
Robline Polytech - New Colours!
We have been using Polytech for over 3 years and we love the combination of flexibility coupled with durability and grip.
We asked Robline if they would increase the number of colours available and they are finally here!
Violet/Black and grey/black are now in stock. Available by the metre, as pre-cut secondary line lengths, and of course fitted to our top of the range custom control line systems.
NEW! Allen TiiTAN Kicker/Vang Block
Building on the success of the popular XHL block, the new Allen TiiTAN features a titanium sheave and ceramic bearings for improved performance and reduced weight. You may have seen one of the prototype bronze coloured blocks on Southeast Sailboats sponsored sailor / European Champion Micky Beckett's boat as he was testing it over the past 6 months! Available now as the block by itself, or as part of a complete kicker/vang system.



ILCA4, 6 and 7 Sails In Stock.
We have ILCA, 6 and 7 sails in stock. We also now stock both digital 8 and traditional rounded numbers.

New - Hiking Strap Adjustment System
New - We didn't want to release a hiking strap adjustment system until we found a configuration that actually works. This one does!

Velocitek PRISM back in stock
Velocitek have done some minor tweaks to the PRISM design so that it now shows battery charge status when you switch it on. In stock for same day shipping.


Important - Sales to the European Union
Based in the United Kingdom, Southeast Sailboats ships world class control line systems and other parts all over the world. Whilst many countries are used to tax free prices and paying taxes/handling fees on arrival in their country, for our many and valued customers in the European Union, this is something new as a result of BREXIT, and may not be fully understood.
Whilst our export pricing is free of UK VAT, you will probably be liable for taxes/duties/handling charges when your package reaches your country. This will vary from country to country and also be dependent on order value. We are also aware of delays getting packages through some countries postal systems. If you have any concerns regarding this please contact us before ordering.
GBR Team sailor and European Champion Micky Beckett has written this article for us...
"The most under-rated control line on your ILCA/Laser, is your hiking strap/toestrap adjustment system. I’ve seen all kinds of systems that don’t really work and a handful that just about do. What a working system can offer you is real control over your boat and an ability to transfer power from your kinetics through the boat into straight line speed.
So, let’s get down to it, how tight or loose should your toestrap be?
Unfortunately the answer isn’t neat and tidy, it’s all very circumstantial. The tension you want will depend on how tall you are and how strong your ankle fibres are, what leg of the course you’re on, how windy it is and possibly the sea state.
Let’s go through these factors one by one:
- How tall are you?
Broadly speaking, the taller you are the tighter you want your toestrap, with anyone above the 6’2 mark probably wanting a very tight toestrap nearly all the time. For everyone else a good adjustable toestrap system is essential. People who come in at 5’6 or less need a lot of slack in their toestrap so they can still generate adequate righting moment. A nice rule of thumb is that the gunnel of the boat should be half way between the back of your knee joint and bottom of your bum. A looser toestrap will cause your knee joint to be too close to the gunnel and visa-versa with a tight one. If you’re not sure, get a friend to snap a photo of you doing your finest few seconds of hiking!
- Do you have ankles made of steel?
Even I don’t. I’ve raced against people with really tight toestraps and tried to copy this thinking it would be a good idea, but it just wasn’t for me – it gave me really bad ankle pain and pins & needles after tacking. This is not how it should be! Realistically the longest you may be on one tack for is 10 minutes, by the end of which your ankles (not to mention quads, abs and hip flexors) will be crying out for relief, that’s okay, but don’t ignore too much pain. If you’re losing any sensations in your feet then loosen off the strap. Equally if the top of your shins are getting sore from curling your toes then you could consider going tighter.
- Where are you on the course?
- Upwind is where you need the most righting moment, and dependent on your height as mentioned previously a looser strap may be required.
- On the reaches what you need is some righting moment and a lot of control – you need to be able to sit up and move your weight into the boat fast, this is to keep the boat quick and flat and avoid rolling to windward, for this a system you can tighten up as you go around the windward mark is very useful.
- Downwind if you’re in the habit of hooking your back leg around the toestrap you will feel more locked in if the toestrap is bar tight.
- The breeze and the sea state?
Anything above 14kt and you want the maximum leverage available, this means your body being as far out the boat as possible, but hips not low and getting hit by waves. If you can’t hold your body up then consider tightening your toestrap. As the breeze drops from ‘maximum power conditions’ this is where it gets interesting. A tight toestrap can be really beneficial when it’s ‘marginal power’ conditions, when you’re sat up hiking.
Over-flattening the boat (rolling the boat to windward) can be costly, but if your strap is tight then you can be locked in, able to do kinetics and effectively transfer power from your upper body through the boat, without the risk of over-flattening the boat. Also when there’s a big swell, such that at the top of the wave there is a lot more power than the bottom, a tight toestrap can be really beneficial when the lull and the trough come along, so you can stay in control of the heel of the boat at all times.
A compromise will be needed in really gusty conditions – for example how tight to go on a 5 – 15 knot day? Something to maybe discuss with others!
Ultimately it’s always a trade-off between righting moment vs control. Insufficient righting moment can be particularly punishing when lane holding in breeze, but the added control of a tighter strap can have huge benefits. It’s never worth maintaining a posture or position that punishes your joints, hiking is painful but that pain should be reserved for your muscles.
It took me years to reach the point I’m at in the photo. I’m a long way out the boat – I’ve got plenty of leverage, but I’ve also got high hips so my body is well clear of the water and I can exert very powerful kinetics through the boat. Toestrap tension will determine what hiking position you can achieve, I highly recommend spending some time considering different tensions and experimenting. Photos taken outside the boat are incredibly valuable to compare what you feel with what’s actually going on."
GBR Team sailor and European Champion Micky Beckett is sponsored by Southeast Sailboats. Southeast Sailboats new hiking strap adjustment system may be just what you need to get this under-rated control line under control!
We have added tillers and extensions to our ever expanding range. Tiller selection used to be fairly simple. Read on to find out what it maybe isn’t as simple as it used to be!
Manufactured items have tolerances and the ILCA/Laser dinghy is no exception. Be it mast rake, gudgeon height or other less obvious factors, there are always some variations between boats, and also between boats from different manufacturers.
When it comes to tillers these minor variations from boat to boat can be critical. We want our tiller to be as low as possible so that the traveller block can run over the tiller as easily as possible, but not too low that it rubs on the rear deck or hits the traveller cleat. “It is advisable to have a clearance margin of at least 8mm between the lower side of the tiller and the traveller cleat. This is because even a tight fitting tiller will bend slightly under the kind of loads experienced on a windy reach, the tiller should never hit the cleat and the tolerance will ensure this won’t happen.” - Team GBR sailor and European champion Micky Beckett .
For feel we want a rock solid fit of the tiller in the stock. The tiller should be stiff so that it doesn’t bend and strong so that it doesn’t break.
“A low tiller will also increase your ‘feel’ or ‘feedback’ from the rudder, as the traveller won’t be adding unnecessary friction as the tiller slides underneath. With a low tiller the blocks will also stay in the corner by the traveller eye in light conditions, which is really critical for lane holding and having an effective high mode.” - Micky Beckett
Olympic Coach/multiple world champion Jon Emmett points out “Also remember in terms of the blocks crossing the boat during light wind tacks this is usually down to good technique, although of course having a really good tiller helps a lot!!!”
Without wanting to mention the unmentionable, sailors have always thought that PSA boats needed a tiller with a slightly different angle, as tillers for UK Laser Performance boats always seemed to sit a bit high on PSA boats.
With a number of new manufacturers now producing the ILCA dinghy some sailors have found that they seem to be similar to the PSA boats rather than the old Laser Performance boats. As a result, tiller manufacturers are now making different versions of tillers to suit both ILCA and Laser dinghies, and Southeast Sailboats now stock Element 6’s ultra-low Black Dog tiller and Rooster ILCA tiller, as well as Holt and Rooster tillers for the Laser.
We did a few measurements and here is why you should maybe consider getting the best tiller for whatever boat you sail. Simplistically, the bottom surface of tillers for the ILCA dinghy should be roughly parallel with the bottom surface of the entry into the stock. Tillers for the Laser need to be angled upwards slightly. The variations between these tillers is quite substantial, not just at the traveller cleat (between 6-21mm), but also at the point where the traveller crosses the tiller (between 16-27mm). Here are the detailed results of tillers measured with the lower face of the part of the tiller that sits in the stock pressed onto an absolutely flat surface (datum) to ensure consistency in measurements.
The new Holt tiller has been designed for the Laser aftermarket rather than the ILCA and sits quite high at the transom meaning that it is tolerant to gudgeon position. The cutaway over the tiller means that it can sit fractionally lower than a Rooster tiller.
Rooster’s famous carbon fibre tiller for the Laser is just that – perfect for the Laser. Rooster have now released a version optimised for the ILCA boats.
The new Element 6 Black Dog tiller has the lowest ‘A’ dimension as it has been optimised to fit PSA and Element 6 boats which would appear to have fractionally higher gudgeons. The cutaway over the traveller cleat and ILCA optimised angle makes this tiller the lowest of all when measured at the wear plate (point B). This tiller also works well with an Ovington boat.
Confused? Let’s put it another way.. If you put a Rooster ILCA tiller on an ILCA it would sit 6mm lower where the traveller crosses than a Rooster Laser tiller. The Black Dog sits even lower, due to the fact that it’s about 3mm lower at the stern, and has the cutaway over the traveller cleat. So, for an ILCA dinghy it’s really advantageous to use an ILCA optimised tiller. However, put an ILCA optimised tiller on a Laser Performance boat and it will be too low – it will continually hit your traveller cleat. If you are travelling to an event where you are chartering and not sure what hull you are going to get it may be a good idea to take a couple of different tillers with you.
"The importance of getting the right tiller shouldn’t be overlooked in the search for boat-speed, it’s worth the time to get it right.” - Micky Beckett
Get in touch with Southeast Sailboats and we can help you choose the best tiller for you.
Southeast Sailboats sponsored sailor Matilda Nicholls has just completed first senior world championships and this is what she has to say both about the event and moving forwards into 2022.
“Wow what an incredible week at my very first Senior ILCA 6 World Championships! We sailed off the coast of Oman and were hosted by an incredible hotel with the boat park practically in its back garden. We had a couple days of training before the competition started to get into the conditions and ensure our charter boats were all set up nicely. A special thank you to Southeast Sailboats for the excellent rigging that is super easy to take from event to event and set up on the charter boats! We also managed to have a pretty cool day off before racing started in the nearby city, Muscat. We were able to have a look inside the Grand Mosque and explored around the Mutrah Souq which is a big market in the city. It is always really great when we get a chance to explore the culture and traditions of these countries we get to visit for our competitions!
Racing was due to kick off the next day but unfortunately, we did not manage any races as the wind did not fill in enough. Day 2 and the Women’s fleet was very eager to get going and after a couple general recalls we were off! We managed to get 3 races in before it got dark, and I was sitting in 20th after our first day of racing. The rest of the week we had similar conditions with 6-10kts every day and sailing until sunset to make sure we got some good and fair races in. Ahead of the final day I was sitting in 9th place at my first Senior Worlds which was incredibly exciting after I managed to string together a consistent set of results in the tricky light conditions. On the last day I was a little too line shy due after picking up too many Black Flags at previous events this year which made my last 2 races quite tough. But I still managed to finish the week of in 15th place overall which I couldn’t be happier with and felt super proud to make a mark in the Senior Women’s fleet. Emma Plasschaert from Belgium showed us her strong and high level of experience in the ILCA 6 Fleet by sailing a consistent week and winning the 2021 Worlds!
I am absolutely loving sailing at the moment and am trying my best to also balance my Psychology degree at the University of Exeter. The Worlds in Oman was a very motivating week watching and competing against the top ILCA 6 Women. I am now moving away from Youth Racing and becoming an almost full-time Senior sailor. I will kick off the New Year training with the British Sailing Team in Vilamoura and am very excited for what the next year of training and racing will bring. We aren’t far off from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games now and am ready to work hard on my goals both on and off the water to give it my best at the Olympic trials.”
Meet our Sponsored Sailors
World Class Rigging and more - Developed by Southeast Sailboats, tested by our sponsored sailors, used by club sailors to Olympic medalists.
What our Customers Say
Used new outhaul & Cunningham this afternoon for first time - both were perfect - thanks. The 'double-puller' outhaul is by far the best yet.
Rhys Griffiths
Felinheli, N Wales

Quite simply the most innovative and high quality Laser control lines I’ve ever seen. Great advice and service too from Max.
Gary H
Laser sailor, UK

Very good products for the laser, and a lot of nice control line solutions with good splicing.
Hermann Tomasgaard
Sailor, Norway

I love all your products. You guys are the best
Scott Williamson
Laser Fleet 10 Annapolis, MD USA

Once Max started building his kits, I stopped giving advice on rigging. Thanks to Max, there's now a standard for how Lasers should be rigged to optimize performance. Keep it up!
Vaughn Harrison
Olympic Laser Coach - Canada

Great service by south east sailboats. I made a mistake with my shipping address and Max helped me to fix it. Super thankful for the effort he put in!
Paul Hameeteman
Laser sailor, The Netherlands

Both my Lasers have a lot of Max’s stuff on them. The built-up systems are perfect and work really well – I don't think you could find anything better. There’s also a huge choice of line, blocks, designs/rigging options etc. The other ‘little’ items all work too and make sailing the boat easier and I’m happy everything is class legal. Thanks Max.
Julian
Masters sailor, Nottingham, England

A great service every time, the 8 to 1 downhaul looks amazing and was a great price much cheaper than anywhere else. Thanks alot Max
B Knott
Laser sailor, Sheffield

quick response and concern in clarifying the products ordered Cvvc clube vela viana do castelo
Sandra Vicente
Viana do Castelo Portugal

I like the focus of the website with many interesting ideas. The service was excellent! Many thanks.
Chris Dando
RVYC Commodore, Thailand

- specific (and clever) solutions for the laser, and customizable to the taste of any laser sailor. - very good advice on ropes. - reduced selection of really good products, so I don't waste time comparing with bad products on the same site. - economic shipment options. - fast and friendly response from Max when I have any doubt.
Manuel
Canary Islands, Spain

Great website full of the right information and fabulous service and customer interaction.
Gareth Greenfield
Standard, Master, Oxford, UK

Great, efficient and friendly service. The "go-to" Laser place.
Robo
Great Grand Master, South Fremantle, Western Australia

Hello Max..... Awesome service! I submitted this order on Monday, you shipped on Tuesday and I received today, Thursday. A welcomed surprise with racing on Saturday. Not to mention that the systems are superb.....the workmanship flawless. Makes me feel like an elite sailor with all Southeast systems rigging in the parking lot which has translated to a more competitive mindset, smoother transitions and thus better finishes on the race course. Much thanks for upping US Laser sailors game!
David C
Masters Sailor, Boston, MA USA

This isn’t just a click and buy warehouse, they contacted me to explain the options available as I’d mistakenly ordered control lines all the same colour.
Jonny Mutch
UK

The Laser products are outstanding. Every detail has been thought through. You just know whatever you buy will work flawlessly.
Sean Svendsen
Parent of youth sailor. San Francisco, USA

I ordered a downhaul system in 2018, and was so pleased with its elegance and ease of use that I soon ordered an upgrade for my outhaul. As it was a custom order to replace part of the system, Max gave me excellent advice on what the options were. Now that the older parts of the outhaul are wearing out, I have ordered a complete new quick release system. It is a joy to be able to rig the Laser so quickly and reliably, and I have received many compliments on these systems from other sailors far more experienced than I am.
Barbara C.
Eilat, Israel

I am using Max' vang and Cunningham system and love it. It is very easy to rig and well thought through. The materials (like ropes) Max is using are under constant review and one can be sure to get the best quality for the price. There are always new little things being invented that make our life easier. Keep the good work up.
Alexandra Behrens
Masters sailor, Hamburg, Germany

Max is so easy to work with and his products are great! He is very responsive in answering questions.
Michael Colbert
Masters sailor, Vienna, Va.

Always use Southeast Sailboats for ropes on my dinghies, won't think of going anywhere else, right kit for the right job on the boat, customer service is superb.
Rob Cage
Laser Master, UK

Max’s controls have made sailing the Laser easier, I’ve been using his systems for 3 years and no matter what, I’m happy to accept any innovation of his and trust him fully. His outhaul system is the only system that I know works and consistently works. Max’s support has been key to me getting to where I am currently, his support and controls have allowed me to be consistent with my settings no matter where I am in the world.
Will Symonds
Radial youth sailor, Truro, Cornwall/ Hong Kong

Apart from making great controls (kickers, outhauls etc) especially for the Laser, Southeast Sailboats also give great advice. And as Max Hunt attends and competes in many Laser events, if you live in the UK, you might be able to arrange to meet Max at an event, and get further rigging tips. Great kit and great service!
Max Steele
New Laser 4.7 sailor with multiple RS Tera titles and world champion medalist, United Kingdom

Max is a perfectionist - and it shows. His Laser kit is clever, efficient and clearly researched and tested to the nth degree. Even if it's just the cunningham and outhaul from his big, growing range, the investment will be well worthwhile. The overall service is great too.
Sean Craig
Radial Masters sailor, Dublin, Ireland

What a great little company that provides beautiful, (yes beautiful), products especiall the rope kits. Personal service and great comm's. Really easy to use web site. Specialists in what they do and you can tell!
Pete Hallitt
Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Good quality, quick delivery, reliable in use, different options giving possible to make own choice
Dejan Suboticki
Laser master sailor, Norway

I have only quite recently found Southeast Sailboats and the things that stand out for me are the attention to detail in the products and how they are described, and the communications. Max is very quick to respond to queries about products or orders. Great company. Would definitely order again. Thanks.
Aaron
Laser / ILCA, London UK

Great service from Max every time. The most important thing is that systems work, are very neat, and each small change and new idea so far was an improvement. Good website as well, easy to use, with useful advice from the people at the very top of our game.
Joza Cic
Master sailor, United Kingdom

Really pleased with the outhaul, downhaul and kicker systems they have speeded up rigging and ease of adjusting sail trim. The quality and speed of the service is excellent.
Matt
Standard, Holmfirth West Yorkshire

Specific (and clever) solutions for the laser, and customizable to the taste of any laser sailor. - very good advice on ropes. - reduced selection of really good products, so I don't waste time comparing with bad products on the same site. - economic shipment options. - fast and friendly response from Max when I have any doubt.
Manuel
Canary Islands, Spain

A great selection of rigging available at competeative prices and swift delivery.
Matt M
Devon, UK

Love the rigging and the great customer service.
Joe Seiffert
Youth sailor full rig, United States

Great Systems, my new 8:1 system runs amazingly and is a great help with the mk2 sail
EPB
Youth - Standard, Birmingham, UK

Southeast Sailboats offers perfect equipment for the Laser, very good and reliable customer service!!
U.N.
Masters sailor, Germany

If you want your Laser rig to "just work at its best" then I cannot recommend Southeast Sailboats and their equipment enough. The service is excellent plus you get all the help and advice you need from Max. I made my last order late on Sunday evening and it was delivered on Tuesday morning. Could not ask for more.
Barrie Holden
Laser Radial and Standard Sailor, United Kingdom

Totally satisfying experience start to finish. I ordered two sets of custom control lines. All was delivered perfectly as ordered. Sailing with this set-up is absolutely fantastic. Easy to rig, smooth running, low profile, clean. We couldn't be more satisfied. Max is a consummate pro.
Keith Cruickshank
Master Sailor, San Diego, CA USA

I was very pleased with the line and blocks i received from SE. Fast, efficient and helpful service i ordered from Canada and had no delivery problems. A great resource
DE
213877 - a legendy, Calgary, Canada

I ordered several outhauls, downhauls and kickers for our club. I received several mails from Max containing detailed lists of options, making sure, that we received exactly what we required. The next day he built all our systems and the day after they arrived in Munich. This service is really awesome! And I also like the solutions. Especially the outhaul systems are the best I have seen so far. The only thing I am missing in the shop is a quick pin for the kicker.
Tobias
Munich, Germany
customerlink.com

It's a total pleasure rooming the Southeast Sailboats website and check out the super innovative control systems. Max seems to have a leg up on everyone else when it comes to offering the most recent and performant components. Just take the new Allen HL block that Southeast Sailboats was able to get specifically made for Lasers. What a huge difference from the stock solution!
Niclas
Master sailor, Portland, USA

Max has looked into all the little details that make a Laser easier to rig and handle and faster to sail. Southeast Sailboats offers great service and products with an unprecedented love for clever and thoughtful details.
Lutz Hirsch
Masters sailor, Germany

This is an easy click and pay way to get the very best lines and components for your Laser controls. The splicing is perfect, and the lines supplied are the best of the best. I have the full kit from Southeast Sailboats. It's clean and efficient. Full vang set-up results in noticeably less friction. Shipping is easy, even if you are not in the UK, like me in Florida. Takes about a week to get your order.
Dave Hillmyer
Masters Laser Sailor, Full Rig, Sarasota, FL








