Laser/ILCA Builders

[Bill5]

I have always wanted an Ovington.

What’s the deal with mast rakes being different for different people? What should a bigger guy look for?

You should be looking for the favoured side upwind and where the pressure is downwind.

 

[tillerman]

You should be looking for the favoured side upwind and where the pressure is downwind.

But according to the Ovington website, "Ovington ILCA is built to be the fastest, as written in our DNA." So that's that, I guess. You can't argue with DNA.

 

[MR.CLEAN]

You can't argue with DNA.

or puffery

 

[BlatantEcho]

Please list the influencers you know have been given a free boat, and by which manufacturer.

And that person is...?

Goodness, name an ILCA top sailor who ISN'T being offered discounts or free boats.

Start with the Australian Sailing Team being sponsored by a builder in Thailand, not the long time local Australian builder. How does that happen??

And that person is...?

I hate to name names here, but he started at PSA, went to E6, then to Nautivela, then to Devotti.
From Australia.... Probably the most influential guy in the ILCA game (thought, that's likely waining after being with four builders in 3 years - claiming each one was the best builder)

 

[BlatantEcho]

Are any of the builders claiming their boat is faster than any of the others?

They might not publicly, but 3 out of 7 do behind closed doors, for sure.

We're at the point where brands are hanging their hats on the daggerboard case tolerances and height of gudgeons below the transom round datum.


So, uh, yes, it happens every day.

 

[MR.CLEAN]

Start with the Australian Sailing Team being sponsored by a builder in Thailand, not the long time local Australian builder. How does that happen??

1. Commercial sponsorship is global
2. Aussies are tighter than a scotsman's arse.

Probably the most influential guy in the ILCA game (thought, that's likely waining after being with four builders in 3 years - claiming each one was the best builder)

No one wants to play puzzle games. If its true, back it up with names.

 

[Foredeck Shuffle]

About seven years ago I saw a carbon fiber Laser advertised on Alibaba. It wasn't a rendering, they built at least one and had a pictures of it before the deck and hull were fitted and sailing it on the water.

I suspect it might be what you are looking for. Just make sure to give it a good gelcoat cover before racing it and maybe peel the stickers off an older boat and transfer them. Not sure what you can do about the hull ID number. Guess you could heat press one on before spraying the gelcoat.

Please let us know how it goes for you.

 

[WCB]

I have always wanted an Ovington.

What’s the deal with mast rakes being different for different people? What should a bigger guy look for?

They're not supposed to be different and in recent years with the new builders, at least two of them have created jigs for their bonding process to ensure that the mast rake is ideal in all boats and it's exactly the same, if memory serves. Ovington is one of those builders. I'm sure a little digging can turn up the article.

 

[MattFranzek]

They're not supposed to be different and in recent years with the new builders, at least two of them have created jigs for their bonding process to ensure that the mast rake is ideal in all boats and it's exactly the same, if memory serves. Ovington is one of those builders. I'm sure a little digging can turn up the article.

I think I read Ovington was one of those companies with a mast rake jig to make sure they are all identical. Maybe in one of the other threads about the Laser/ILCA bullshit.

If you can help sell a boat, a company is going to put you in their boat if you get likes/clicks/views/traffic to their website. Morals are inversely proportional to the number of 0’s on the check and if you think other wise I have some snake oil to sell you.

 

[Gouvernail]

It doesn’t matter. At the worlds and Olympics the boats are supplied.
All the other regattas are for fun.
Just get a boat and go enjoy the game

 

[Blue One]

Just get a boat and go enjoy the game

Totally agree .

 

[MR.CLEAN]

Morals are inversely proportional to the number of 0’s on the check and if you think other wise I have some snake oil to sell you.

In the case of the top moth and A-cat boys, the relationships are quite strong between the builder/designers and the sailors. While the power of free shit certainly skews the conversation, it doesn't take long to get to the meat of the quality issues if you spend 30 minutes in the boat park or on the beach with them. If they were good at lying or selling, they probably wouldn't be top foiling racers.

 

[torrid]

I do know that for a fee, there is a guy who will go through the measurement tolerances of one builder and custom select a hull for you based on your size and normal sailing conditions.

 

[WCB]

It doesn’t matter. At the worlds and Olympics the boats are supplied.
All the other regattas are for fun.
Just get a boat and go enjoy the game

A buddy is headed over to Thailand next week for the Masters Worlds. He's pretty excited (though he does like to go to many of these events, nothing new) to try out the E6 boats that are supplied.

 

[WCB]

I do know that for a fee, there is a guy who will go through the measurement tolerances of one builder and custom select a hull for you based on your size and normal sailing conditions.

I am tempted, when it's time for my Ovington ILCA, to go to West Coast Sailing and check all of the hulls that they have there. Maybe they have already and they'll tell me to not waste my time, they're all the same. I think I still have the article on my phone browser that the owner of I-Sails sent me that gives you the ideal rake and some of the differences one sees in the boats.

That said, the sail number is more to me. On our little lake, a mm or two here or there doesn't make a difference. Playing the shifts is far more important, and losing some weight in the skipper.

 

[VWAP]

I am tempted, when it's time for my Ovington ILCA, to go to West Coast Sailing and check all of the hulls that they have there. Maybe they have already and they'll tell me to not waste my time, they're all the same. I think I still have the article on my phone browser that the owner of I-Sails sent me that gives you the ideal rake and some of the differences one sees in the boats.

That said, the sail number is more to me. On our little lake, a mm or two here or there doesn't make a difference. Playing the shifts is far more important, and losing some weight in the skipper.

Mast rake explained

After many years of debate and discussion around the best / fastest mast rake, ILCA has determined that all ILCA builders must produce boats with mast rake in the range 3808 to 3818. The process of setting mast rake in a new boat requires accuracy and experience in the boat building process -...

psasailing.com.au

Laser - My Mast Rake.

So Lasers are one design? Well almost. There are build tolerances that make small differences to your speed from mast rake, spar stiffness and weight. Also having sailed a Europe dinghy very seriously, I also know the effect of mast rake on performance. In light winds, Europe sailors used to...

www.roostersailing.com

 

[WCB]

Mast rake explained

After many years of debate and discussion around the best / fastest mast rake, ILCA has determined that all ILCA builders must produce boats with mast rake in the range 3808 to 3818. The process of setting mast rake in a new boat requires accuracy and experience in the boat building process -...

psasailing.com.au

That's the article! Thanks...

 

[pqbon]

I can't remember where I read it -- maybe it was in a podcast -- but because of random hull assignments at the major regattas the top ILCA sailors were trying to find the hulls that suited them least to learn to sail them better and take the risk out of the majors.

I think maybe it was a Bar Karate story after favourite lost a regatta due to not getting along with the supplied boat.

 

[Looper]

I am extremely happy with the fit and finish of my new ZIM ILCA.

 

[Gouvernail]

I do know that for a fee, there is a guy who will go through the measurement tolerances of one builder and custom select a hull for you based on your size and normal sailing conditions.

A placebo salesman. The world’s most powerful yet totally unregulated drug.