Sunfish Racing/Laser Racing

G

Gotta Go

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Connecticut
Ok Guys, I have a question.

At 210 lbs I have been told that I am too heavy to race against people in laser's because the heavier weight I carry would hinder my ability to win against individuals who are 160-180lbs.  Is this true of the sunfish boats as well?  Are they that sensitive that in lighter breezes my heavier weight would be a huge handicap?

 
slug zitski

slug zitski

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All dinghies  are weight sensitive 

check your local fleet 

some local fleets have weight , age , class

some fleets have many oversized members

 
dacapo

dacapo

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I'm slow in my laser in anything under 12 kts.  as I have been on the covid diet.

BUT I fare ok on my sunfish.

 
WCB

WCB

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Gotta Go said:
Ok Guys, I have a question.

At 210 lbs I have been told that I am too heavy to race against people in laser's because the heavier weight I carry would hinder my ability to win against individuals who are 160-180lbs.  Is this true of the sunfish boats as well?  Are they that sensitive that in lighter breezes my heavier weight would be a huge handicap?
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I'm 215lbs and I finish top six most races in our local racing and second overall for this season.  You don't need to be 180lbs to be competitive, you need to have the boat trimmed properly, better tactics, and you need to read the wind better than your competitors.  Downwind is tougher because it's hard to go wrong in the Laser and the lighter boats are faster but you can still beat them with better boat handling.  Also, having raced both a Sunfish and Laser, I think the Laser is far more forgiving to larger people. 

 
J

jesposito

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WCB said:
I'm 215lbs and I finish top six most races in our local racing and second overall for this season.  You don't need to be 180lbs to be competitive, you need to have the boat trimmed properly, better tactics, and you need to read the wind better than your competitors.  Downwind is tougher because it's hard to go wrong in the Laser and the lighter boats are faster but you can still beat them with better boat handling.  Also, having raced both a Sunfish and Laser, I think the Laser is far more forgiving to larger people. 
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Oh you mean like in big boats as well, tactics, trim, boat handling maybe good sails?

Wow how those things makes a difference. LOL   

 
S

Spoonie

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Is this similar to the other thread? There was another guy I think asking about Finns. 

Nfi how heavy 210lbs is.   I'm in the mid 90s kg and used to win races.   In fact I went a season at my old club and barely dropped one. 

I did torque my laser apart which kind of ended my laser racing. 

It is definitely in the heavy end.   I have a paper somewhere which gives tested drag numbers on lasers with various crew weights.   The numbers aren't good for us fatties. 

In the lasers at least there is a mid band where fatties truly suffer.   When you're cooped up in the boat and the light guys are starting to hike it is much harder to be dynamic in the boat. 

All in all don't believe the guys that say you can make up for it with good technique and tactics.   It's like 10-20% more in drag you have to make up for.  Also don't believe the guys that say you can't. 

I don't even know what a sunfish looks like. 

 
Somebody Else

Somebody Else

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If you weigh a lot and you're wearing a foam PFD, you might not be able to fold yourself in half enough to clear the boom. The boom may hang up on the back of the PFD and cause a capsize.

Reporting for a friend.

 
H

highlander709

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The Ville
As someone who's BMI is also a bit less than ideal (190 lbs + or -), I have found the Sunfish much more forgiving and comfortable to sail.  I raced Lasers for several years and sold it a few years ago to get a Sunfish, not so much because of body size, but because the Sunfish fleet racing was more convenient to my schedule and more active with 12+ boats on the line vs 4 or 5 in Laser fleet.  The benefit of the change is I'm more competitive with sailors of all shapes and sizes and I'm not as stiff and sore after 3 hours of crouching and ducking a boom.  I have also since started sailing MC Scows which are a lot of fun.  If there's an MC fleet near you that's the ticket for beefier guys - lots of fun, very competitive and plenty of room for the 6 pack beer cooler for proper hydration between races. 

 
Sail4beer

Sail4beer

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Where the hell are you going to buy an MC scow now that Covid got all the good ones and new ones scooped up?!

I want one eventually...have to sell a few boats first.

I have a laser and I’m going to sail it this summer for fun. I’m 160lbs now, but when I raced Laser Radial in my youth, I was 125lbs and had to wear a weight jacket to keep from flipping in a moderate breeze. No amount of skill could overcome the lack of weight against other teens who were larger.

I had a hiking platform set up for winter exercise so my gut and legs wouldn’t burn for the first weeks of summer. I need that platform back, the beer has my abdomen a little rotund..

 
mustang__1

mustang__1

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Sail4beer said:
Where the hell are you going to buy an MC scow now that Covid got all the good ones and new ones scooped up?!

I want one eventually...have to sell a few boats first.

I have a laser and I’m going to sail it this summer for fun. I’m 160lbs now, but when I raced Laser Radial in my youth, I was 125lbs and had to wear a weight jacket to keep from flipping in a moderate breeze. No amount of skill could overcome the lack of weight against other teens who were larger.

I had a hiking platform set up for winter exercise so my gut and legs wouldn’t burn for the first weeks of summer. I need that platform back, the beer has my abdomen a little rotund..
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If you know anyone in your area looking for a radial let me know. Carbon tiller/stick, racing vang/cunno etc. 

 
L

Looper

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Western Lake Michigan
Gotta Go said:
Ok Guys, I have a question.

At 210 lbs I have been told that I am too heavy to race against people in laser's because the heavier weight I carry would hinder my ability to win against individuals who are 160-180lbs.  Is this true of the sunfish boats as well?  Are they that sensitive that in lighter breezes my heavier weight would be a huge handicap?
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I've got you beat by a few many lbs and I do just fine in the boat.  Go with whatever has the biggest fleet in your area.  The best sailors in the world are in the Laser fleet and you will never stop learning or getting better.  That said, if you decide on the Laser fleet and you've not sailed dinghies much, I wouldn't worry about your weight for at least 4-5 years as it will take that long to work your way up to the the front of the fleet.  

 
fastyacht

fastyacht

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Ihavent seen s proper laser fleet in decades.

Some years ago the laser olympic qualifier was on same course with us.

There were two boats.

 
fastyacht

fastyacht

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highlander709 said:
As someone who's BMI is also a bit less than ideal (190 lbs + or -), I have found the Sunfish much more forgiving and comfortable to sail.  I raced Lasers for several years and sold it a few years ago to get a Sunfish, not so much because of body size, but because the Sunfish fleet racing was more convenient to my schedule and more active with 12+ boats on the line vs 4 or 5 in Laser fleet.  The benefit of the change is I'm more competitive with sailors of all shapes and sizes and I'm not as stiff and sore after 3 hours of crouching and ducking a boom.  I have also since started sailing MC Scows which are a lot of fun.  If there's an MC fleet near you that's the ticket for beefier guys - lots of fun, very competitive and plenty of room for the 6 pack beer cooler for proper hydration between races. 
Click to expand...
MC became very active in CT rrecentky. One very good egg promoted them and drove all over bringing used boats.

Lots of fun fir us full szed types.

 
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