In fact there are all sorts of breakages on a Laser that can be temporarily repaired with a short length of spectra and maybe some duct tape to stop it sliding out of place. Any fitting coming off the boom or mast could probably be fixed in this way. In fact Marc Jacobi tells on his blog how he even lashed together mast and boom after he broke the gooseneck pin at the NA Laser Masters last year.
Of course you are not going to be able to repair a broken spar with such a simple repair kit but, as this photo shows, with enough duct tape and some help from a friendly coach boat, you can even make a temporary repair to a hole in your hull. (More details at Stay out of Trouble.)
So if I were to carry an emergency repair kit on board my Laser I reckon I would need...
- A short length of spectra
- A knife
- Duct tape
Anything else?
What would this kit fix… and what else couldn't it fix?
16 comments:
Nice post. I always carry a short piece of line in the pocket of my zhik life jacket. Thus far, nothing has broken on my Laser. But I was crewing on a Henderson 30 when the outhaul snapped. I jumped off the rail and used my piece of line to rig the outhaul Laser style. It got us around the course.
Doug has a great repair under way story from his world championship victory in Korea.
The line needs to be long enough to pass under the hull to secure the traveler in the event of a broken traveler fairlead.
R - that's brilliant. I never thought of that. I almost wrote in the post that you couldn't fix a broken traveler fairlead with line, but of course you could do it that way! (And I have broken at least one fairlead while racing in my time.)
One question I have is whether line and duct tape could fix a broken tiller extension universal rubber joint with any real chance of it lasting through a whole race, or even several races?
With classic laser rigging you could lash your way around just about anything other than a broken Cunningham fairlead.
For a broken tiller extension you tie the tail of your main sheet to the tiller and keep some weather helm until you get home or have time to rig something better.
Unknown - yes. I have heard of that method. It will get you home but not really worth trying to race with that hook-up.
If it's sheeting from the middle of the boom with no traveler, then it might be just 1/4:1 (my physics teacher would know).
At the 1991 Worlds, I used a piece of duct tape as an emergency ring ding. It saved my butt.
You might be right on that Doug. It was sure hard to pull the boom in to the normal close-hauled position (well actually impossible).
Among us ol'school Laser sailors (#s 2104 & 2105), it was an early learning to duct-tape the two parts of the traveler blocks when they were latched together to prevent them from folding in on themselves and jerking when under a load. I never (rarely) untaped mine. When rigging/deriggin, one just ran the sheets through the block. I assume this is still SOP?
Back to your primary problem. Since it appears the block on the traveler was still intact I would have threaded the end of the mainsheet through the brummel hook on the traveler block and tied a stopper knot. You would have lost one purchase but would at least would have been sheeting from the traveler. Rather than duct tape, I'm a big fan of electrical tape for on-the-water repair (other than a hole in the hull - duct tape might be better for that - actually sail number material works well for holes in the hull). The advantage of electrical tape is that it adheres well to itself and you can really wrap a lot around very quickly in the heat of battle. The added advantage is when you take electrical tape off it doesn't leave such a gooey mess behind.
Yes Doc. That is still SOP. But a high externally applied force managed to break the blocks.
Good idea Tweezerman. I didn't think of that. I did consider looping the mainsheet under the traveler and then back to the block at the clew. That would have given me given me the same purchase as the original configuration but some (maybe a lot) more friction.
btw a length of line is usually the only "emergency" equipment windsurfers carry. You can do so much with it. http://www.peconicpuffin.com/the_peconic_puffin/2011/12/stashing-emergency-line.html
dude, you sound like retired folk. also carry an anchor in case you want to take a break.
seriously, trust your fate and go light and race the heck out of it. do you think f1 racers carry a spare tire?
Dude. A bit of string is a small weight to carry if it enables you to enjoy the rest of a day on the water after a breakdown.
There's also the issue of self-sufficiency. If something breaks on my boat while racing, a safety boat might have to rescue me and tow me home. I'd rather be able to fix something myself and either carry on racing or sail safely home. If something breaks when I'm out sailing on my own the consequences could be a lot worse if I'm not able the fashion some kind of repair.
And I am "retired folk." What's wrong with that?
Cheat the nursing home. Die on your Laser. Just not yet.
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