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Laser 2 Info & Links

The Laser 2 (Laser II) is a high-performance racing dinghy designed by Frank Bethwaite in 1979, in a similar fashion to the strict one design Laser dinghy. The Bethwaite family went on to design the well known and highly respected 29er & 49er classes.

Designed to be sailed by a crew of two, the lightweight hull comes readily to the plane, which makes for fast and exciting sailing, especially off the wind on a 3 sail reach. Due to it's relatively short length, it's very responsive and can be challenging to sail. Quick to rig and easy to right from a capsize, all sail controls are kept simple. Its only real downside is its poor light wind performance. It's best suited to light to medium weight crews.

The hulls and fittings are very well made and will usually last a long time. Older boats usually clean up well and the original fittings can normally be bought back into action using WD40 or silicon spray.

Variations

Several variations of the Laser 2 were produced:

Laser 2 Regatta

The Laser 2 Regatta is the racing version equipped with spinnaker and trapeze (earlier versions used bags instead of a shute). This is the standard and most common version of the Laser 2 dinghy, which was extremely popular and heavily marketed by the Laser Centre during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Laser 2 Fun

The Laser 2 Fun was designed for recreational sailing. It doesn't have a spinnaker, features brightly coloured sails, reefing points on the mainsail and a furling jib mechanism.

Laser 2 Fun New Wave

A short lived Laser 2 featuring an asymmetric spinnaker.

Escape Expedition

The Escape Expedition 14.5 was a Laser 2 hull combined with an Escape SmartRig.

Laser 3000

The Laser 3000 is essentially a Laser 2 hull with an asymmetric rig and open, self-draining cockpit, which was introduced in 1996.

Vandercraft 3000 (V3000)

The V3000 is an improved version of the Laser 3000.

Links

Technical

Handicap Number 1065 (2016 RYA PY List)
Length 4.39m / 14'5
Beam 1.42m / 4'8
Draft (daggerboard down) 1m / 3'3
Mast length 5.8m / 19'0
Main & Jib 11.52 sq m / 124 sq ft
Spinnaker 10.2 sq m / 110 sq ft

Sail numbers by year

Year Sail Number
1979 450 - 454
1980 455 - 1604
1981 1605 - 3631
1982 3632 - 4029
1983 4030 - 4905
1984 4043 - 4905
1985 4906 - 5438
1986 5439 - 6184
1987 6185 - 6582
1988 6583 - 7330
1989 7331 - 7803
1990 7804 - 8311
1991 8312 - 8660
1992 8661 - 9245
1993 9246 - 9599
1994 9600 - 9940
1995 9941 - 10039
1996 10040 - 10128
1997 10129 - 10361
1998 10386 - 10415
1999 10415 - 10499
2000 10500 -

Rope Lengths

Taken from the rigging manual:

Control Length (m) Diameter Rope  
Main sheet 9m 6mm Excel Pro  
Jib sheet 7m 8mm Excel Marstron  
Clew Outhaul 3.1m 6mm Excel Pro  
Clew tie down 0.63m 4mm Excel Pro  
Traveller 5m 5mm Excel Pro  
Spinnaker sheet 13.4m 6mm Excel Pro  
Daggerboard retaining line 3m 5mm Shockcord + HA75 holt clips (x2).  

© J. Bell 2024