Laser

The Laser is a glassfibre singlehander, simple to rig but lots of fun to sail. It has the advantage of needing very little maintenance and there is a huge second hand market to choose from.

Designed in 1970 by Bruce Kirby and now manufactured as a "single design" boat by licensed boat builders around the world, over 175,000 have been built. Due to its relatively low cost, responsive handling and single-design restrictions, it is the most widely-owned small dinghy in the world, and the most popular racing class

There are three interchangeable sizes of rig that can be used with the same hull, making the boat suitable for juniors and beginners to advanced full sized sailors. To use the full rig, a bodyweight of around 11 / 12 stones is needed.

In 1996, the Laser was chosen for the Olympic high performance dinghy class and many of the world's top sailors perfected their skills in the Laser.

Lasers keep their value well, are easy to handle ashore and can be carried on top of a car.

Type – Singlehander
Length – 4.23 m
Beam – 1.37 m
Weight – 60 kg
Sail Area (Full Rig) – 7.06 m²
P.Y. – 1078

New boats cost about £4,000 and second hand start at about £500.

MANUFACTURER: http://www.lasersailing.com/.

CLASS ASSOCIATION: http://www.laser.org.uk/.