Older Laser Questions

sail2484

New Member
Hi all,

I recently bought an older laser (1973 I believe) and am looking to upgrade it and maybe try my hand at some racing. I have a couple questions about upgrading the older model lasers:

1. Since it still has what I believe are the original wood blades, are the new fiberglass blades compatible in the older hulls (the wood ones seem quite thick)?

2. What other upgrades are important to getting the boat into modern racing shape and what priorities should I set?

Any help you can give would be most helpful.

Thanks!
 
All I can offer is an amateur's perspective since I am in the same boat so to speak.

I don't believe the new GRP blades are compatible with the older hulls. I've read the blade sizes are different. I may be wrong on that though.

As to upgrades, how much do you want to spend? :) I picked up a 1973 Laser that I am upgrading from the original rig. The new vang, cunningham and outhaul are straightforward, if somewhat pricey, upgrades. They fit where the original fittings are. I opted for the Harken clew sleeve to round things out and a new line package from APS. So you have to decide if sinking $700+ in hardware is worth it for your boat.

I focused on getting the hull in reasonable shape. My mast step was leaking so I poured a new epoxy plug in the bottom since the internal step was in good shape and added the steel wear plate. New inspection ports, rebedded all the deck hardware, new hiking strap and wetsanded and polished the hull. After that is just upgrades.

$1000 will put the old Laser into sailing trim with all new hardware, lines, new practice sail and a little left over for extras you might want/need like a replica mast section or new tiller/extension.

One thing is if you plan to upgrade to the Harken or Holt Allen vang is to make sure you sleeve your boom if it is original. The new vang is so powerful that you can break your boom in higher winds without the reinforced boom. It's a cheap builder upgrade so worth getting.

I focused on the new controls since I wanted my Laser to match the handling requirements of newer boats. That way when I upgrade everything will be familiar.

For what it's worth.

Matt
 
Thanks, Matt.

Luckily, my hull is in pretty good shape...still very stiff deck with no signs of leaking. Mast step isn't leaking any water either. Part of the reason I'm keen on replacing the wood blades is that the daggerboard keeps creeping up when im tacking upwind. The rudder blade, too, moves around quite a bit. I was figuring a new fiberglass rudder assembly would fit fine on the aft mount, but really wasn't sure about a new daggerboard fitting. Do you have any issues with your wood daggerboard?

Appreciate your input on other upgrades, I already did all the lines, but I'll probably move on to the vang, outhaul, and cunningham next until I figure out if the new fiberglass blades are compatible.
 
All I can offer is an amateur's perspective since I am in the same boat so to speak.

I don't believe the new GRP blades are compatible with the older hulls. I've read the blade sizes are different. I may be wrong on that though.

The blades should work with any boat, they were all built to the same dimensions. The only rule they had was that you could only use wooden blades if the boat was supplied with them.

If the blades creep up, use a different shockchord design to keep it down, add a centerboard brake (or replace it) or consider filling in the front of the the trunk if it's worn and then add some velcro or tape to the front.
 
Eric: Thanks. That clears up the blade issue.

sail2484: I have no issue with my wood daggerboard. It's straight and smooth. But I did change out the shock cord and brake setup. I have the new brake assembly in place of the old "W" rubber brake and my shock cord is the APS downhaul kit.

APS is very local to me and the club I will be sailing at so I tend to have a lot of APS hardware on my boat. I've certainly made them happy in the past month.

Matt
 
I have an old laser 1974 and have upgraded all of the lines and the main block. I would recommend the metal clew sleeve and hook thats available for $50. It has a block attached and is really the best upgrade for the money. It makes rigging the boat in heavy wind so much easier. Basically the outhaul is already rigged, and you don't have to bother with the velcro clew strap.

One thing I found though this weekend is that with the added trim I broke the traveler and capsized!!!

West coast sailing and APS love my business though.
A vang upgrade is #2 on my list even if I don't go with the $275 upgrade.

There are other vang upgrades that you can do for cheap that will get you to 10:1 or 6:1
 
Hi all,

I recently bought an older laser (1973 I believe) and am looking to upgrade it and maybe try my hand at some racing. I have a couple questions about upgrading the older model lasers:

1. Since it still has what I believe are the original wood blades, are the new fiberglass blades compatible in the older hulls (the wood ones seem quite thick)?

2. What other upgrades are important to getting the boat into modern racing shape and what priorities should I set?

Any help you can give would be most helpful.

Thanks!

You can race with the old rigging, but you have to put in a few more purchases to make it functional, it won't be as good as the new upgraded rigging but will allow you to trim the boat properly, If you want to be competitive you'll need a new or newer sail, the old sails become baggy and the draft moves aft and they are no fun on a beat in heavy air, If your budget allows you to get all the new rigging go for it, if not you can upgrade piece by piece, the vang and double deckcleat for cunningham and outhaul make a big difference in the control area.

The blades should fit but just to make sure you might want to borrow a fiberglass one to check,
 
All I can offer is an amateur's perspective since I am in the same boat so to speak.


One thing is if you plan to upgrade to the Harken or Holt Allen vang is to make sure you sleeve your boom if it is original. The new vang is so powerful that you can break your boom in higher winds without the reinforced boom. It's a cheap builder upgrade so worth getting.


Hi, What does it mean to "sleeve your boom"?
 
I am assuming that to install the reinforcing sleeve you need to remove all harware, rivets, screws,throughbolts, install the sleave and then re-drill to reinstall the fasteners through the boom and internal sleave. Is that correct?
 
I am assuming that to install the reinforcing sleeve you need to remove all hardware, rivets, screws,throughbolts, install the sleeve and then re-drill to reinstall the fasteners through the boom and internal sleeve. Is that correct?

It's not quite as bad as that. The sleeve is only a couple of feet long so you only need to remove the gooseneck fitting and the vang strap. The gooseneck fitting usually gets damaged in the process which is why it's included in the sleeve kit.

After removing the strap and end, slide the sleeve in and re-rivet the strap, this time going through the sleeve as well. (If I remember correctly, there are no holes pre-drilled in the sleeve for this, so you need to do that as part of the process.) Re-install the gooseneck end, and you're good to go.
 
Thanks, That doesn't sound to bad. Is there anyway to tell if your boom has a sleave or not. I bought my Laser used. It's a 2001 but I have no idea if the boom is original. If you tap it with a wrench or something will it sound different where the sleave is.
 
Thanks, That doesn't sound to bad. Is there anyway to tell if your boom has a sleave or not. I bought my Laser used. It's a 2001 but I have no idea if the boom is original. If you tap it with a wrench or something will it sound different where the sleave is.

Best way I can think of is to take a wire coat hanger and put a 90 degree bend at the end, but make the end small enough that it will still fit through the gooseneck fitting. You can then try to 'feel' along the inside of the spar to see if you can detect the sleeve.
 
Thanks, That doesn't sound to bad. Is there anyway to tell if your boom has a sleave or not. I bought my Laser used. It's a 2001 but I have no idea if the boom is original. If you tap it with a wrench or something will it sound different where the sleave is.

I am pretty sure a Laser of that vintage should be sleeved. You will be able to tell through as your boom will bend excessively compared to other boats around you when you pull it on (even with a non-xd kicker).
 
Can these be found in the UK - I've Googled but can only find sources in the USA?

I've just bought my Laser and it has a white boom, which I understand to be the one Noah used. I'm planning to upgrade the kicker over the winter and I assume I'll need to reinforce the boom at the same time.
 

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