Std. sail, Hyde or North?

C

Cenutrio

New Member
Hi guys, this is my first post and I want to say hi first,

I'm a spanish Laser sailor since the mid 80s, I'm living now in the States and you know how difficult can be without sailing. So, I'm buying some laser gear. I have a bunch of questions:

1. A online site that you would recommend for buying Laser stuff with good service and competitive prices.
2. It seems there are two sail manufacturers in the States (North and Hyde), which ones are better made? I will race.
3. About the new bang, cunningham, etc systems. Any recommendations (I would love to see photos of the systems to get an idea)? So, if you can provide links i would be even easier for me.

I plan to sail first in the Madison, WI area but soon after I'll move to Miami.

I still keep my laser in Spain, but i want to set up another here.

Thanks a bunch

151396
 
Cenutrio said:
1. A online site that you would recommend for buying Laser stuff with good service and competitive prices.
2. It seems there are two sail manufacturers in the States (North and Hyde), which ones are better made? I will race.
3. About the new bang, cunningham, etc systems. Any recommendations (I would love to see photos of the systems to get an idea)? So, if you can provide links i would be even easier for me.

151396
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Welcome to TLF, Cenutrio!

1. I really like Annapolis Performance Sailing. They have competitive prices, with discount shipping if you order online. They also go out of their way if you call with questions. They are www.apsltd.com

2. There are a number of threads on this forum that discuss Hyde vs North. Use the search feature to find them. One recent one is here: http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=2113&highlight=Hyde+North

3. Vanguard, who makes the Laser here in the States, offers their rigging guide at their website. Here's a link to the PDF. http://www.teamvanguard.com/boats/c/cnt/down/LaserRiggingLR.pdf

I'm sure there are other opinions and choices, but I hope that gets you started.

Enjoy!

Merrily
 
In addition to APS, Melges Boat Works is in Wisconsin, not that far away from Madison
http://www.melges.com/main.html (they carry all things Laser)

I think you'll find most of the dealers stick to the suggested retail pricing, so it comes down to having the part you want in stock. Occasionally Svendsen's in San Francisco (http://www.svendsens.com ) has some decent prices on specific items, worth checking out - for example they have the Acme Black Diamond tiller for $140 right now, I bought one last year for 120 from them....
 
Melges carries parts, but you have to call, no online ordering. Since Carlos is in the area and maybe sailing on Buddy's lake this weekend, I thought it was worth mentioning.
 
49208 said:
Melges carries parts, but you have to call, no online ordering. Since Carlos is in the area and maybe sailing on Buddy's lake this weekend, I thought it was worth mentioning.
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Thanks for the tip. Yes, among other things I want to check the two different sails, ask/check owners bang/cunninghan systems they use and check the tillers available. Every opinion is highly regarded here since I want to extract some conclusions before buying.

Thanks,

Pd. I'm going to the race with Dirk Polzin a long time Laser sailor very well known in the E-scow circuit.
 
1. APS has almost everything
2. hyde is actually made for the european laser distributor - their sails cost more, but have more resin and last longer
3. http://www.laserforum.org/cms.php?view=fredsrig - there are lots of good pictures of the new rigging; recently I took off a block on both the cunnigham and the vang - the reason for this is when it is blowing 15 knots +, you dont have enough time to pull in all the lines of the cunnigham and vang to have proper leward mark roundings
 
mattsterett said:
2. hyde is actually made for the european laser distributor - their sails cost more, but have more resin and last longer
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The official cloth spec for Hyde and North is the same so the Hydes can't have more resin than the Norths. If one can show a clear statistically valid difference between the two manufacturers I'd certainly be interested in seeing it.

At the end of the day, neither sail dominates at the front of the fleet. Probably the best thing is to buy the one you **feel** best about, but if you don't have a prejudice then buy the North because its cheaper.

Tracy
 
I was just browsing US Sailing's recent news and it appears that the above poster, Matt Sterett, has been named to the US National Sailing Team for the Laser. Why didn't you say anything! Nice going mate! This might earn it's own thread...
 
You might also check out the prices at Colie Sails in New Jersey (http://www.coliesail.com) which gave me a great deal on a new North sail, put on the numbers for free and even added some wind indicators. Plus, the folks in the store are very helpful. You might want to compare prices between Colie and APS since both provide good service.
 
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