Laser (boat class)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Notation
Sailing laser.svg
Boat dimensions
Length above : 4.23 m
Length WL : 3.81 m
Width above sea level : 1.37 m
Freeboard : approx. 0.2 m
Draft : 0.80 m
Mast height : 5.37 m
Weight (ready to sail): 65 kg
Sail area
Sail area close to the wind : 7.06 m²
Radial: 5.7 m²
Laser 4.7: 4.7 m²
Others
Rigging type: Cat
Yardstick number : 113 (7.06 m²)
114 (5.7 m²)
126 (4.7 m²)
Class : Olympic,
one design
Crack laser
Laser standard

Laser is a technically simple kept, but not undemanding handed - dinghy . It is most common in this class worldwide. Compared to Europe (the second most popular one-handed class in Germany) the trim options are more limited (foot, boom vang and cunningham), but sailing is more sporty. Even with just a few winds, the boat can begin to plane .

history

The laser was designed in 1970 by the American Bruce Kirby as a one-handed dinghy. The primary objective at the time was to design a boat for leisure, hence the original name "Freetime". The name Laser was suggested by a Canadian student because it sounds modern .

Its simple construction and the previously low acquisition costs led to rapid expansion. However, prices are very high today - mainly since admission to the Olympics . While there were around 190,000 boats in the world at the end of 2006, this number is now over 200,000 boats in 140 countries (around 210,000 as of 2017).

The success of this type of boat promoted the construction and distribution of single-handed dinghies of similar size and design among other manufacturers. The Force 5 , the Banshee and the X4 were quite successful, but were by no means able to achieve the popularity and spread of the laser without approval for the Olympic Games.

The laser is a strictly one-design boat class , which means no changes are allowed. A change that was frequently objected to was e.g. B. a hole drilled mostly by unskilled people in the plastic cap of the mast top to attach a clicker .

The laser, like the Dart catamaran series, is manufactured by Performance Sailcraft Ltd. in England . There are licensees in the United States , Australia, and Chile .

Laser images

Rig, sails

The cat-rigged rig of the Laser I consists of a two-part mast , with the upper part, which is smaller in diameter, attached to the lower part. The sail has two long battens (on the leech ) and a shortened upper one. A so-called mast pocket is sewn into the luff for attachment to the mast , with which the sail is simply threaded onto the mast. For the tree there is a very simple slouch fitting on which the tree is only stuck. After the sail and the boom vang have been attached to the boom, the connector is only subjected to pressure. The entire rig stands unstayed and rotatable in a recess, the so-called quiver of the hull ; it is attached by the cunningham , the sheet for operating the sail and, if necessary, a mast securing device.

With the same hull there are four different rigs for the laser . However, only three of them are allowed to participate in official regattas. Only the lower part of the mast and the sail are exchanged, all other parts of the boat are identical. This principle is called "Formula Laser". (The division of the mast was made because a development requirement of the laser was the transport on the car roof.) Since all 3 laser regatta classes have the same sail symbol, the blue corner on the clew can be used as a distinguishing feature for Laser Radial. Laser 4.7 usually wears the 4.7 in the lower area of ​​the sail.

  • Laser Standard : Rig with 7.06 m² sail area - Olympic class since 1996, open 1996-2004, men from 2008. Ideal weight 70 kg +
  • Laser Radial : Rig with 5.7 m² sail area - Olympic women class from 2008, In Germany youth championship class (male / female) since 1998. In 2008 the Laser Radial replaced Europe as the Olympic class for women. Ideal weight 55–70 kg
  • Laser 4.7 : Rig with 4.7 m² sail area - since 2006 regatta class in Germany. The Laser 4.7, introduced in 1971, is aimed at young and lightweight sailors (35–55 kg) and is also sailed as an intermediate stage between the Optimist and the Laser Standard or Radial.
  • Rooster 8.1 : Rig with 8.1 m² sail area - has been developed and marketed by a British company called Rooster Sailing since 2007. As of today (February 2010) at least sail number 426 is represented in regattas (it started with sail number 81). To sail the 8.1 rig, a spacer made of glass fiber composite material is inserted between the mast halves of the laser standard mast to extend the mast. However, this rig is neither recognized by the German Laser Class Association nor by the International Laser Class Association for races.

The Rooster 8.1 has its own sail symbol, which shows a red rooster in a circle and the number 8.1 below.

hull

The fuselage is made of GRP . It's so light that it can be easily loaded onto the roof of most cars.

Regatta and races

For all three boats (standard, radial and 4.7) there are world and continental championships (seniors and juniors, radial rig also women).

The level in the laser class is considered to be one of the highest in the Olympic boat classes. The results can be found under the respective Olympic Games . Simon Grotelüschen and Franziska Goltz qualified to take part in the sailing competitions of the 2012 Summer Olympics in Weymouth , England.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics , Germany was represented by Philipp Buhl , and the women did not qualify for the Olympics.

Modifications

literature

  • Tim Davison: The Laser Book. Basics, sailing technique, professional tips . Bielefeld: Delius Klasing 2006, ISBN 3-7688-1745-8

See also

Web links

Commons : Laser  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. DSV Yardstick Numbers 2010 ( Memento of the original from March 21, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 144 kB), accessed on August 9, 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kreuzer-abteilung.org
  2. ^ German Laser Sailing Class Association years of construction. Retrieved March 27, 2017 .
  3. ^ About the Laser - International Laser Class Association. Retrieved March 27, 2017 (American English).
  4. Author cthom249: Pt 1.25: “We just wanted a nice little boat!” The story of the laser. In: SailCraftblog. May 23, 2016, accessed October 19, 2019 .
  5. Mecklenburgischer Seglerverband, press release of December 2, 2011, accessed on March 21, 2014, http://www.svmv.de/index.php?id=921
  6. Grotelüschen is fourth In: IBN-online.de , December 19, 2011. Accessed on January 12, 2012.
  7. ^ German Olympic Sports Confederation, media and public relations: Detail - German Olympic team. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on March 27, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.deutsche-olympiamannschaft.de  
  8. Laser Radial Worlds: Svenja Weger 23rd in Mexico - The best have been in the boat for more than 10 years | Sail reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2017 .