# Jeff HELP : Laser 28



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hi Jeff

you wrote : 

In many ways a Laser 28 would be a good boat in the light air conditions. I raced mine as a couples boat and it was great in that role. Laser 28''s are easy to tow being 4100 lbs vs the J-30''s 7500, and the Laser is a legal width as well. In a breeze the Laser takes a bit more skill and an understanding how to ''shift gears'' but the nice thing is that all of the tools are there to do so quickly on the fly. 
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knowing that you owned a laser for many years made me thing to look closer ( versus the J 30 ) 

here a few observations, please correct me if I am wrong and add as much info as you can to it.

Lasers are more available in Canada than here in the states.

Not as many lasers were built ( ??? no idea ) but there seem to be very much less for sale that J 30''s

Sure the phref is even lower but a J 30 with oversized No 1 gets hit 8 points and is very close. 

Most races are in light wind ( meaning I need the large No 1 on the J 30 , versus the regular No 1 on the Laser ) 

Laser is much lighter, and not as beamy, meaning I can somehat pull her ( short distances with a 6 cyl Jeep Grand CHrokee ???) 

Lasers go for about the lower end of the asking price for 5 year older J 30s and usually have a trailer with that price. 
( $ 20.000 ) 

The motor in a laser is a bukh ??? and not very nice ??? versus Yanmar 

You can surf with the chute up ( Did you ever ??? or even a lot ??? ) I guess if I want to try to get me a few more guys onto the boat.

Lasers are somewhat simpler inside, but not by much. both are not cruising boats with all amenities. 

Laser has a nicer cockpit, where you can sit better than the J 30 ( important for the wife''s back ) 

Now the tricky ones. Most lasers are Kevlar, but at one time the did the deck in glass, and later the whole boat .... when did that happen, as I would prefer a full kevlar boat ( because of ??? lighter weight and no blisters or wet decks ?? ) 

Lasers look better because they dont have a dinghy rudder.... well Thats really only in my head, but the J30 looks dull from behind.... I think ...lol 

You know of any for sale ??? I am in the midwest, but willing to travel, especially, if you tell me its a good boat .... 
( Dinner on me, if its in your neck of the woods ) 

Did I forget to ask something ?? 

THANKS Thorsten


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Way too many questions for long answers tonight:
-Not as many lasers were built ( ??? no idea ) but there seem to be very much less for sale that J 30''s/

Depending on who you believe there were somewhere between 350 and 450 built world wide. That is a pretty big number for a small race boat manufacturer but terribly large compared to something like a Catalina 27. Laser 28 owners tend to keep their boats a long time. (At the North Americans in 2000 the average owner present had owned his boat over 10 years.)

Sure the phref is even lower but a J 30 with oversized No 1 gets hit 8 points and is very close. Most races are in light wind (meaning I need the large No 1 on the J 30 , versus the regular No 1 on the Laser ) 
Laser 28''s are very good light air boats. Most come with a class legal 153 which works fine. They take a penalty for an oversized chute and pole. If you rate without the chute then you should end up scratch with a J-30. 

Laser is much lighter, and not as beamy, meaning I can somehat pull her ( short distances with a 6 cyl Jeep Grand CHerokee ???)

I really don''t know the answer to that one. 

Lasers go for about the lower end of the asking price for 5 year older J 30s and usually have a trailer with that price. ( $ 20.000 ) 

Most Lasers sell for somewhere around $20K with really clean ones a little more and trashed ones a lot less. They seem to hold up quite well but you do occasionally see one that was really beat to death.

The motor in a Laser is a bukh ??? and not very nice ??? versus Yanmar 
Actually the Buhk is a great little engine. I think it is a higher quality engine than the Yanmar and a very easy engine to work on. Mine was very reliable. A very nice installation for a small, light boat. 


You can surf with the chute up ( Did you ever ??? or even a lot ??? ) I guess if I want to try to get me a few more guys onto the boat. 

The boat will surf and plane. Our highest speed 13.8 knots which occured power reaching under the lapper and a reefed mainsail. It was not all that unsual to power reach in the nearly 10 knot range if there was enough wind. 

Lasers are somewhat simpler inside, but not by much. both are not cruising boats with all amenities. 
I actually really liked the Laser interior. It worked great. That said the Vee berths were not huge so you might want to take a look at that for yourself.

Laser has a nicer cockpit, where you can sit better than the J 30 ( important for the wife''s back ) 

I always like the Laser cockpit. A lot of attention was paid to the ergonomics of the boat and they did a great job for a dual purpose boat. 


Now the tricky ones. Most lasers are Kevlar, but at one time the did the deck in glass, and later the whole boat .... when did that happen, as I would prefer a full kevlar boat ( because of ??? lighter weight and no blisters or wet decks ?? )

They built very few glass boats. The glass boats were virtually the same weight, just not the same stiffness. My boat was vinylester resin. I have heard mixed comments to the effect that all of the boats were vinylester to only the first boats were vinylester. My boat was hull number 155.

Lasers look better because they dont have a dinghy rudder.... well Thats really only in my head, but the J30 looks dull from behind.... I think ...

The Lasers were a much more advanced hull form being designed six or seven years after the J-30. They are dryer to sail and more surgical. On the other hand they will wipe out in a breeze if the sails and helm are not played right. If you go out on a gusty day and experiment you will pretty quickly learn how far you can push the Laser before you need to ease off and then you can play that edge. I actually sailed my boat (not by choice) on a day when a front came through with winds that pegged a near by wind instrument at 65 knots. It was not easy sailing but we were the only boat able to beat clear of the channel and gain searoom. Several big and venerable cruising boats were driven onto the leeshore in that blow. 

You know of any for sale ??? No but try the Laser 28 website. They are equally in the States and Canada with a small number in England and Mainland Europe.

Jeff


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

BTW Whether the boat is glass or kevlar, has nothing to do with blistering or wet decks. Blistering is a product of the resin and not the reinforcing fabric. Vinylester is not prone to blistering. Wet decks or coring is not related to glass or kevlar either. The Lasers used a high density closed cell foam core and so were not prone to core problems. J-boats used balsa and were much more prone to problems.

Jeff


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