhaul and cunningham if it isn't already. The vang just make it 8:1 and use a swivel. After that it's all up to the sailor.

Good Luck
 
Originally posted by pzl&24
its easy carry an 1990 laser and carry an 2003 one you will notice there s a diference
Click to expand...

Think about the above statement - the class min weight has not changed during that time.

It's all dependant on how the boats are taken care of. I have a 1977 hull that weighs exactly the same as my new 2002 hull. It's kept dry, and if water ever gets in, it's put in a de-humidified area for a couple of days to lose whatever water was absorbed in the glass

I have also seen boats that are not well cared for, where water sits inside the hull for weeks and end up being 5-10 lbs over the class min. Put them in the same de-humidifed area for a week and they are right back down to min weight.
 
49208 of Milford, CT noted:

> [Are new boats] lighter?
> no, class rules control that.

This is just a small correction that it's not the "Class Rules" per se that control the Laser hull weight. There are no such Class Rules.

The hull weight is controlled by the so-called "Construction Manual" - a document filed with ISAF only, and only the Builders and a few in the ILCA World Council are privy to.

The brand new hulls produced since 1971 have varried considerably over the years in weight (and stiffness). There were reports that brand new hulls could weigh as low as 126 lbs. and as high as 132 lbs.

Just a few years ago, visiting dealers and getting all the available hulls weighed before selecting one for purchase was standard practice among some hot-shot racers.

The hull weight variance was much larger under some of the past Laser Builders. It has been reported that it is under much tighter control now (at least in NA, thanks to Vanguard Sailboats).

Shevy Gunter
 
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