Laser (dinghy)

Sailboat class

Class symbol

Laser Standard

Development
Designer| Bruce Kirby, Ian Bruce
Year| 1969
Builder(s)| LaserPerformance, Ovington Boats
Boat
Crew| 1
Draft| 0.787 m (2 ft 7.0 in)
Hull
Hull weight| 58.97 kg (130.0 lb)
LOA| 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
LWL| 3.81 m (12 ft 6 in)
Beam| 1.39 m (4 ft 7 in)
Rig
Sails
Mainsail area| 7.06 m2 (76.0 sq ft)
Racing
D-PN| 91.1
RYA PN| 1088
PHRF| 217
Current Olympic equipment

[edit on Wikidata]

The Laser is a class of single-handed, one-design sailing dinghies using a common hull design with three interchangeable rigs of different sail areas, appropriate to a given combination of wind strength and crew weight.  Ian Bruce and Bruce Kirby designed the Laser in 1970 with an emphasis on simplicity and performance.

The Laser is a widely produced class of dinghies. As of 2018, there were more than 215,000 boats worldwide. It is an international class with sailors in 120 countries, and an Olympic class since 1996. Its wide acceptance is attributable to its robust construction, simple rig and ease of sailing that offer competitive racing due to tight class association controls which eliminate differences in hull, sails, and equipment.

The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) defines the specifications and competition rules for the boat, which is officially referred to as the ILCA Dinghy, due to a trademark dispute.

## Production

[edit]

Laser in original colours, as delivered in the 1970s Sailor hiking out on a Laser Radial

The ILCA is manufactured by a number of different companies. As of April 2023 these were Devoti Sailing s.r.o., Czech Republic, Element 6 Evolution Co., Ltd., Thailand, Far East Boats, P. R. China, Nautivela srl, Italy, Ovington Boats Ltd, Great Britain, Performance Sailcraft Australia, Performance Sailcraft Japan, Rio Tecna srl, Argentina, and Qingdao Zou Inter Marine Co., Ltd., China. [1]

Laser dinghies are also manufactured by Laser Performance Europe in Portugal, but these boats are not licensed by World Sailing or the ILCA and are not eligible for ILCA events or the Olympic Games.

## Design

[edit]

The boat's design began in 1969 with a phone call between Canadians Bruce Kirby and Ian Bruce. While discussing the possibility of a car-topped dinghy (a boat small enough to be carried on a roof rack of a typical car) for a line of camping equipment, Bruce Kirby sketched what would be known as "the million dollar doodle". The plans stayed with Kirby until 1970 when One Design and Offshore Yachtsman magazine held a regatta for boats under $1000, called "America's Teacup". Hans Fogh made the sail and helmed the prototype in the regatta. After a few sail modifications, the Laser easily won its class. The prototype was originally named the "Weekender"; the sail held the letters TGIF, a common American abbreviation for "Thank God it's Friday". In December 1970 Dave Balfour, a McGill engineering student, suggested the name Laser and contributed the Laser sail insignia.[2][3] The Laser sailboat was officially unveiled at the New York Boat Show in 1971 where many purchase orders were placed.

Bruce and Kirby agreed to put the boat into production with Bruce manufacturing the craft and Kirby receiving royalties on each unit. As world-wide demand grew, they realized that regional licensing the manufacturing would deliver boats more economically than exporting them from Canada.[4][5]

The Laser hull accommodates interchangeable rigs with different sail areas. This allows for a wide range of sailors to sail and compete in a range of wind conditions despite the Laser's small ideal crew weight range for a given rig. Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Association: original Laser Standard with a sail area of 7.06 m²; the Laser Radial with a sail area of 5.76 m²; and the Laser 4.7 with a sail area of 4.7 m².[6][7]

The Laser's hull is constructed from fibreglass. The deck has a foam layer underneath for strength and buoyancy. The daggerboard is removable for storage and transport. The dinghy is manufactured by independent companies under licence in different parts of the world, including Performance Sailcraft Australia (Oceania) and Performance Sailcraft Japan.

As a one-design class of sailboat, all Lasers are built to the same specifications specified in the Laser Construction Manual. The association carries out inspections on manufacturers to ensure that boats are being made to the correct design. These factory specifications are the measurement of boats in a traditional sense. Sailors are prohibited from making any changes to the hull, sail, and spars unless specifically and positively permitted by the rules and are only allowed to use original parts. At regattas, boats are not measured, but rather inspected to ensure conformity with the rules.[7]

The Laser hull is 4.19 m (13.75 ft) long, with a waterline length of 3.96 m (12.99 ft). The hull weight is 59 kg (130 lb), which makes the boat light enough to lift onto a car-top rack.[8]

The various sizes of Laser are all cat-rigged. The Laser Standard sail has a sail area of 7.06 m2 (76.0 sq ft).[8]

The Laser is designed to be sailed single-handed although class rules permit two sailors.[7]

## Variants

[edit]

Lasers can be rigged with a variety of rigs. Three of these rigs, the Standard, Radial and 4.7 are recognised by the International Laser Association, while other rigs have also been developed by third parties and are also available.

Boat  | Rig [6] | Sail area (m2)  | Weight (kg)  | Ideal weight (kg)  | UK Portsmouth Yardstick[9]

|
|
|
|
|

ILCA 7  | Standard  | 7.06  | 70–95  | 80–84  | 1102
ILCA 6  | Radial  | 5.76  | 55–78  | 66–70  | 1154
ILCA 4  | 4.7  | 4.7  | 40–60  | 51–55  | 1213

### Laser Standard

[edit]

Main article: Laser Standard

A Laser with the standard rigging

The Laser Standard, or ILCA 7, is the original Laser rig. It has been sailed as the Olympic men's singlehanded dinghy since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.The Standard Laser uses a Portsmouth Yardstick of 1101[clarification needed]for racing involving other classes.[9] US Sailing sets its North American yardstick at DPN = 91.1.[10]

### Laser Radial

[edit]

Main article: Laser Radial

In Europe the smaller Laser Radial, or ILCA 6, has surpassed the original Laser Standard sail in popularity and replaced the Europe Dinghy as the Women's Singlehanded Dinghy for the 2008 Olympics. The Radial uses the same hull and fittings as the Laser Standard, but has a smaller sail (5.8 m2) than the Standard with a different cut, and has a shorter lower mast section. Optimal weight for this rig is 121 to 159 pounds (55 to 72 kg). The Laser Radial rig has a UK Portsmouth Yardstick number of 1150.[9] Its DPN is 96.7.[10]

### Laser 4.7

[edit]

Main article: Laser 4.7

A smaller sail plan for the Laser, the Laser 4.7 or ILCA 4, was developed about a decade after the Laser Radial. The sail area was reduced by 35% from the Standard (from 7 to 4.7 square metres (75 to 51 sq ft)) with a shorter, pre-bent bottom mast section, allowing even lighter sailors to sail it. The same formula as the Radial is kept. The hull is the same as the Standard and Radial. The optimal weight for this rig is 110–145 pounds (50–66 kg), thus becoming an ideal boat for young sailors moving from the Optimist/RS Tera who are still too light for a normal Laser. The Laser 4.7 rig has a UK Portsmouth Yardstick number of 1210.[9] Its DPN is 95.4.[10]

## Operational history

[edit]

The Laser is raced worldwide from club levels to international and Olympic competitions.

Laser world championships are held in all three rigs and across junior, open, and masters age groups. In total in 2019, the Laser class association awarded 11 world championships. Places for world championships are limited due to high demand and are allotted to countries on the basis of the number of paid association members in each country.[7]

In the Olympics, men race in Laser Standards and women race in Laser Radials.[11]

### Class association

[edit]

The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) governs boat specifications and competition. The class association operates on four levels: the world level; a regional level based around continents; a district level based around states in the USA and Australia, and nations elsewhere; and at a local fleet level. The association plays a major role in ensuring conformity to Laser class rules worldwide.[7]

### Litigation

[edit]

Bruce Kirby withdrew the license he had issued to LaserPerformance and later filed a lawsuit against LaserPerformance and Farzad Rastegar[12] on March 4, 2013, claiming non-payment of design royalties.[13] Kirby also claims that the LaserPerformance boats have had issues with quality and parts availability.[14] Kirby required the International Sailing Federation on March 25, 2013, to ask the International Laser Class Association to stop issuing ISAF license plaques to LaserPerformance (Europe) Limited, claiming that LaserPerformance were no longer a licensed builder.[15] Instead ISAF and the ILCA issued a new plaque design,[16] and changed the class rules so that a builder no longer needed to be licensed by Bruce Kirby.[17]

In 2019 the ILCA moved against Laser Performance Europe (the UK licensed builder which is part of a group that also owned the trademark on the Laser name in much of the world) and withdrew its right to build officially measured boats. The ILCA has chosen the new name of "ILCA Dinghy" for the boat.[18]

In 2020, the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut found boat builder Quarter Moon (QMI) and LaserPerformance (Europe) Limited (LPE) liable for a sum of $6,857,736, payable to Kirby.[19][20]

## See also

[edit]

* Laser 2, a double-handed dinghy.
* LaserPerformance, the manufacturer of many dinghies such as Laser Pico, Laser Stratos and the Laser.
* Laser Pico, a small double-handed dinghy designed by Jo Richards in the 1990s mainly for family use
* Laser 4.7
* Laser 28
* Laser Radial
* Laser World Championships

### Similar boats

[edit]

* Impulse (dinghy)
* RS Aero
* Phantom (dinghy)
* Force 5

## References

[edit]

1. ^ International Laser Class Association (ILCA). "Approved Builders". Retrieved 23 November 2024.
2. ^ Kirby, Bruce. "Article 2016". SailingWorld. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
3. ^ Balfour, Dave. "Remembering Ian Bruce" (PDF). Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
4. ^ Blum, Andrew (23 April 2019). "The story of the former Olympian who designed the world's most beloved boat". Popular Science. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
5. ^ Tillman, Richard L. (15 June 2005). The Complete Book of Laser Sailing. McGraw Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-179210-3.
6. ^ a b Davidson, Tim (2017). The Laser Book. Leamington Spa: Fenhurst. ISBN 978-1-912177-04-2.
7. ^ a b c d e International Laser Class Association. 2019 Handbook: Constitution and Class Rules (PDF). Retrieved 11 October 2019.
8. ^ a b McArthur, Bruce (2020). "Laser (International) sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
9. ^ a b c d Royal Yachting Association (February 2024). "Portsmouth Number List 2024". Royal Yachting Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
10. ^ a b c US Sailing (January 2018). "North American Portsmouth Yardstick Table of Pre-Calculated Classes" (PDF). US Sailing. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
11. ^ "Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Schedule". IOC. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
12. ^ "Bruce Kirby, Inc. et al v. LaserPerformance (Europe) Limited et al". RFC Express. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
13. ^ "Sail World - The world's largest sailing news network; sail and sailing, cruising, boating news". sail-world.com. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
14. ^ "COMMENTARY: It's the boat that matters, not the name >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News". sailingscuttlebutt.com. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
15. ^ "ISAF Halts Plaques To LaserPerformance". Kirby Torch. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
16. ^ "Statement from the International Laser Class Association". International Laser Class Association. Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
17. ^ "ILCA Class Rules". ILCA. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
18. ^ Faust, Eric (25 April 2019). "Laser – New name for Laser Class boat". Sailing Anarchy. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
19. ^ "Bruce Kirby wins Laser judgment". Canadian Yachting. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
20. ^ Powlison, Dave (20 February 2020). "Kirby Triumphs In Laser Lawsuit". Sailing World. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* ILCA

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Laser (dinghy) (category)

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Classes of World Sailing

Current Olympic classes|

* 470
* 49er
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World Sailing centreboard classes|

* 29er
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* Laser Standard
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World Sailing keelboat classes|

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World Sailing yacht classes|

* Class40
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World Sailing multihull classes|

* A-Class
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World Sailing windsurfer classes|

* Formula Experience
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* IKA Open
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IRSA remote-control classes|

* 10 rater
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Former World Sailing classes|

* 11:Metre One Design
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* Elliott 6m
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World championships in sailing * Sailing at the Summer Olympics * Sailing at the Summer Paralympics

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Boats marketed by LaserPerformance

One-person dinghies|

* Laser 4.7
* Laser Bug
* Laser Funboat
* Laser Pico
* Laser Radial
* Laser Standard
* Laser Vago
* Sunfish
* Vapor Optimist

Two-person dinghies|

* Club 420
* Bahia
* Laser Vago

Multihulls|

* Dart 16

Keelboats|

Laser Stratos Keel

Discontinued models|

* Dart 15
* Dart 20 Stampede
* Dart 6000
* Dart Hawk (F18)
* Laser 2
* Laser 13
* Laser 16
* Laser 28
* Laser 4000
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* Laser Stratos (Centreboard)
* Laser Vortex

No longer associated with Laser|

* Dart 18
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* Laser 2000
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Olympic sailing classes

Current classes|

* 470
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Former classes
(In order of first use)|

* Ton classes (0–½, ½–1, 1–2, 2–3, 3–10, 10–20, 20+ & Open)
* 6 Metre
* 7 Metre
* 8 Metre
* 12 Metre
* 10 Metre
* 12 foot dinghy
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* 6.5 Metre
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* 9 Metre
* 15 Metre
* Skerry cruiser 30 m2
* Skerry cruiser 40 m2
* French National Monotype 1924
* Snowbird
* Star
* O-Jolle
* Firefly
* Swallow
* Dragon
* 5.5 Metre
* Finn
* 12 m2 Sharpie
* Flying Dutchman
* Tempest
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* Windglider
* Division II
* Lechner A-390
* Europe
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* Yngling
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Youth classes|

* Nacra 15
* Techno 293

Former youth classes|

* Byte

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* 125
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|

L–Z|

* Lark
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* Montgomery 7-11
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* Moth
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* National 12
* NS14
* OK Dinghy
* Otter
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* Penguin
* Phantom 14
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* Precision 13
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* Puffer
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* RS Aero
* RS Feva
* RS Neo
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* RS100
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* Tasar
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* Topper
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* Transit 380
* Twitchell 12
* Vagabond
* Vaurien
* Wanderer
* Waszp
* Water Wag
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* Woodpussy
* Zeddie
* Zephyr

Dinghies under 20 ft|

| 0–K|

* 16ft Skiff
* 18 foot dinghy
* 18ft Skiff
* 470
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* Albacore
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* Cape Cod Gemini
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* Caprice 15
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* Comet (US)
* Contender
* Coronado 15
* Corsair
* Day Sailer
* Flying Dutchman
* Flying Scot
* French National Monotype 1924
* Geary 18
* Gloucester 15
* Hampton One-Design
* Holiday 20
* Hornet
* Interlake
* International Canoe
* ISO
* Jacksnipe
* Javelin (Europe)
* Jersey Skiff
* Jollyboat (UK)
* Jolly Boat
* JY15

|

L–Z|

* Laser 4000
* Laser Stratos
* Leeward 16
* Lelievlet
* Lightning
* Melges 15
* Menger Cat 15
* Mirror 16
* Mistral 16
* Mobjack
* Mud Hen 17
* Mutineer 15
* O-Jolle
* Paceship 20
* Payne-Mortlock sailing canoe
* Picnic 17
* Pirate
* Precision 15 CB
* Precision 16
* Precision 185 CB
* Ranger 16
* Rebel 16
* Rhodes 18
* Rhodes 19
* RS Vision
* RS700
* RS800
* RS Venture
* S2 5.5
* Salcombe Yawl
* Sea Bright
* Sea Scout Standard Boat (BP18)
* Snipe
* Tanzer 16
* 12m2 Sharpie
* Thistle
* Topaz Omega
* US1
* Vanguard 15
* Wayfarer
* Windmill
* Windy
* Winkle Brig
* X Boat

Dinghies 20 ft or over|

* Dovekie 21
* Highlander
* Norfolk Punt
* Sea Pearl 21

Scows|

* A Scow
* Butterfly
* C Scow
* E Scow
* Fireball
* Flipper (Danish)
* I-20
* Melges 17
* M Scow
* MC Scow
* Puddle Duck Racer
* Thames A-class rater
* Y Flyer

Multihulls|

| Catamarans|

* A-Class
* Catalina Catamaran
* Cheshire 14
* Dart 16
* Dart 18
* DC-14 Phantom
* Flying Phantom Elite
* Flying Phantom Essentiel
* Formula 16
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* G-Cat 5.0
* G-Cat 5.7
* Hobie 14
* Hobie 16
* Hobie 17
* Hobie Bravo
* Hobie Dragoon
* Hobie Tiger
* Hobie Wave
* Hobie Wildcat
* Isotope
* Kona 14
* Nacra 5.2
* Nacra 15
* Nacra F16
* Nacra 17
* Nacra F18 Infusion
* Nacra 20 Carbon
* M32
* Phantom 14
* Phantom 16
* Phoenix 18
* Prindle 18
* Prindle 18-2
* Shearwater III
* SL 16
* Topcat K1
* Tornado
* Trac 14
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* Viper F16

|

Trimarans|

* Astus 14.1
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