Even more fun

Emilio Castelli

Active Member
Even more fun

I came back to sailing after a 25 yrs hiatus; last January I bought a Laser and have been sailing it all year.
Having a blast. LOVE the new controls.

Few more improvements I would love to see:
1- Allow a bungee cord running from the vang to the bow eye on both sides of the mast to keep the boom out in light air (like the Finns). This would have the added advantage of letting us use a shorter mainsheet and having less of a mess in the cockpit.
2- Put a sleeve in the top mast. Booms used to break all the time, now they don't. Since January I broke a top mast and bent the new one twice.

I would like to propose these rule changes but first I need to hear your opinions.
Thanks
E
 
explain a little more where you would put the sleeve, how long etc...
Well, the top mast goes in the bottom section for about 1'; the sleeve could be about 2' and cut at an angle at the top (to decrease discontinuity). It wouldn't take long to figure out what works best.
I think a sleeve in the mast would add weight where you don't want it.
A short sleeve would weight very little and it wouldn't matter anyway if everyone had it.
The goal is just to stop the top section from permanently bending and eventually breaking.
Currently you have to straighten your mast (and weaken it) pretty much everytime you sail in over 20 knots.
I gave up and I'm sailing with a bent top (illegal). Hopefully if I stop straightening it it will last longer.
E
 
I think I'd be more inclined to get behind an effort to reduce the perm bend issue just above the collar with a redesigned collar that also eliminates the need for the rivet. I know there has been some decent development work done on that already. I fear much like the re-design of the sail, it's getting a foot drag by certain factions or tabled in favor of further development of the carbon/glass top section..
 
I think I'd be more inclined to get behind an effort to reduce the perm bend issue just above the collar with a redesigned collar that also eliminates the need for the rivet. I know there has been some decent development work done on that already. I fear much like the re-design of the sail, it's getting a foot drag by certain factions or tabled in favor of further development of the carbon/glass top section..
I have a hard time visualizing a redisigned collar that would solve the bending problem. Do you have any links to pictures or more information?
The sleeve I propose would be cheap, simple, easy to retrofit and solve the problem, just like it did for the boom.
Maybe being simple and cheap is a problem....
E
 
Surely by adding a sleeve you will just be moving the stress elsewhere, possibly the top section will continue to bend, but then just above the sleeve
 
By adding a sleeve you will also change the bend characteristics of the section which will affect sail shape etc..
 
Surely by adding a sleeve you will just be moving the stress elsewhere, possibly the top section will continue to bend, but then just above the sleeve
Not if you cut the top part of the sleeve at an angle. Also stress decreases as you move up the mast.
By adding a sleeve you will also change the bend characteristics of the section which will affect sail shape etc..
Right....we wouldn't want to interfere with the current perfect match of mast-sail...
A sleeve would decrease discontinuity at the join and would likely improve the mast-sail match (would be pretty hard to make it worse...)

Anyway, I did not get any comments on the bungee while so far all the comments on the sleeve are negative.
Anyone agrees with the bungee?
Anyone agrees that the topmast is problematic and something should be done while we wait for the new expensive solutions we'll see in the future (radial sail, carbon top)?
E
 
The problem with masts bending does seem to be limited to the current new supplied masts. I have an older boat (121821) which I had to end for end the mast because it had bent (probably as a result of a capsize) but it has, so far, remained straight following this procedure.

The newer top sections seem to be very soft and bend very easily.

As it is there is a new top section in the offing which is some kinf of carbon/glass composite it is just awaiting approval (like the new sail design).

Regards the bungee it does have merits I think. We have a boat called a Solo here in the UK which uses this very idea to hold the boom out against the shrouds so you can 'kite' the main without having to worry about it falling back on you.

As with all things Laser it needs to go to the tech committee initially so if you are serious about it then research how it needs to be submitted and see what happens.....
 
We've had discussions here in the past on the bungie aka JC strap - search the forums for posts and you'll get a feel for how people feel...
 
I like the top-section sleeve idea ahead of a c/f top-section, mainly because it can be retro-fitted, also cheap & simple. It would need to be a purpose-made section to fit exactly into the top-section for it to be effective.

Will try sailing with a gybe-preventer bungee before commenting...

Andrew
 
We've had discussions here in the past on the bungie aka JC strap - search the forums for posts and you'll get a feel for how people feel...

Ah, JC strap. Had no idea of this name.
I searched the forum and came up with several threads, all from 2007. I will post about this in a separate thread.
As far as the mast sleeve, I had no idea the carbon fiber mast was this far along
http://sailingforums.com/threads/new-mast-top-section.23350/
I would rather see a cheap sleeve than be forced to fork over $$ for a carbon top but I guess there is more money to be made with the carbon top so that will be probably the way ahead.
E
 
"Perfect match of mast-sail" ?? You were being facetious, I presume...

A sleeve would improve the mast - sail match IMHO. It's worth a try. You can use the existing boom sleeve kit as the top and boom are the same diameter dimensions.

Or make your own from a broken top. I've cut a 3/4" slice out of a top mast section. Squish it a bit in a vice, and slip it in the tube. I've done this many times for club boat booms sleeves back in the old days (my first boat was 1041).

"preventative maintenance"?

Al
 

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