Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser

The Laser is one of the most popular racing boats around the world with nearly 200,000 sailed and raced in 140 countries. It is a lightweight dinghy and its popularity is driven by its simplicity.

Type
Centreboard Boat
No. Of Crew
1
Opt Crew Weight
55 - 70 kg
Designer
Bruce Kirby
Hull Material
GRP
Number of Trapeze
Toe Straps
Hull Length
4.23m
Beam Length
1.37m
Year Designed
1969
Mainsail Area
5.76 m²
Hull Weight
15.5kg
Advertising Cat
C
Length Overall
4.23m
Length Waterline
3.81m
Beam
1.37m
Laser Standard
7.06m
Laser Radial
5.76m
Laser 4.7
4.7m
Weight
56.7kg
Positive Floatation
158.7kg

The Lasers are light, easy to carry and simple to launch. Its basic layout makes it one of the easiest boats to sail. Therefore, Lasers are popular with experienced and inexperienced sailors and it is raced at club, national and international level.

Despite its simplicity, the Laser is a challenging boat that rewards athleticism, subtle steering and trimming techniques, as well as tactical excellence.

One of the biggest attractions of the Laser dinghy is that it is protected by the One Design class rules, which means that no changes are allowed to the boat unless they are specifically permitted within the rules. So, in theory, all Laser boats are the same whether they are brand new or several years old. This helps to ensure that competitors win through possessing superior racing skills and a competitive edge, rather than through technological advances.

The Laser was designed in 1969 and has a timeless design.

The Laser combines one hull with three different rigs - Standard, Radial and the 4.7. Young sailors starting out in the 4.7 can move up in rigs as they grow physically and develop tactically, without the need to purchase a completely new boat.

Lasers have been part of the Olympic Games since the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

The Laser (Full-Rig) is an Olympic Event for men and the Laser Radial is an Olympic Event for women.

Male and female sailors will compete at Perth 2011 to become World Champions in the Laser and Laser Radial classes, respectively.

The world’s best male Laser (Full Rig) sailors will converge on Fremantle in December 2011, to compete at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships to qualify their nation for the 2012 London Olympic Games Sailing Competition.