Laser Hull ID

MarkP

Member
Hello,

I just picked up an old laser today. The seller had no idea what he had and knew nothing at all about boats. He received it in a trade a few days ago and drove two hours each way to deliver it. Final Price: 300. Deck and hull are solid, mast step holds water, and is light enough to carry on my own. Might have hit the jackpot when it comes to a fun boat to play around in, except for a quarter size hole on the bottom of the hull (laid down on something pointy?).

I found a serial number near the bow, but that is about it (79xxx). How do I date the hull?

Fun Fact: Boat has German Sailing Association stickers and a cover that states "Made in West Germany"... I wonder when it crossed the pond.
 
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79xxx Lasers were built in 1980: http://shopeu.laserperformance.com/product_images/pdf/LaserAgeList.pdf (This list probably isn't 100 % accurate, but it's the best we've got.)

If it was first sold in Germany, then it was most likely built in Banbury, England or Waterford, Ireland. (I'm not sure how they had divided the European market.)

No sticker or plaque in the cockpit?

Hi Lali, I had seen that link but had read elsewhere that newer hulls like that are supposed to have a HIN on the transom. However, because it was most likely produced for the European market, maybe id has no actual HIN? So I'm wondering what I should list the maker as when registering it... I'll look into that.


Here are some pictures. I'll take close ups when it is light out.

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because it was most likely produced for the European market, maybe id has no actual HIN?
I understand that the HIN is a totally North American thing.
So I'm wondering what I should list the maker as when registering it...
Performance Sailcraft. All (or almost all) of the nine active builders of the time were part of the same company.
Here are some pictures. I'll take close ups when it is light out.
Thanks! Looking forward to what the stuff on the back wall of the cockpit says.
 
I understand that the HIN is a totally North American thing.
Performance Sailcraft. All (or almost all) of the nine active builders of the time were part of the same company.
Thanks! Looking forward to what the stuff on the back wall of the cockpit says.

Took a closer look at the sail. It has a red laser patch sown right next to the sail's tack.

Here are some pictures:

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The Performance Sailcraft sticker is identical to that from my 81000 UK built Laser as shown in the attached photo. And as Lali says, it would have been built around 1979. Photos from the 1979 Europeans show 77000 Lasers, so yours is probably a late 1979 build.

I would check the drain plug very carefully before putting your boat in the water. Lasers of that vintage were originally built with a plastic drain plug and yours has been replaced with a later brass version. However, it looks as though it has been over-tightened and started to bite right through the gelcoat into the fibreglass. The sealant around it has also started to come away.

It is possible that water from the cockpit may enter inside the hull this way and more importantly, if the other side of the drain plug looks the same underneath the hull, water may get in through there.

Have fun sailing once you have checked this and fixed the other hole.
 

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The Performance Sailcraft sticker is identical to that from my 81000 UK built Laser as shown in the attached photo. And as Lali says, it would have been built around 1979. Photos from the 1979 Europeans show 77000 Lasers, so yours is probably a late 1979 build.

I would check the drain plug very carefully before putting your boat in the water. Lasers of that vintage were originally built with a plastic drain plug and yours has been replaced with a later brass version. However, it looks as though it has been over-tightened and started to bite right through the gelcoat into the fibreglass. The sealant around it has also started to come away.

It is possible that water from the cockpit may enter inside the hull this way and more importantly, if the other side of the drain plug looks the same underneath the hull, water may get in through there.

Have fun sailing once you have checked this and fixed the other hole.

Thanks for the info and the heads up. I'll examine the bushing closely and reseal it if necessary. Can't wait to seal the hole with some jb weld and some caulk... Just kidding. I'll do a niche job with some fiberglass and hopefully get some gelcoat to match perfectly.

You have a blue hull as well? Is your boat cream colored as well? I assume this is faded white gelcoat?

So does your boat have any hardware mounted on the deck on the same spot where I have two sealed screws?
 
Hi,

No - mine is actually a brown hulled Laser L special edition from 1979 - it came in typical 1970's colours of brown with a gold and yellow sail!

All the early Lasers, probably up to at least 100,000 had those cream (officially called ivory) coloured decks. Slightly better for reducing the glare from the sun on a sunny day than the newer ones.

I would guess that the two screws on your deck were for a compass attachment. You can actually see a faint circle around them where it would have sat.
 

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Looks nice! Cant wait for the weather to get warm so I can clean/polish it up..

There is some type of clear plastic piece in between both screws. I'll look into that. A compass wouldn't be a bad addition
 
The SS plate with two blocks replaces the fairlead by the mast step and uses the same screw holes. It's part of the upgraded rigging package. The two random screws on the deck of your boat were from something else.
 
The SS plate with two blocks replaces the fairlead by the mast step and uses the same screw holes. It's part of the upgraded rigging package. The two random screws on the deck of your boat were from something else.

Is there any risk to buying a kit like this and starting to remove hardware? I'm worried about losing backing blocks. I probably will not mess with any hardware because of fear of trying to fix stuff that is not really broken. I did crack the rudder gudgeon but saved the piece. Pretty sure my friend JB Weld will take care of it nicely.
 
I'm worried about losing backing blocks.
A Laser has no backing plates that you could lose. They're all pieces of wood glassed in place.
What is holding all the hardware in place?
Screws. There are no bolts so there are no nuts to lose, either. Bolting is legal, but a brand new boat has only two bolts: the gooseneck and the rudder head.
 
Has anyone tried one of these?
I'll make this a separate post, as there's a lot to unpack here:
71cmWkJw9VL._SY355_.jpg

First, you don't need all this stuff.

What you want to do with an older boat is to take a look at what you have and update what you need to. Whatever "kit" you buy, you get with it something you don't really need, and at the same time you're left with most of your problems unsolved.
If I had Mark's boat, all I'd change would be the ropes, plastic Clamcleats to aluminium, tiller/extension to right lengths, and add a few blocks to the vang & cunningham systems. You see that a kit like the one in question would help very little.

Then there's the legality issue.

Not everyone on this forum agrees, but I think it's a fundamentally good thing to keep every Laser in the class, even the 300-buck ones. When you stick a fake part on your Laser, it stops being a Laser. Don't do it.
The problem with providers like Nautos of Brazil isn't really that they sell fake parts, but that they sell a mix of fake and real and having no idea which is which. Let's look at the ad: it says first "RECREATIONAL -TRAINNING"(sic). That's code for "fake". Then it's "Nautos genuine Laser parts", which totally contradicts the smallest text, "Not class legal". Ok, so they have a sort of a disclaimer here. But is all this stuff even illegal? Not necessarily:

Camcleats and Clamcleat - definitely legal.
Bailer - probably legal.
Ss plate probably fake, attached blocks legal.
Base fake, attached cam cleats legal.
Eye straps - grey area, probably legal.
Everything else - grey area, probably fake.

As you can see, these kind of people really don't know/care what their customers get. Steer clear of them, and instead support your local real Laser dealer. In the original poster's case, I understand that would be Avon Sailboats, Rochester, Michigan: 248-852-2211, 1033 East Auburn Road.
 
Understood. Thanks for the feedback. Definitely grateful for forums such as these and people who take the time to help out. Once I take the Laser out for the summer I will survey all my parts and upgrade accordingly, with class legal so that I don't turn a hull which is in pretty good shape into a non-legal hull that is in good shape.

Also, I had this sail along with an aluminum rudder and dagger-board included as a art of the deal for the Laser. Any clue what they may be from?

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