October 1999
ILCA Members Vote to change control lines. ILCA are drafting the new rules and will post them for review prior to submission to ISAF.
Here is the latest prognostication from the ILCA World Council as published on the ILCA home page March 1999. The items discussed are:
CONTROL LINES Scans of photos in the Spring 99 Laser World are here
STOP PRESS - ILCA E-MAIL RE PRINTING ERROR ON VOTING FORM - CLICK HERE
CLARIFICATION E-MAIL FROM JEFF MARTIN - APRIL 12, 1999 - CLICK HERE
CLARIFICATION E-MAIL FROM JEFF MARTIN - MAY 4, 1999 - CLICK HERE
E-MAIL FROM LAINIE PARDEY - MAY 7, 1999 - CLICK HERE
COMMENTS ON ALL THIS STUFF FROM THE webMASTER MAY 8, 1999
Following a World Council ‘brain storming session’ at the end of 1997, we invited class members, through LaserWorld, to submit ideas for Laser - the future. The World Council were looking to see whether there was a desire to see some changes and if so what sort of changes were being talked about. The response was very positive. During the last year a Working Party has been sorting through the ideas and the Laser manufacturers have co-operated by producing equipment prototypes for testing. At the World Council meeting held in January this year the report of the Working Party was considered and a number of ideas were viewed by the Council. Again the response was enthusiastic.
When considering the ideas the Council were mindful of:
1. Not outdating any of the existing equipment
2. Not creating performance differences
3. All changes should be capable of retrofitting
The ideas applied to the Laser Standard rig and the Laser Radial rig but were not always the same for both. In summary the areas covered were:
1. Broadening the competitive weight range for both rigs by making the rig easier to
handle for lighter weight sailors
2. Increasing the competitive life of the sail and equipment
The following proposals meet the above objectives and also have some additional benefits.
Over the years, ingenious sailors have found ways round our simple rules to achieve additional purchases for improved sail control. In parallel the class allowed additional loops and reinforcement to the loops. The result of this evolution has left us with systems that require a masters degree in knot tying, that are still inefficient because of friction, require a lot of strength to apply, are difficult to operate and cause rope wear that necessitates regular rope replacement. In summary the control lines are more complicated than comparable multi block systems and less efficient.
The World Council recommends - TO ALLOW MULTI BLOCK SYSTEMS FOR THE CUNNINGHAM, OUTHAUL AND BOOM VANG ALL OF WHICH MAY BE LED TO CAM CLEATS ON THE CENTRELINE OF THE DECK.
Comment: To achieve this 2 new fittings need to be provided that can be retrofitted to the reinforced areas in the deck below the cunningham fairlead and the cunningham cleat. The fittings need to be capable of taking the high loads of the cunningham and vang and retaining the mast in the event of a capsize. These two fittings will be builder supplied. The number of blocks will be naturally controlled by the need to limit the length of the control line tails. The blocks and cleats will be unrestricted.
Taking the controls to either side of the deck was considered but dismissed because of the lack of reinforcing in the deck and control line tails will drag in the water. The centre of the boat can be easily reached even when hiking. The proposed centre mounted, cam cleat system will allow control from wide angles.
The World Council recommends - TO ALLOW A SPECIFIED ROUND THE BOOM FITTING AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THE CLEW TIE DOWN.
Comment: It is pointless to propose changes in the outhaul to reduce friction whilst retaining one of the major causes of friction. The choice(s) of tie down have still to be decided. Ideas include a plastic sleeve and roller beads on the rope tie down.
Scans of Pictures shown in the Spring
Laser Sailor
See also PHOTOS OF EXPERIMENTAL RIGGING
SHOWN IN MELBOURNE
There were different suggestions about the sails, the majority of which concerned ways of achieving a longer lasting sail. Initial investigations followed two routes: changing the sail cloth and modifications to the existing sail.
The unstayed Laser rig and sleeved luff limit the options available. Sail life could be marginally increased by going to a heavier dacron cloth but the sailing characteristics and performance would change. The existing soft cloth accommodates the flexible unstayed rig far better than a less flexible dacron or laminated cloth and is more responsive to adjustment using the control lines (especially if the new controls are approved). Laminated cloth has the disadvantages of making a one shape sail and of being susceptible to flogging damage when used in sails that are not fully battened.
After seeking advice from different sailmakers the World Council decided to stay with the existing cloth and investigate some minor changes that will improve the competitive life of sails without affecting performance. The Council have also got agreement from the manufacturers to introduce tighter quality controls and manufacturing practice to reduce the risk of differences between different cloth batches. Further details will be announced after further tests. If the testing is positive the membership will be asked to approve the changes. It is unlikely that the testing will be completed before the end of 1999.
As the popularity of the Laser Radial has increased and the level of competition dramatically improved, the World Council have been concerned that crew weights for the Laser Radial have been getting higher to a point where, at the last Laser Radial and Standard rig world championships, we have seen the same sailors achieve good results in both events in a wide range of conditions. The Laser Radial was originally introduced as a rig for smaller, lighter people and youth. For several years the manufacturers and the World Council have experimented with different ways to try and regain the difference between the Laser Radial and Standard rig. Experiments with alterations to the sail shape produce only minor differences. The most significant differences could be achieved with a softer mast. This was where we hit a brick wall because any further reductions in wall thickness on either the top mast or the bottom mast would have meant guaranteed mast breakage!
The development of carbon technology has progressed to point where it is now possible to produce one design masts that are more durable and more consistent in quality and performance. The manufacturer that has produced prototypes works to defence industry standard and uses a volume production mechanical repetitive system. One of the big advantages of carbon masts is that different bend characteristics can be set at the soft end of the tolerance without the risk of breakage that exists with aluminium. Over the last 3 years the manufacturers have been monitoring the development of carbon technology and sampled various carbon top masts and have now produced a prototype carbon mast that offers a big improvement in gust response.
The Laser Radial Sail experimental programme was continued with the carbon mast and we found that without changing the sail area, the panel configuration or the dimensions the sail could be made more "gust responsive" by very minor reshaping of some of the panels and small changes to the reinforcing panels. The combination of the changes to the sail and upper mast has made the Laser Radial rig easier to handle for lightweight sailors in the 55 to 60 kg weight band.
The cost of a carbon top mast is forecast to be double the retail price of an aluminium mast. Laser sailors who have been involved in the discussion process on carbon masts feel that the increased cost is worth paying if it means a longer lasting mast.
The more flexible carbon mast also provided a bonus in decreasing the loads on the Laser Radial lower mast reducing the risk of lower mast bending. A further bonus of the sail programme is that previous differences between the cloth used by the two sail manufacturers have been eliminated.
The World Council recommends - THAT A LASER RADIAL CARBON UPPER MAST TOGETHER WITH A MODIFIED SAIL BE INTRODUCED TO MAKE THE LASER RADIAL RIG MORE SUITABLE FOR SAILORS WEIGHING 55 TO 65 kg. THE MAST WILL BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE ALUMINIUM MAST WHICH WILL STILL BE PRODUCED.
Comment: In most conditions there should be no difference in performance around a race course between the existing Laser Radial rig and the new Laser Radial Rig as sail areas are the same. In stronger winds lighter weight sailors will be more competitive with heavy sailors. The new Laser Radial sail can be used with an aluminium top mast and old Laser Radial sails can continue to be used with aluminium or the Carbon Laser Radial upper mast. If approved by the members and ISAF the new rig will be introduced after the 1999 Laser Radial World Championship.
The Laser designer, Bruce Kirby, said that if he was designing the Laser now the only thing he would change would be the rudder. This was also one of the ideas that came out of our survey. The existing rudder is on the small side and stalls very easily. Good sailors learn to live with this but for the majority of our members the small rudder has probably caused more capsizes than any other single item. As part of the investigation of "Laser the Future" the manufacturers produced a re-designed rudder blade that fits the existing head. All the World Council members who tried it for the first time in January thought it was great and felt it should be tested further. It makes the Laser easier to control especially offwind at speed and gives the boat a better "feel". It is easy to retrofit. If further testing proves positive the membership will be asked to approve a rule change to allow the introduction of a new rudder blade.
For club sailors and beginners gybing often results in the mainsheet getting caught round the transom corner. Following a suggestion by the World Council Working Party the manufacturers produced a prototype fitting. The World Council agreed to further testing and development of the prototype which, if successful, will be put to the membership later this year.
The above recommendations have resulted from members suggestions. In making the recommendations the World Council have taken care to maintain the essential principles of one design that sailors cannot buy a performance advantage and that all existing boats no matter how old will be able to continue one design racing.
The World Council are very much aware that the Laser is raced and sailed successfully in its current form however there are a large number of Laser owners who struggle to get the best out of their boat because the control systems are crude. There are probably a lot more who we lose to other classes.
The changes are not dramatic. We have made changes in the past as has every other one design class. Over nearly 30 years the Laser has evolved from an off the beach fun boat into the most popular youth and adult racing dinghy in the world.
The World Council strongly recommend the changes to maintain that number one position and extend the enjoyment of Laser sailing to an even greater number of people.
Please take the time to vote on the recommendations for the future of Laser even if you may not take advantage of the changes right away. The World Council and Advisory Council have approved the recommendations and in the coming months ISAF approval will be sought parallel to the membership vote.
PLEASE USE THE VOTING FORM IN THE MARCH ISSUE OF LASERWORLD.
Jeff Martin