Laser Race vs XD

Goneswimmin

New Member
I'm thinking about buying a laser to race. The dealer has some demo Race Lasers from the Worlds, but I was originally considering the XD model. Is it worth it to get the XD upgrade? How does it really compare in the real world racing environment? If you were going to get one, would you save a few bucks now or will I end up regretting it?

I know the answer is probably somewhere in the forum already, but I have searched and I just can't seem to find it.

Thanks from a newbie!
 
As long as the boat comes with the 'new' style control lines (i.e. cunningham and outhaul led down to the deck) and a 15:1 vang I would say save the extra you would pay for and XD and buy one of these.

Check it over carefully though as the worlds boats do tend to get hammered!
 
I had a look at the protests on the Worlds website, there were a number of Requests for Redress because the toe straps pulled out, I presume from the rear fixing. Something to beware.
Oh the joys of sailing a one design boat, all the same. Not.
 
I had a look at the protests on the Worlds website, there were a number of Requests for Redress because the toe straps pulled out, I presume from the rear fixing. Something to beware.
Oh the joys of sailing a one design boat, all the same. Not.

Nope. It was the mainsheet block end that was ripping out.

Also, don't be fooled by the increased amount of incidences at World's. You have to remember that there are ~180 consecutively produced boats at the event. There are bound to be a few with issues.

I'm sure if you collected ~180 boats from other people, there would be a few with issues. How many of those ~180 would be sailed as hard as the ones at World's? few, if any.

Even if 4 had the blocks rip out (I think it was 3 or 4, maybe 5, can't remember exactly), that's only 7.2%.
 
Nope. It was the mainsheet block end that was ripping out.

Also, don't be fooled by the increased amount of incidences at World's. You have to remember that there are ~180 consecutively produced boats at the event. There are bound to be a few with issues.

I'm sure if you collected ~180 boats from other people, there would be a few with issues. How many of those ~180 would be sailed as hard as the ones at World's? few, if any.

Even if 4 had the blocks rip out (I think it was 3 or 4, maybe 5, can't remember exactly), that's only 7.2%.

I'm liking the statistics :)
 
Oh the joys of sailing a one design boat, all the same. Not.

Ain't that the truth. The more work I do on my laser the more horrified I am at how badly built it was. Reinforcing wood blocks? Missing, or so far out of place as to do no good. The boom: missing corrosion inhibitor in about a third of the rivets. This is a difference you can smell, see in the presence of corrosion, and feel in increased resistance when punching the rivets out. The boom sleeve looks like it was drilled free hand by someone. Drunk. How else do you get chatter marks skidding six inches from the actual hole? And my absolute favorite, holes for the traveler fairleads in the wrong place by a quarter of an inch, and needless to say no reinforcing wood in 3 out of 4 holes...
 
I'm sure if you collected ~180 boats from other people, there would be a few with issues. How many of those ~180 would be sailed as hard as the ones at World's? few, if any.

Even if 4 had the blocks rip out (I think it was 3 or 4, maybe 5, can't remember exactly), that's only 7.2%.[/quote]

I believe that number would be closer to 2% to 3%. A much nicer figure. Also I thought this years "Worlds" had a problem with light winds.
 
Are you calling the math wrong, or saying there were less boats with issues at Worlds?

Using 4 as the number with which to find the percentage: 180x0.04=7.2%

I was on the lead safety/rescue boat, so I was privy to pretty much everything going on. I can't remember the exact number of boat damages. I think, by the end of the event, they were actually runing out of extra boats.

A lot of the dagger boards provided were also pretty mangled, with "speed curves", if you will.

Many of the days started out light until the thermal kicked up and either built by itself or combined with the existing system breeze. By the time the races got under way, it was usually pretty breezy.
 
that should be: (4/180)x100=2.2%, but looking at your avatar picture I can reconsider the calculation:p

Pretty big math fail on my part, but then again, that's the story of my academic life.

What wrong with my av? Don't be a prejudging dick.
 
So Shatty, were the blocks and screws pulling out? Or did the straps fail, leaving the screws in place?

Either way can leave a long sail home, but the repair is dramatically different.

Al
 
I believe they were all cases of whole assembly ripping out due to erroneous placement of the wooden block.

There may have been one cases where it was the aft screws, but I'm not positive.
 
Pretty big math fail on my part, but then again, that's the story of my academic life.

What wrong with my av? Don't be a prejudging dick.

:eek: Mean alert! I thought Pif (the dog)'s comment was meant in humor, and it was CUTE. You don't have to do cute, Shatty, but stop being so defensive. You yourself have said you've been misunderstood when you've tried humor here.
 
Just look at the smiley at the end. It was a lighthearted comment. But from your response I can appreciate the meaning you took - and now I expect to have the insults thrown my way !!

Ian

Nah, brah. Don't worry.

I never trust the smileys.

:eek: Mean alert! I thought Pif (the dog)'s comment was meant in humor, and it was CUTE. You don't have to do cute, Shatty, but stop being so defensive. You yourself have said you've been misunderstood when you've tried humor here.

Bravo! Vous savez ce que son nom signifie. Êtes-vous bilingue?

Rough morning. Cat puking everywhere, military medicals and interview, other errands.

Not gonna lie. humour's not a strong point, even at the best of times.
 
Now that's funny.



Sur un peu. Tres peu. See, not even the little mark over the "e" in "tres."



Sounds like kitty needs a medical, too. You joining the service?

He was just at the vet's. He'll just have one day every so often where he just pukes numerous times. I hate it. (The cat)

Yes, hopefully, if my past injuries don't hold me back. (Meaning they don't reject me because of what someone half a country away, who makes the decisions, sees on paper)
 
If the Laser Race and the Laser XD were both new would it then be worth the extra $$ for the XD ?

Depends a lot on yourself.

I know I didn't rig any of my controls the way the almighty XD manual recommended.

I guess, in my case, it would have been cheaper to just buy a normal Laser and rig it the way I wanted.

The XD did come with a nice, never folded, crease-less Hyde sail, though.
 

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