Thanks for all the tips. What do you mean by "fast pin"?
Got it. Looks good.
I need to get that book I suppose huh?
Unless you have a valet, like Paul Goodison in the video, and your boat is already on a dolly, ten minutes is a bit outlandish, IMHO.
YouTube - How to rig a Laser by Britain's Olympic Sailor
Moreover, as Deimos already pointed out, security is much more important than a few minutes extra rigging your boat.
I typically trailer my boat from home to the marina, just like you would be doing. It takes me about 30 min to rig. I don't rush because I don't want to find out on the water that I have forgotten something. Then it takes me ten minutes or so to launch the boat and re-park the car. If it's a busy day, it may take longer because I might have to wait in line to use the launching ramp. So be it.
edit: I see in the book that he uses a quick pin with a ring for the top and a bell type on the bottom. He ties a safety line on the ring of the top. Is there a reason to use two different types? I can't source a ring type locally (West Marine is my only local "chandlery", if you can even call it that), only the bell type. Would it be ok to use two of the bell types or do I need that safety line (what's it there for? keeping you from dropping the pin in the water?)
I used the same two different types as in the photo - never tried anything different to cannot comment on any issues that might arise (and don't have boat in front of me to check. Certainly both types are available but you may have to order online (I had to get mine sent across from the US). I got the harder to find one (the top Cunningham one) from West Coast Marine who post and advertise here - very helpful.
Be aware if you intend to race at regatta level that the arrangement does break the rules. There was a change being voted on last year but I never heard if it was approved or not (or still in process).
Ian
Edit: Made me think so I've just checked the rules and I believe the 2011 changes now allow the arrangement (but please do correct me if I am wrong). I believe the change to rule Part 1 Rule 3 e ii allows the Cunningham to be attached to the kicker/vang fitting and that new rule 24 allows the pins to be tied to something (in this case the kicker/vang clock/clear arrangement).
So what is the purpose of the safety line tied around the top pin? Where do you tie the other end? It's hard to see in the picture in the book. Are there better pictures somewhere of a full new rigging setup?
With mine I had a "ring" with the rudder stock, supposed to put it through a small hole in one of the pintles (to stop the rudder coming off). I never bother with this as there is a spring clip to hold the rudder on (in a capsize) and it would be a real fiddle. Maybe I am wrong leaving this off but most others at my clubs don't use it either (but they all have the spring clips as a safety thing).
Ian
Bought two of the fast pins with the loop on them from APS. Not cheap, but cheaper than other places. $15 each still seems a bit crazy to me. I'm just gonna tie them together with a line that loops through the vang somewhere. That way I don't have to put them back in when derigging, just pull them out and let them hang.
I always use the pin in the rudder (and I believe Noble Marine strongly recommend it) as that spring clip can and does fail on occasion. Had an interesting race many years ago in a borrowed boat. Screaming reach and the steering went really light - rudder had managed to come off the back of the boat. I had just enough time to realise what had happened before the inevitable wipe out. Putting a rudder back on a turtled boat is harder than you think!With mine I had a "ring" with the rudder stock, supposed to put it through a small hole in one of the pintles (to stop the rudder coming off). I never bother with this as there is a spring clip to hold the rudder on (in a capsize) and it would be a real fiddle. Maybe I am wrong leaving this off but most others at my clubs don't use it either (but they all have the spring clips as a safety thing).
Also makes it a lot harder for safety crews to remove. I have lost a rudder previously due to the safety crews dropping it whilst recovering my laser (I was on shore recovering from an asthma attack). They did admit it was hard to remove!
Make sure you ordered the right sizes (for the Harken kicker/vang the block to mast is a different size from the Cunningham attachment at the top).
Ian
Make sure you ordered the right sizes (for the Harken kicker/vang the block to mast is a different size from the Cunningham attachment at the top).
Ian
Seriously? I even measured my Harken vang. They're different lengths, but the same diameter I think. I hope?
I just bought 2 1/4" by 1" useable length. They're longer than needed, but I wasn't sure if 3/4" long was long enough for the top one, and I didn't feel like having two different sizes, especially since the two that came with the vang appear to be the same length.
Just been and double checked (as I keep my kicker/vang at home) and mine (a Harken one) is definitely different sizes - both length and diam. The diam is critical because they are held in place with small ball bearings that part protrude when the pin is in place and thus have to be the exact correct size or they will drop our (hence when I initially got metric sized ones available in Europe they turned-out to be no good and I had to have imperial measurement ones ordered from the US). Maybe the Harken vang has changed since I got mine so I can only make definitive statements about mine (which I got new from PSC - so nobody had drilled it out or anything nasty like that). Diam is critical. Unfortunately I cannot tell you what diam mine are as my vernier gauge is a metric one (which is no use for imperial measurements. I would have thought APS would have a Laser Harken kicker around to try some on to supply you the correct sizes.
Ian
You could try and get a lockpit - although when I tried to buy one apparently the manufacturer had stopped production for the time being. With a lockpit you could lock rigging and sail in the cockpit, then lock your spars together on top.