Laser Question

OK, so don't start flaming me becuase this isn't a monohull sight, but Rick does offer Laser seminars, so perhaps you'll forgive me.



I'm sailing a laser on Wednesday evening, and I can't for the life of me figure out the outhaul arrangement on this thing. I could do it the "normal" way that is described in the laser manual I downloaded, but am bound and determined to figure out how the owner did it. Of course I could ask the owner, but he's out of town, hence the availability of his boat.



Anyway, the line he gave is a total of roughly 20 feet long, and has two eye thimbles tied into it (like the end fitting of a shroud). Somehow, you're supposed to run line through those eye thimbles to give you some purchase on your outhaul. This is hard to visualize without a picture, but you've got 8 feet of line, an eye thimble, another 5 feet of line, another eye thimble, then another 6 or 7 feet of line.



For the life of me, I can't figure it out, and neither can anyone else who I've shown it to.



Argh!



Thanks for any help....



Tim

Tim-

Please forgive me if this is hard to understand and realize I'm going from memory but if I remember correctly you end up running the end of the line through the thimbles to provide the extra purchase. Most guys just leave the line on the boom and don't remove so I'm wondering why it isn't already rigged correctly? As I remember the line goes around the mast as the other "part" of the purchase through the thimble (basically think of the thimbles as a block tied in the line and the mast as a double{triple?} block-) their is a Laser website that used to have all this info. but the class has upgraded the outhaul/vang/downhaul not requiring all this thimble BS so not sure the info. is still there-

Have fun! They are the definition of "tippy"!



Kirt

Hi Tim,

The big thing is to rig anything that will hold the outhaul in position and stay there. For the most part, once it is set the way you want it, you will leave it for the duration of the race. While the Laser has added a bunch of new stuff that makes it easier to adjust, the outhaul is not one that is used that much.

The real important device is the boom vang. This is the single-most important item on the Laser. While sailing upwind be sure you have more vang on than you think is necessary and it will be a lot faster.

If you begin to heal at all, put more vang on. Vang is the Thang.

However, at the start and when sailing downwind you need to let the vang off until the boom is perpendicular to the mast. You need this at the start because you need to be powered up. Right after the start, begin vanging.

Downwind if you have the vang on, the boom will hit the water and trip the boat into a capsize.

So, have fun. If nothng else the experience will improve your backstroke -- yes they are tippy

Rick

I will attempt to do this in words:



Small bowline in the Clew of the Mainsail

Through eyelet at end of boom, back towards bow

Through cleat on boom, continuing towards bow

Around mast, back towards stern

Through aft thimble, back towards bow

Through forward thimble, let remainder hang



This system gives you a 3:1 on outhaul and helps (in addition to vang) keep your boom from dislodging from the gooseneck in the event of a capsize (and there will be many!). It helps to put a large loop in the remainder of the line, just pull to tighten outhaul and when you are done just let the rest hang. When you want to release outhaul, grab the whole purchase system and yank out of the cleat.



Unfortunatly I had the experience while on my college team of saling those retched boats. Get ready to be exhausted, bruised, and soaked...



Hope that helps.

I must not be following your directions, becuase when I try to follow them, the thimble runs into the eyelet at the end of the boom, and that stops you from pulling it further.



Clarifications?



Thanks,



Tim

I apologize, I am used to using trucker's hitches I tie each time instead of eyelets.

Take the 6-7ft free end and run through the cleat (going aft), back to turning eyelet on boom and tie a bowline at the clew.

With the remainder of line go forward around the mast and come back through the aft eyelet in the line.

Then go through forward eyelet and tie a large loop and let it hang loose.



I hope this helps. Check out the attachment, this is from the APS catalogue. Sorry about the confusion.