Laser 2
The Laser 2, or Laser II, is a sailboat that was designed by New Zealander Frank Bethwaite and Canadian Ian Bruce as a one-design racer and first built in 1978.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Frank Bethwaite Ian Bruce |
| Location | Canada |
| Year | 1978 |
| No. built | 8,200 |
| Builder(s) | Performance Sailcraft Vanguard Sailboats |
| Role | Racer |
| Name | Laser 2 |
| Boat | |
| Crew | two |
| Displacement | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Draft | 3.50 ft (1.07 m) with daggerboard down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | fibreglass |
| LOA | 14.42 ft (4.40 m) |
| LWL | 13.83 ft (4.22 m) |
| Beam | 4.67 ft (1.42 m) |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | daggerboard |
| Rudder(s) | transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Bermuda rig |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | fractional rigged sloop |
| Total sail area | 124.00 sq ft (11.520 m2) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 92.8[1] |
| RYA PN | 1035[2] |
Production edit
The design was built by Bruce's company, Performance Sailcraft, in Canada and also by Vanguard Sailboats in the United States. Production ran from 1978 until 1987, with 8,200 boats completed, but it is now out of production. In 2007 Performance Sailcraft and Vanguard were merged to form LaserPerformance.[3][4][9][10]
Design edit
The Laser 2 is a sailing dinghy, built predominantly of fibreglass. It has a fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a plumb transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller with an extension and a retractable daggerboard. It displaces 170 lb (77 kg). The crew can make use of a single trapeze.[3][4]
The boat has a draft of 3.50 ft (1.07 m) with the daggerboard extended and 4 in (10 cm) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer.[3][4]
For sailing downwind the design may be equipped with a symmetrical spinnaker.[3][4]
The design has a US Portsmouth Yardstick D-PN handicap of 92.8 and a UK RYA-PN of 1035.[1][2]
Variants edit
The basic Laser 2 was produced in a number of variants, including the Laser II Fun, Laser II Regatta and the Laser Fun New Wave, which was equipped with an asymmetrical spinnaker. All were out of production by 1990.[3][4]
Operational history edit
The boat was at one time a World Sailing international class, but its status has been revoked.[11]
In a February 1980 review John Turnbull in Canadian Yachting wrote of the Laser 2, "Frank Bethwaite, the unclaimed maestro of high-powered dinghy design, and Ian Bruce, the designer / promoter of Performance Sailcraft, may have come up with the only boat that could live up to the expectations created by the Laser. It doesn't bring anything startlingly new to sailboat design except perhaps the idea that a mass-market boat should be fast and challenging."[12]
Events edit
See also edit
Related development
References edit
- ^ a b . US Sailing. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b . Royal Yachting Association. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Laser 2 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Laser 2". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Bethwaite Design". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Bethwaite Design". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Ian Bruce 1933 - 2016". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Ian Bruce". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Performance Sailcraft". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Sea Time Tech, LLC (2022). "Performance Sailcraft". sailboat.guide. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ International Sailing Federation (2012). . sailing.org. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Turnbull, John (February 1980). "Laser 2". Canadian Yachting. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
External links edit
- Media related to Laser II at Wikimedia Commons