Laser Sail on Sunfish

vela64

New Member
Hi,
I would rebuild a complete rig using a Laser sail (APS, Intensity Sail etc.).

Did anyone already do this?

If yes, at what height did you place the boom?

Thanks
 
Not an easy project. Laser mast diameter is much bigger than a
Sunfish's. Finding a mast that fits m the Sunfish deck and works in a Laser sail will be quite a challenge. Then once you get it done the center of effort of the Laser sail likely does not align with the location of the Sunfish daggerboard. Other than those issues this is a pretty easy conversionmm BB
 
Alcort made a Super Sunfish rig that fit on the standard Sunfish hull. It is about the same size as a Sunfish sail but is a Laser style rig with nice sail adjustment features. Sunfish Guru Wayne may have photos of the rig. I owned one briefly and was impressed with how well it worked, especially upwind, faster and closer to the wind. Yoy may be able to locate such a rig and install it on your Sunfish hull.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
Alcort made a Super Sunfish rig that fit on the standard Sunfish hull.
This is what the 65 sq ft sail of the Super Sunfish looks like.

Different sailing rig on a sunfish... http://www.sunfishforum.com/showthread.php?t=34609

Super Sunfish
4981816152_9373452a97_z.jpg
 
What kind of mast do you have in mind?

My solution.
Lower mast with 55mm alloy tube,2 mm tickness
Upper mast with 50mm alloy tube,2 mm tickness
Hand made sleeve with pvc idraulic tube
Gosseneck and vang tang Original lasert parts
Boom height from hull deck, the same of Laser
Daggerboard 4" longer than original
Handmade nylon or teflon gooseneck plug
Original laser sail dimension (75 sq ft)

What kind of problems could I have with this rig? The daggerboard should have a different design (backward)
 
My solution.
Lower mast with 55mm alloy tube,2 mm tickness
Upper mast with 50mm alloy tube,2 mm tickness
Hand made sleeve with pvc idraulic tube
Gosseneck and vang tang Original lasert parts
Boom height from hull deck, the same of Laser
Daggerboard 4" longer than original
Handmade nylon or teflon gooseneck plug
Original laser sail dimension (75 sq ft)

What kind of problems could I have with this rig? The daggerboard should have a different design (backward)

get a racing daggerboard and if you have the older rudder design it would be a good idea to get the newer design too
 
What kind of problems could I have with this rig? The daggerboard should have a different design (backward)

Except for the mast not being designed for the sail (unlikely the sail is going to look very good when you sheet in) and the center of effort likely not matching up to the sail, there should not be any problems.

Have you thought about just trying to buy a used Laser instead?

I hope you try this - would love to see how it turns out. BB
 
I did a similar project this year with a Minifish. I shortened it to 11' to make it comply with the Classic Moth rules. I made a mast from an old aluminum winsurfer mast , added stays , and used a broken carbon windsurfer mast for a boom. Sunfish racing daggerboard & a dagger shaped rudder blade. Inspection ports to add a hiking strap , mid boom sheeting with traveler & dual controls for the vang , outhaul & cunningham. A fun little project , all done cheaply with bits and pieces & the boat got wet for the first time this weekend.
2010ClassicMothNationals288.jpg
 
I did a similar project this year with a Minifish. I shortened it to 11' to make it comply with the Classic Moth rules. I made a mast from an old aluminum winsurfer mast , added stays , and used a broken carbon windsurfer mast for a boom. Sunfish racing daggerboard & a dagger shaped rudder blade. Inspection ports to add a hiking strap , mid boom sheeting with traveler & dual controls for the vang , outhaul & cunningham. A fun little project , all done cheaply with bits and pieces & the boat got wet for the first time this weekend.
2010ClassicMothNationals288.jpg


Cool.

Could you post some pictures?

I have some windsurfing poles sit around too. But the problems are:

1) the length is not long enough. ~14 ft, (laser's is about 20ft)
2) how to install boom without drilling holes
3) I have a beat-up laser sail, if mast is not tall enough, how to reef it to fit.
 
I used an old Laser gooseneck. I also used an old Laser plastic gooseneck plug in the base of the mast & I slipped some PVC pipe and a piece of that flexible kitchen chopping board stuff around the mast for a better fit in the mast tube well.
I epoxied sleeves into the boom where the fittings go.
It would probably be best if you could extend your 14' mast with another windsurf section , or something to get the exact height you need for your sail.
MinifishMothriggedup017.jpg

MinifishMothriggedup008.jpg
 
That "mothfish" is one of the cooler things I have seen in a while! How balanced is the helm? Have you sailed against any other classic Moths to see how fast yours is? Nice job! BB
 
Except for the mast not being designed for the sail (unlikely the sail is going to look very good when you sheet in) and the center of effort likely not matching up to the sail, there should not be any problems.

Have you thought about just trying to buy a used Laser instead?

BB

I second the thought of getting an old Laser hull and 'mess around' with that one.

 
That "mothfish" is one of the cooler things I have seen in a while! How balanced is the helm? Have you sailed against any other classic Moths to see how fast yours is? Nice job! BB

Thanks BB. The helm was okay , although the rudder blade I used might be a little long.
It was a case of in at the deep end this weekend , as it was the Classic Moth National Championships & the first time the boat had been sailed as a Moth.
Mid-way through the first race I ended up retiring after stitches in a leg gash opened up.
They let an experienced Moth sailor use the boat for the remainder of the regatta , and unfortunately a shroud pin popped out in one race , and the halyard came loose in another ( both my fault ) , shame really , as he had two great starts. He said it was fun to sail. I think it pleasantly surprised a few people.
It would never keep up with the tippy low wetted surface Generation II Mistral or Mousetrap designs , but apart from the little problems I've already mentioned , it seemed to hold it's own against some of the Generation I Maser's ( cut down Laser's ) , some of the Europe's and other designs.
I think he finished mid-fleet. It didn't help that after weeks of no rain , I'd left the hatch covers off , and an overnight storm had filled the hull up , leaving the foam soaking wet.
Here is a link with a slide show of this weekends National Championships , won by Jeff Linton ( 102 ) ;
http://www.dailyadvance.com/content/moth-boat-race-133210
 
Very cool !

It totally demystified the complicated dinghy design process.

What is next? Maybe add foils to make it a flying Bladerider !

Apologies if I'm going off topic slightly , but it's funny that you mention foils.
There is no rule against it in the Classic Moth class , and one of the Classic Moth sailors put his 1964 McCutcheon Shelly Moth on foils for the 2010 Midwinters ;

GULFPORT2010016.jpg
 
Apologies if I'm going off topic slightly , but it's funny that you mention foils.
There is no rule against it in the Classic Moth class , and one of the Classic Moth sailors put his 1964 McCutcheon Shelly Moth on foils for the 2010 Midwinters ;

It is inline with our discussion about using Sunfish/Minfish hull with other sail/rig. That is what happened with Super Sunfish.

It is understandable there is different mentality between strict one-design and develpment class camps. Both have their own merits.

Aside of foiled Moth, I think there is a lot similarity in Sunfish's hull vs. D-one dinghy's, too. (just add wings and deeper freeboard)
 

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