Southeast Sailboats is delighted to announce our sponsorship of GBR Youth Laser sailor Matt Beck. Matt recently defended his 4.7 UK National title, and came 8th overall in the 2017 4.7 Worlds in July.
Matt moved into the Laser 4.7 in April 2016 following a number of years sailing in the Optimist class, including representing GBR at the 2015 Optimist Worlds in Poland. Matt is a member of Bowmoor Sailing Club and a student of Hereford Sixth Form College. After a very successful 15 months in the 4.7 Class, which included winning the 2016/17 UK Ladder, Matt is transitioning to the Radial class. His key goals for 2018 include the RYA Youth Nationals, the UKLA Worlds and Euros Qualifiers and, hopefully, a number of International regattas.
This is what Matt had to say about Southeast Sailboats “Over the course of the last 12 months I’ve upgraded all of my control lines to systems supplied by Southeast Sailboats. The attention to detail and overall quality are brilliant. Often it’s the simple things which make the difference – the few of my favourites are the Clew Block with Toggle, the recently launched Double Puller Outhaul and stitching/sealing Mainsheet ends. Having the support of Southeast Sailboats over the coming year will be a great boost to my sailing”.
Southeast Sailboats customer Andrew Holdsworth recently won the US Masters Radial National Championship held at The Gorge in Oregan. This is what Andrew had to say about Southeast Sailboats…”Earlier this year I met Max from Southeast Sailboats at an International Sailing Academy Laser sailing camp in La Cruz Mexico. As we got to know each other he explained his business that makes up Laser control lines. This intrigued me as I never had achieved the perfect set of lines neither had the time of a teenager to experiment to get some. Anyway fast forward I ordered a couple of sets and was only to happy to assign the old control lines to the boat tie down or spares collection. Each control line system comes in its own bag with instructions, is pre cut to length, spliced to fit and basically ready to go. With this in mind I rigged everything up as per instructions and launched my boat out into San Francisco Bay for the famous Elvstrom Regatta.
I am happy the lines worked as promised and after getting wet and salty were less slippery on the hands just like all new ropes. I have used the ropes all season now in what seems like an endless series of 20+ knot regattas in locations up and down the Pacific Coast. No signs of wear, chafe or stretch yet so these lines will probably see out the season and Winter Training. My only advice is don’t throw the instructions away after install, The outhaul is a little bit of an intelligence test and the last thing you want to do is remember from first principals how to install 10 mins prior to launch”
Thanks Andrew, and also for the tip regarding the outhaul instruction sheet – I will add a note to the instructions saying ‘Please Keep’!! For winter training in Mexico have a look at internationalsailingacademy.com.
We have just expanded our range to include a new ‘double puller’ outhaul elastic system. A lot of elastic systems just pull on the clew back to a central point (usually the boom top cleat). But the clew sliding along the boom is just a part. The other aspect is pulling the freed secondary control line back through the blocks, and cleat/fairlead. A ‘double puller’ system pulls both the sail clew and the secondary line and is amazingly effective – which is probably why they are popular amongst the top sailors who seem happy to have to tie their elastic for each race. The challenge was to make this type of system simple and easy to rig, and we think we have done just that. Team GBR sailor Michael Beckett has been trying it out and here is what he has to say..
“The reality of most Laser outhaul systems is that they don’t work – they are heavy to pull on upwind and then don’t ease off downwind in light winds. There are countless places to attach the two ends of the bungee ‘inhaul’, however you choose to attach the bungee it is essential that it doesn’t distort the foot of the sail on either tack.
One very smart solution with the outhaul bungee is to have one end attached at the cleat on the upper side of the boom, have the bungee loop around the bottom of the boom, go through the clew-eye and (here’s the clever bit) attach to the block at the forward end of the primary line. That all sounds complicated – but what it adds up to is having the bungee not only pulling the sail clew forwards but also slackening off the outhaul rope at the same time. What makes this so effective is that for every inch of outhaul you pull on, it stretches the elastic by about an inch and a half, so the tension increases exponentially. This treats both issues mentioned at the beginning – the outhaul is easier to pull on and will release more effectively. The only tricky part about this is that you have to attach the outhaul primary, secondary and bungee ends all onto one small 18mm block. I have been really impressed by the solution Southeast Sailboats produced to solve this – a small toggle spliced into the primary line that the end of bungee loops over. All in all it is a smart solution to make sailing a Laser that little bit more satisfying, enjoyable and effective”.
Our double puller system is available as a stand alone components – primary line/toggle/with or without block, the double puller elastic, or as an option to our ready to fit outhaul systems.
We all know and love the Harken 57mm ratchet block that is standard on new Laser’s. But Southeast Sailboats has been using a 40mm ratchet block for a few years after deciding that the 57mm block is just too big. The 57mm block was fine when mainsheets were fatter, but now most sailors are using 6mm mainsheets. The 57mm ratchet block has one drawback when using these mainsheets – the opening is so large that control lines can get pulled through, or worse still your mainsheet which can get looped back through the opening, and if you are very unlucky, back over the top of the ratchet block, resulting in a totally locked mainsheet. Southeast Sailboats recently provided GBR Team Sailor Michael Beckett with a Harken 40mm ratchet block to try out and, after using it at a major event, this is what he had to say…
At some point every Laser sailor has been sailing along and realised that a control line has gone on an irritating adventure through the mainsheet ratchet block. This usually happens exactly when you don’t want it to; when it is windy and you have lots of control line rope in the boat. It can lead to real boat handling issues.
An answer to this is to use a smaller ratchet block which doesn’t provide as much space for other ropes to feed into, such as a 40mm ratchet block (the conventional block size is 57mm). This block rotates more easily from tack to tack as well as providing a smaller obstruction for other ropes to get tangled around.
One would assume that the drawback with a smaller ratchet block is that the ratchet is less effective and more of the mainsheet load upwind must be taken up by your fore-arm muscles. It was a surprisingly small difference in load when I first went sailing with the new 40mm block. The mainsheet ran superbly well throughout an entire windy weeks’ racing at the World Cup Final and the block didn’t once give me any grief by getting the outhaul or downhaul lines tangled up. It was very satisfying to see a how a small change could make racing that little bit easier and stress-free.
Harken’s 2608 40mm ratchet block is available from Southeast Sailboats at just £57.50 – that’s a saving of 10% off list price!
Left – Harken’s 57mm ratchet block can let a loop of mainsheet get pulled through. Right – Harken’s 40mm ratchet block
This post was published in May 2017
The introduction of the long awaited composite top section was probably not one of ILCA’s finest moments with a lack of availability meaning that although class legal they weren’t allowed at events as people simply couldn’t buy them. The first event to allow them was the Delta Lloyd regatta which has just taken place in Holland. The following article, written for Southeast Sailboats by Team GBR sailor Michael Beckett should provide you with everything you need to know about the new composite section.
Starting with a fundamental – bodyweight?
I’ll put myself on the line by saying you do not need to gain or lose weight. If you were a bit light for the Laser rig you were sailing, you’re still a bit light. Ultimately, the only modification to a Laser that would result in the ideal weight changing is an increase or decrease in sail area.
Money and where to buy?
The composite mast supplied by Laser Performance is priced at £412.50. Australian sections shipped over have been selling for up to 700 Euros, however both composites are made in the same factory in New Zealand. The only difference between the two is the mast collar and end plugs, the British made ones being slightly narrower in diameter – an issue which can easily be overcome by packing tape – try to avoid using electrical tape as this ‘squashes’ easily reducing the benefit of packing the masts. The only consideration you should have when purchasing a mast is to allow plenty of time ordering them from Laser due to continued availability problems.
What are the quantifiable differences?
The old aluminium sections had what can only be described as a gaping chasm in design tolerances with masts weighing anywhere in between 2.6kg and 3.1kg. The new composite masts weigh between 2.4kg and 2.55kg. It is worth at this point noting that the weight of a carbon section isn’t a perfect determinant of stiffness. Also in aluminium sections the weight does not correlate that well with stiffness, one aluminium section that is heavier than another is simply more likely to be stiffer. If you need more information as to why, read up on second moment of area theory then the answer should become apparent.
The new composite mast is also longer…yes you read that right. The new masts are about 6mm to 8mm longer than an aluminium one. This means that your downhaul, vang and leech are all under more tension than previously.
Theoretically, a composite top section should not get bent. If, after a big day on the water you look down your assembled mast and it looks bent then keep squinting until you are sure the bend isn’t in either the bottom section or from the mast collars not being packed properly. If you are still convinced your carbon mast is bent then structurally something must be wrong with it, such as the carbon fibres being broken; your mast is subsequently defunct.
The final difference is that the composite section is a few millimetres narrower in diameter, which should make it easier to ram your burgee in the top of the sail.
What are the unquantifiable differences?
Unquantifiable differences are a fancy way of describing feel. The composite section does not, in my opinion and I would welcome you to disagree, feel that different to an aluminium section. I would
say it feels like using a new, straight aluminium section. During big light wind roll tacks the boat is less inclined to heel over, this is due to having half a kilo less weight at a point about 4m (for a standard, less for radial & 4.7) above the deck. This missing weight makes negligible difference when you’re sailing the boat upright!
Any changes to set-up?
The old aluminium sections had a big helpful red arrow stuck on the bottom of the mast telling you which way the mast should be pointing at the join with the bottom section. The composite sections do not give you any indication which way it should be rotated, which is quite a frustrating omission by the manufacturers. Having done some research, the best idea would be to have the two rivets on the mast collar on the port and starboard sides of the mast, as opposed to fore and aft. The reason for this is that if a solid monel rivet is compressed by carbon (as it would be if the rivets were facing fore and aft) it will cause the carbon to delaminate sooner. Composite Laser masts haven’t been around long enough to validate this theory, so only time will tell.
Looking after your composite top section
Finally a few notes on the care of what is, by Laser standards, quite a big investment. Where possible keep the mast out of excessive sunlight as this will accelerate the delamination. We’ve all been rigging up at some point to hear a painfully loud clang as the aluminium mast rolls off the deck, this is best to be avoided with your new composite section. Carbon does not take impact so well and there is potential for the fibres to start snapping sooner.
Summary
The reality of the new composite section is that there isn’t a huge difference, the difference of changing from a MkI to a MkII sail is greater. Regardless of what material the top section you’re sailing with is made of, a boat that is on a small lift or in a small amount more pressure will be faster, which ultimately is what the Laser is all about. There are some appreciable differences, and as always by being aware of these you can get more out of your Laser sailing and know that you’re being smart with how you maintain and sail your boat.
Written by Team GBR Laser sailor Michael Becket for Southeast Sailboats. Southeast Sailboats supply customised control line systems, mainsheets, blocks and the CarbonParts compass for the Laser including our unique 8:1 downhaul system . Please note that Southeast Sailboats do NOT sell the composite top section!
“Palma’s Princess Sofia regatta is over for another year, proving to be an exceptionally tough regatta with every sailor at some point finding themselves at the wrong end of a major shift. I started the week well, however I had to count one big score too many to make the medal race and finished 15th out of the 134 strong fleet.
The more random and unpredictable conditions are, the more it makes sense to look towards making gains in the areas easiest to control, and boat preparation is a major area to make a definitive gain over other competitors! So, before the event started I replaced my old deck blocks with Southeast Sailboats block plate assembly with Harken 29mm blocks and I was really impressed by the difference it to made to the smoothness of the overall systems. The larger blocks reduce friction so effectively, and the soft attach loops to the deck are highly durable and hold the blocks perfectly.
Recently I have spent a lot of time going from one boat to another – one boat in the UK and one boat abroad. Something I have learnt is how important it is to have the exact same set-ups on each boat, this stops me wasting time getting used to a new boat. With the help of Southeast Sailboats, I have changed my whole downhaul system and outhaul blocks to use systems with spliced loops. So, instead of tying a bowline in ‘about the right place’ every time I rig up, my set up is identical time and time again. In terms of maximising training time and developing sailing skills, having a consistent rig set-up is essential.”
Southeast Sailboats is proud to be sponsoring Michael Beckett by providing our custom control line systems.
We have just added Allen 20mm and 30mm Dynamic Tii blocks as cost effective options for our range of customised outhaul and downhaul systems and components. To give you the widest choice, our unique ready to fit systems and assemblies are now available with Ronstan 20mm Orbit blocks, Allen 20mm and 30mm Dynamic Tii blocks, and Harken 18mm and 29mm T2 Carbo blocks!
It was great to finally meet up with Gary ‘Ted’ Sargent yesterday at the RYA Dinghy Show in London and to hear about his amazing adventure first hand. Ted gave the audience a fantastic talk about the whole experience of sailing his Laser dinghy around Ireland, raising over 33,000 Euros for the Irish charity ChildVision. What an amazing guy.
CarbonParts was proud to have sponsored his epic adventure. You can find a compass like the one Ted used here at Southeast Sailboats – CarbonParts exclusive distributor in the UK.
