Laser #2335 - $1000 good value?

I should buy this boat and just get on the water

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 36.4%

  • No, save your pennies and get something with newer gear

    Votes: 7 63.6%
  • Total voters
    11
jonk

jonk

New Member
Hi, I am a beginner sailer looking at a really old boat that seems to be in decent shape. Is this boat too old for just starting out? Will i have to spend a bunch getting the gear up to par?


Condition:
New lines but all orig rigging
Orig sail
Mast base reinforcement done
Older wood grab rails, centerboard and rudder.
Deck has no soft spots but a few spiderweb cracks spots here and there.
Hull in good shape, has foam blocks inside


Any advice greatly appreciated! :)
 
If the hull doesn't leak, it's a good value, IMHO.
More importantly, the boat seems to suit you because you really don't need the upgrades until you have gained experience in the Laser.
 
Wavedancer said:
If the hull doesn't leak, it's a good value, IMHO.
More importantly, the boat seems to suit you because you really don't need the upgrades until you have gained experience in the Laser.
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Thanks Wavedancer! The seller said that the boat was always stored in a dry place but I may want to pull the screws out and reseal them using sealant to prevent the small amount of leakage that may happen. I noticed when I opened the aft drain, it didn't hiss out air like it was super sealed... Should it be that tight?

Learning sooo much reading these laser posts! Can't wait to get on the water :)
 
I'm not from the US so don't know about the market there, but I would have thought you could find a much better boat for $1000. This one is as good as 40 years old, so it would want to be showroom perfect to be worth that much. My advice is to not buy the first boat you look at.
 
TonyB said:
I'm not from the US so don't know about the market there, but I would have thought you could find a much better boat for $1000. This one is as good as 40 years old, so it would want to be showroom perfect to be worth that much.
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Thanks for the feedback Tony! Anxious to get in the water before our short summer is up. I thought the low serial might have some merit.
 
Does the serial number have a letter in front of it? My boat has the #4429, but there is an A in front of it, so the real number is 104429. the last 4 characters should be the year (mine says M82B) so it was made in 1982.

As a good laser buyer should know, flip the boat over and inspect the rail where the deck an hull come together all the way around. If there is separation, or previous repair, then you might need to do a little work.

I was recently given a Laser and after a bit of repair and sanding, it looks good as new. Updated hardware, grabrails, lines, sail (practice sail from Intensity) hiking strap... all for about $600. But that includes the cost of gel coat repair, polishing compound, Epoxy, and other materials to fix the leaks.

Hope that this helps a little.
 
reddin11 said:
Does the serial number have a letter in front of it? My boat has the #4429, but there is an A in front of it, so the real number is 104429. the last 4 characters should be the year (mine says M82B) so it was made in 1982.
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Thanks Reddin, that helps alot!

I checked out the rail and good news, no repairs or separation that I can see.

Also no letter in front of the serial number which is only stamped under the bowline - according to the seller this was one of the first in the San Fran fleet. Came with 2 sails, one of which has the low number on it.

I ended up purchasing for $500, woohoo, time to get my sail on! The seller made me promise that I would use her and send him some pictures. No prob!

Took her out in a small lake near my house and practiced righting it yesterday (so sore today). When I got home there was a little water in the hull and I suspect its coming through the inspection port seals or the old seals on the screws. I'll just have to be sure and let it all drain out each time I go out until I can do some work on her this winter.

All in all the glass is solid except the right and left edges of the cockpit floor seem like there's not alot of foam under there (if any). After reading the forums like crazy here yesterday (this site rocks!), it sounds like the foam has worn out under the the sides of the cockpit (glass appears good). Either that or my 225lb a$$ needs to stop drinking cold malty beverages and start to do more hiking :)

I ordered up from IntensitySails some cubitainer cells for inside to replace the foam blocks, stainless mast wear plate, stainless screws, and a bottleport for 'water bottle'. There's a inspection port in the back and one installed in the front when they did the mast step reinforcement (looks really professionally done). I'll place the bottleport next to the centerboard.

Next stop REI for a PFD

Pictures coming soon
 
Wow that's great, and having the number under the boweye says it is really old. I saw one today that had a 5#### and was impressed (1978).

Good to hear that it is in great condition. I have put mine through the paces the last 3 days. Tacks, Gybes, and even had it going in reverse so fast I put 4 inches of water in the cockpit over the transom. And even dry capped 6 or 7 times to make sure my epoxy job held up.

Waiting to see the pictures!
 
monkey_feet said:
Can't wait to see pictures.
Click to expand...
picture.php
 
The bad.....

and now the bad...
Spider web from car topping? (the tan/brown spots are stuff off the tree above)

picture.php


looking down on the front of the centerboard. this prob needs to be fixed sooner than later..
picture.php
 
oh man, that boat is in pretty good shape, the repairs are easy as pie. but how much is she weight? if its over weight you might have a different issue.
 
readyjimm said:
oh man, that boat is in pretty good shape, the repairs are easy as pie. but how much is she weight? if its over weight you might have a different issue.
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My fish scale only goes to 30lb :) I guess I could get creative with the bathroom scale...

If she's heavy, do i want to know what the different issue is?

Anyone have some tips for that deck centerboard crack? I'm thinking dremel it out a bit to get a bite and fiberglass bondo with paint on top of that. I don't think I'll need to glass it
 
well you could do that, but be aware that bondo expands with water and will not hold up in the long run, if you want to do a cheap quick fix it would work for the time being.

but you have the right idea with using a dremel and filling it in, but you should use the west system and use either 406, 407, or 410. 406 is really easy to sand, but its more for the scratches and such, the 410 would be your best bet i think. you can read all about it on westsystem.com i love their products because they are so easy to work with.

but be careful when you fill it in, because if you put too much in you might run into a issue with the daggar board. (fitting properly) if you have any other questions you can just ask because everyone here is very helpful. :)
 
To answer your original question, I think you stole the boat (c:

Don't use bondo, as someone else said.. go to west systems and find the right product. They'll help you on the phone too, if you need it. You don't want to contaminate the 'wound' with anything like bondo.

Good sailing.. make sure to wear the PFD !!
 
its better to get out there even if you don't have all the upgrades or a brand new laser, an intensity practice sail will be perfect for daysailing/practice. if the boat doesn't leak it will be a good first boat, if you start to get into racing you'll want to invest in the upgrades and a new/newer used sail. You can also rig the old control lines with more purchase for practicing/learning, I wouldn't recommend the old controls for racing since the lines tend to get jammed up at crucial times like when rounding the windward mark with 50 boats.
 
203 said:
To answer your original question, I think you stole the boat (c:

Don't use bondo, as someone else said.. go to west systems and find the right product. They'll help you on the phone too, if you need it. You don't want to contaminate the 'wound' with anything like bondo.

Good sailing.. make sure to wear the PFD !!
Click to expand...

x2 West Systems work well
 
Spend money, go sailing. I have a '73 Laser in what appears to be worse shape than this one . Soft deck, gouges in hull, faded paint, leaks :rolleyes:. Got it last summer for $300. Since then I bought a used sail (from a post on this forum), new traveler blocks, and new lines and put it in the water (does float and mast step decent). Oh my gosh, too much fun. My hull leaks around the center board trunk I am guessing (a couple of cups after a few hours sailing), but I am still loving it. I have inspection ports near mast step and on rear deck that let things air out between weekends, and I plan to dive into fiber glass repairs and paint before too long. Until then I am on the water.
 
203 said:
Good sailing.. make sure to wear the PFD !!
Click to expand...
Thx 203 - heading to REI to fit one today. From the feedback on TLF I'm thinking an Extrasport is my best bet

Thx LaserXD - up until last week Cunningham to me was an an actor on Happy Days so I think I have a bit to learn before getting into competitive racing. Absorbed everything i could from TLF (awesome!) and ripped thru Tillmans book which filled my noggin with all sorts of good stuff. Excited! I'm pretty active but jeez.. my lower back is sore... taking a couple days rest and doing some stretches beforehand next time :p My experienced friend has a Byte and he was :mad: when I kept blowing by him on our first day lake tour.

West Systems it is. Pricey but sounds like it's worth it. I've huffed my fair share of resin fumes in the past building snowboards so it shouldn't be too difficult to get back in the swing of things. This winter I'll put some time into the hull - and perhaps some paint.

Now she just needs a name on the transom...


howard-cunningham.jpg
 
I think 1000$ is too much for a boat of this age. Plus, you have to repair it at two places. If you have the budget for, I'll just look to a boat like year 2000 + .. so you'll maybe pay 3000-4000$ for it but you're sure that it will be stiff and if you want to race earlier that you thought, it will be ready.. it's my opinion about that. :rolleyes:
 
Sailorantoine said:
I think 1000$ is too much for a boat of this age. Plus, you have to repair it at two places. If you have the budget for, I'll just look to a boat like year 2000 + .. so you'll maybe pay 3000-4000$ for it but you're sure that it will be stiff and if you want to race earlier that you thought, it will be ready.. it's my opinion about that. :rolleyes:
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Hey thanks Sailorantoine - I ended up paying $500 for it which sounds like a pretty good deal for a total beginner (me). I think I'll just get on the water and get my chops up before I get something like this http://skagit.craigslist.org/boa/1870638485.html
 
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