Diffterence with Laser Performance and Vanquard

L

Laser16317

New Member
What do you guys think the difference is between Laser Performance Lasers and Vanguard built Lasers? Do you think the boats are built better or are they built the same? Are they both built in the United States or are Laser Performance boats built in Europe?

Thanks!
 
The US boats are being built by the same people at the same location in Rhode Island. I wouldn't expect much change in quality or consistency. I think there are going to be major changes in how the company does business.
 
yea same plant, same people, but i think laser performance will step up the standered that vanguard had because those 2008 boats..... kinda sucked. north american lasers will adopt the euopean colours tho, which is all white with the laser insignia on the bow
 
I've heard from someone who works at a Laser dealer on the SA forum, that the underside the rail at the hull / deck joint seam on new boats will be gelcoated over to make it "aesthetically pleasing" as well as avoiding the problem of people complaining that there is too much or too little joint putty in differing places around the boat's seam. Also, the will be black fittings instead of blue ones.

Don't really care though because I sail an old SLI boat!
 
Vago01 said:
Change in blocks from Harken to Ronstan,,,,,dont think I like that..
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In the US, you can now buy a Laser in three flavors:
Laser $5100
Laser Race $5345
Laser XD $5880

These are list prices, copied from the LaserPerformance website 9/6/08.

The three 'flavors' vary in the sails , tiller etc.
For instance, the XD version has a carbon tiller and extension, a rolled sail, the Harken vang and other goodies. For the details, it's best to consult the website or your trusted dealer.
 
matt182763 said:
yea same plant, same people, but i think laser performance will step up the standered that vanguard had because those 2008 boats..... kinda sucked. north american lasers will adopt the euopean colours tho, which is all white with the laser insignia on the bow
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Interesting comment on the 08's. Care to expand on it?
 
This pic is one of 3 separations of the hull/deck joint on my 08 boat after 4 months. There was some soft putty in the joint when I cleaned it out a bit. The deck was also separated from the centerboard trunk.

When I picked up my replacement boat, there were 6 others with similar problems that the dealer had taken back. He said that was out of 100 Lasers that he sold in the last year.

So far the replacement boat is good, but its not been sailed in anything over 10kts yet.
 

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As much as I would love to jump on teh "getem" pile.....

This seems to be an isue with a batch of bonding adhesive and it seems the company is doing the right thing warranty wise.

Just guessing? I bet they even "apologised for your inconvenience?"

Note: If the company were still American owned ithey would have apologized.
 
Well the dealer is doing the right thing warranty wise, he gave me another boat out of his stock. No one from Laser Performance ever talked to me or returned an E-mail.

Of course I could tell you about 6 members of our club who bought Sunfish as a group. They are on their second round of replacement boats. One had gelcoat falling off in sheets in addition to hull/deck separations.
 
foxy said:
Well the dealer is doing the right thing warranty wise, he gave me another boat out of his stock. No one from Laser Performance ever talked to me or returned an E-mail.

Of course I could tell you about 6 members of our club who bought Sunfish as a group. They are on their second round of replacement boats. One had gelcoat falling off in sheets in addition to hull/deck separations.
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So much for the "fleet" deal............
 
Rob B said:
Interesting comment on the 08's. Care to expand on it?
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if you flip the boat over and look into the centerboard slot, you will see what i mean, i know a guy whos deck and hull are mis-aligned by 2 cm on one side and 1 on the other.
 
torrid said:
The US boats are being built by the same people at the same location in Rhode Island. I wouldn't expect much change in quality or consistency. I think there are going to be major changes in how the company does business.
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Your WRONG as a Laser performance dealer they have changed so much of a perfectly normally functioning company to one i now dread dealing with. They have on numerous occasions forgotten dolly parts, as they own seitech aswell, they have miss drilled holes in them also. as for the boats they havntchanged a lot exept for the sunfish tiller and center boardand the blocks they give with the boats are cheap.
 
well, i just got my laser performance laser.... amazing compared to the vanguards is all i have to say. the hull is fantastic in comparison to someone elses 08 bought in november, where the hull and deck are connected at the gunnels, there is another layer of gelcoat ontop of the regular stuff and in the centerboard trunk there is VERY space between the hull and the deck parts. this makes me very happy :D however i do need to replace most of the line that came with it, as its all just waay too skinny
 
thought it is made in the same factory and by the same people i am curious about the supplies being used. i have been told for a long time that the uk boats are stiffer which you can believe all you wish. but i believe differant builders will use differant fiberglass cloth and resisns which could be of a higher quality. if so i wonder which supplies are being used at the north american factory.
 
So far the replacment boat the dealer gave me is fine and there have been no leaks at all including one day in the ocean and one heavier air day. It was made in the same batch as the other one and the putty was just mixed properly where the other one was not.

Gelcoating the hull/deck joint just covers it up so that you can't see the putty and would be a cosmetic improvement only. I think that people are probably seeing a problem in the trunks that does not in fact exist. The trunk is molded with the hull and the cap with the deck. So the top and bottom where the boards are held is fixed. If the vertical part of the trunk gets moved a little during assembly, it really would have no effect on the board positioning itself. I would prefer to see an even gap because it means a uniform amount of putty sticking it together and not too little on one side. OTOH, my leaker had a nice uniform gap around the trunk so it doesn't help if the putty is not mixed right.
 
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