What's faster - a Laser (std.) or a Force 5?

Steve

New Member
By the specs, it would seem that the Force 5 is faster - a lot more sail area - 91 sf. v. 76 s.f. It also has hard chines aft that ought to promote planing.

Before I get in a race with a local Force 5, I'd like to know how the boats match up.

Thanks...Steve.
 
I've owned both. In my experience the Force 5 is better upwind and the Laser is faster Down. I like the Force 5 better cause it's more friendly to us larger folks, but the Laser has the better class/racing by far if you are into racing just about anywhere.
 
Rob B said:
I've owned both. In my experience the Force 5 is better upwind and the Laser is faster Down. I like the Force 5 better cause it's more friendly to us larger folks, but the Laser has the better class/racing by far if you are into racing just about anywhere.


The Force 5 is also 10 lbs. heavier, (hull only) than the Laser. I'd bet all up she's a solid 15 maybe 20 lbs. heavier.
 
Check out http://www.ussailing.org/portsmouth. The Portsmouth "Yardstick" is a handicapping system for rating boats of different classes sailing the same courses. If I am reading the chart correctly, the traditional Laser is faster than the Force 5 in virtually all wind conditions.

Chris
 
thats quite interesting actually because the american PYs are a different form to the UK ones and also we only have 1 PY for all wind ranges and conditions! Our laser one is 1078
 
I have friends who raced both boats and it was my understanding that the Force 5 is faster. Doesn't the force 5 have more sail controls?
 
Force 5 also has 91 sq feet of sail area. Laser has 76.

Rob B said:
The Force 5 is also 10 lbs. heavier, (hull only) than the Laser. I'd bet all up she's a solid 15 maybe 20 lbs. heavier.
 
Really, how can you tell? The Force 5 nationals get about 15 people, Laser racing attracts thousands so the boats are sailed at a level of technique far, far above the F5.

The Banshee v Laser can illustrate the point. In the Laser's first regatta (the America's Tea Cup) the Banshee and Laser tied. In the next big One of a Kind regatta (sponsored by Yachting mag IIRC) the Banshee beat the Laser. A year or two after that, at the next Yachting One of a Kind, the Laser killed the Banshee and it's been that way ever since.

The guy who was sailing the Laser in the first regatta (Dick tilman) sailed the Banshee in the next, so it wasn't personal skill. It was just the fact (as was noted at the time) that the Laser was much more popular and had loads of brilliant sailors in the fleet so they got the very best out of the boat and developed go-fast techniques that were much more advanced than those used inthe Banshee (which is a good boat from all accounts).

So it's almost impossible to compare a Laser with similar boats IMHO.
 

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