Saturday, February 05, 2011

Close-up Photos of a Laser Dinghy

Here are three photos of my nephew’s Laser dinghy.




The first one illustrates the layout of the shallow cockpit. You can see the profile shape of the slot for the daggerboard and a waterproof inspection hatch beside it. I note that there is a cord around the aft end of the toe strap that keeps it under tension, so that it is lifted for easy access by the feet of the helmsman. The hull is finished to a high standard.




The second photo gives a close-up view of the multipart kicking strap for controlling the boom, and the downhaul for the Cunningham Eye for increasing or reducing tension on the luff of the sail. I like the looped handgrip for the clew outhaul which makes it easier for the crew to pull it with some force for flattening the sail. You can see this being done in the third photo.




The third photo shows the dinghy on her padded launching trolley which supports the hull just aft of the point of balance on splayed rods that snugly fit under the edges of the side decks; thus the bottom of the hull does not come into contact with the trolley. Nice big fat tyres help by giving a large surface area for spreading the load which is better if the boat has to be launched off a sandy or muddy beach. They also act as buoyancy for the trailer when it is in the water, which makes it easier for the crew to handle the trailer when launching and recovering the boat, because he doesn’t have to lift the full weight of the trolley.

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