Class Politics New Laser Class

I mean, no one really races with 30-year-old rags, right?
I think you would be surprised.

Whilst I realise that not many people are as fortunate as I am to have a 30 year old "as new" coloured sail to unleash on the world at some point, a quick check of the photos of my club, where the Laser races in a handicap fleet, about a third of the boats use original genuine sails on mid 80s Lasers or older and none have buttons. Only one seems to have upgraded to the new Mark 2 full rig and only one non class sail. I think this is probably fairly typical of many clubs around the country (UK) where we just go out for fun and the joy of being on the water, and I don't think the class should potentially alienate these people by loose wording in the rules, which is unnecessary.

I am a firm believer in the original ethos of the Laser which is its strict one designness (is that a word?) and perhaps naively think that you ought to be able to find, boxed up in a barn somewhere, an unused Laser from,say 1972, stick it on your car and turn up to a National championship and sail with it (after adding a mast retaining line of course!).
 
The buttons, plaques, stickers etc were all introduced to help identify equipment manufactured by class legal builders. As a measurer, it always came down to experience to identify older boats and equipment without the identifiers. If someone turned up with a 40 year old hardstick (spelling) experience would tell you it was class legal (weight of the cloth, eyelets, sticker on the sail). Someone turning up with a radial cut Mk11 sail without a button would raise suspicions. However it is difficult and becoming increasingly more difficult as the class introduces new equipment.

This is what always got me about the builders of counterfeit equipment, almost all of them say they our trying to encourage laser sailing by selling equipment cheaper etc, but none of them are willing to clearing mark their equipment as being non class legal. None of them are willing to work with the class to make life easier for the measurers. How many have of the sails have manufacturers decals in the tack that are blue, no they are all red and usually the same size as the class legal decals so at the casual glance they look class legal. Are the spares physically stamped down the section as being non class legal, no. It shouldn't be up to the authorised class manufacturers to use identifiers such as buttons, decals and stickers. Personally, I think they are all out to make a fast buck, over encouraging class.
 
It was Haarstick Sails - I remember the green thread. Haarstick Sailmakers: End of an Era >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News
You sure Haarstick had the green thread? I remember they tack decal well as they had Haarstick and computer cut. Pretty sure Haarstick were the standard supplier of sails here and they had white thread, but we got a few imported sails that had green thread that were from Hyde I think. It doesn't really matter, I'm well and truly out of the measuring game now.
 
You sure Haarstick had the green thread? I remember they tack decal well as they had Haarstick and computer cut. Pretty sure Haarstick were the standard supplier of sails here and they had white thread, but we got a few imported sails that had green thread that were from Hyde I think. It doesn't really matter, I'm well and truly out of the measuring game now.

I still race with my boat's original, 1995 Haarstick full rig sail. It has red buttons and labels, just like all the rest of them. I used to have an APS practice sail and they were kind enough to change the labels/buttons to black. Anyone who races Lasers could recognize the APS sail as not being class legal.
 
You sure Haarstick had the green thread? I remember they tack decal well as they had Haarstick and computer cut. Pretty sure Haarstick were the standard supplier of sails here and they had white thread, but we got a few imported sails that had green thread that were from Hyde I think. It doesn't really matter, I'm well and truly out of the measuring game now.
Here is my Haarstick from 1990. I still use it.
5659A85C-0F63-4EA9-B369-C67ADD454C19.jpeg
 
My ancient sail was from the 70s and is long gone. I am sure (well pretty sure, it was a long time ago) it had green thread. Maybe it was an Elvstrom??? Definitely predated the red patches.
 
My ancient sail was from the 70s and is long gone. I am sure (well pretty sure, it was a long time ago) it had green thread. Maybe it was an Elvstrom??? Definitely predated the red patches.

I believe you are correct. Elvstrom had green thread. Or at least some of them did
 
"Human Race natural tendency for improvement is capable of evolving toward self extinction"
Class politics and greed are killing the BEST dinghy sailboat in history.
 
"Human Race natural tendency for improvement is capable of evolving toward self extinction"
Class politics and greed are killing the BEST dinghy sailboat in history.

IMO it's the poor politics and greed of LP. However, currently they owe Bruce Kirby $5.0+ million bucks!
 
Someone was talking about green threads on sails.This is my oldest sail. Red Laser patch and green threads. Old style grommets. Doesn’t say Harstick.
D756C358-7B7F-4FDD-A6DE-8A5008345740.jpeg
 

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