Who is the "general sailing public", are these ppl who cannot sail yet?
I guess every sailing product has its place. How long will it be before these are left in the garage because they are cheap toys (that's all they are marketed as) that will not entertain after more than a few uses. I guess the resorts may get bang for buck.
Also, 52kg isn't light so using the word "only" to describe the weight isn't really appropriate.
It may be entertaining for a little while, but it's NOT the future.
I'm nervous that these toys will actually be detrimental to the sailing community. I've heard a number of friends complain about going to a resort, hiring a dodgy boat, and not having a good time. I blame this on making it too easy for n00bs to be introduced to sailing on their own. First impressions last, current sailors should be responsible for introducing new sailors and give them a good first impression. Don't rely on products that are cheap (and look simple to us experienced sailors) to give the first impression of sailing, they often don't live up to the punters expectations for more than a few hours. Give your crew the sailing bug and encourage them to get their own boat, then get a new crew to introduce to sailing. It only takes a few skippers and owners to do this before classes will start to grow.
The laser isn't doing anything for growing sailing, all it does is suck sailors out of other classes.
Enough time wasted now, and my brain hurts from the frustration!...I think I'll go sailing in a real boat with my new crew.
