rock steady said:I spotted a prototype of the new Laser Rudder being used at our State Masters Regatta last weeked.
dyzzypyxxy said:It sure seems like a dam shame to me for the Class to come out with a blade that has new construction and a better finish, but not to go ahead and change the shape so it won't stall out so fast when it heels over.
IF the new rudder really IS better in any way, everybody's going to want one anyway, so why not make it right?
When asked what he would change about the "perfect one-design" Laser, designer Bruce Kirby said "First I'd make the rudder bigger" (or words to that effect).
Yes, it will be a $200 upgrade, but hey, tons of people spend $200 on carbon fiber tiller extensions for little to no gain in performance and handling. Nobody's going to mind a new rudder that actually allows you to steer the boat in big breeze.
Why didn't somebody on the World Council ask this??
dyzzy
dyzzypyxxy said:People need to buy $500 sails way too often in order to be competitive. Nobody complains. People complained about cost in advance of the control line upgrade. Now everybody loves it.
Why would they complain about a one time purchase of a completely new rudder that would improve the fundamental sailing characteristics of the boat?
It might even attract more new sailors to the Class, since maybe the boat wouldn't flip so many beginners on their asses first time out. Don't get me wrong, I love the boat but it does discourage a good many people that they can't just jump into this simple-looking little toy and go tearing around without a certain amount of embarassment and swimming.
Just my opinion but this is possibly the reason there are SO many Lasers sitting around in garages and barns all over the world. The boat is a beast in disguise.
180,000-odd Lasers built. How many in regular use? Worldwide Laser Class membership used to be about 20,000 if memory serves. Maybe double that many Lasers actually in use. Where are the other 140,000??
getting dyzzyier < knew I shouldn't have started, Tracy -all Fred's fault >
49208 said:Nobody complains about buying the class sails because of price ?That's what half the replies in this thread are about.... If you look thru some of the old threads here, you'll see similar complaints about the cost of < insert any builder supplied piece of the boat >
I'm amazed that any changes occur given the size of the class and the number of people that seem to line up on each side of the
dyzzypyxxy said:Yeah, but your're still making it different, so why not make it a real improvement to the boat?
If all the people seriously racing will buy one anyway, it makes sense to me to make it a whole new rudder.
Was this discussed? Was a vote of WC members taken as to who just wanted "same blades, different supplier" vs. "a whole new blade" from whoever would build it properly.
New rudder design was discussed at the 1997 WC meeting in Chile, and a new prototype rudder was actually tested by WC members - including me - in Melbourne in January of 1999.
It's not like it's a new idea . . . as I said earlier, Kirby has wanted to change it for years.
Busted Lainie
aka Gilgamesh - still throwing stones at the lions. From a distance.