Regular readers of this blog (all three of you) will know that I have something of a feud going with Joe Rouse at The Horse's Mouth about the relative merits of the Force 5 and the Laser. It's all very pointless really because it's common knowledge that the Force 5 is a better boat than a Laser. Here are seven reasons why...
1. The Force 5 is more comfortable than a Laser. Nobody claims that a Laser is comfortable. Indeed I've even written a post or two about how Laser sailing is all about ability to bear pain. Why would anyone but a masochist sail a boat that hurts so much?
2. You can take a friend with you on a Force 5. In theory you can have more than one person on a Laser. When I was a sailing instructor, on afternoons with no wind we would occasionally see how many kids we could load on to one Laser. I think our record was thirteen. But the Laser isn't really designed for more than one person. On the other hand, the way the Force 5 cockpit extends to the side of the daggerboard makes more room for a crew to join you in comfort. (There we go with the C-word again.)
3. The control lines are easier to reach on a Force 5. The Force 5 was designed after the Laser was launched and so the designer had the benefit of seeing how difficult it was to adjust the sail controls on the original Mark 1 1971 vintage Laser. As a result, the Force 5 has double-ended control lines that lead to both side decks. A few years back the highly conservative Laser class eventually allowed a so-called "new" control line set-up but it is still far inferior to the Force 5 arrangement.
That's why all Laser sailors have such long arms. Thanks to the power of natural selection, in another three generations all Laser sailors will look like this...
4. The Force 5 is more forward-looking. The builder of the Force 5, Brian Weeks, has been updating the boat with all sorts of techno-wizardry such as a winged hull and a fully-battened composite sail. How cool is this?
You're never going to see anything like this in the Laser class. Even if the manufacturer and the leaders of the class association wanted to do it, it would never get through the byzantine bureaucratic rule change process that the Laser class has invented to keep pure the true spirit of board-boat sailing 1970's style. It takes about eight years and at least seven voting steps (not to mention approval by those fun-loving wild-thing super-delegates at ISAF) to change the Laser rules to allow something like a left-handed square knot instead of a right-handed reef knot to tie your toestrap shockcord. Fuggedaboutit.5. The Force 5 sail insignia. The symbol for the Force 5 looks masculine and vaguely pornographic at the same time. Haven't you always wanted to wear a T-shirt like this?
6. Force 5 sailors are more friendly. I will get into trouble with my Laser friends for saying this but there is an obvious reason why it is so...
If you join your local Laser fleet you will probably be the 217th sailor to sign up for the season and one of about 50 racing today. The reaction from your new "friends" is likely to be something along the lines of, "Oh hi. Welcome. You can probably find somewhere to keep your boat over there on the other side of the club behind the dumpster. Now can you move your boat so I can get to the ramp. Good luck."
Whereas if you turn up with a Force 5 at your local sailing club the only three other Force 5 sailors there will be so pleased, not to say astonished, to see you that the reaction will be more like, "Wow! Another Force 5! Amazing dude! Let me buy you a beer. Do you need any spare parts? You can borrow my trailer. Please use my new sail. Do you have anywhere to stay in Key West for the Midwinters? You can stay with my sister. Hey, you can sleep with my sister." That's what I call real friendship.
7. The Zippered Halyard Mainsail. This is the clincher for me. A sail with a zipper! Man, how can the Laser complete with that?
When I first read about this on the Force 5 website I was mystified. Zippers on boots, yes. Zippers on PFDs, yes. Zippers on drysuits and wetsuits, absolutely, especially that all-important special zipper so essential to male comfort during a long day on the water. But a zipper on a mainsail? Why?
Well, Mr. Weeks' website has full instructions for the simple 18-step process on how to use the zipper and the reason for having one: "no more Iwo Jima mast raising".
Brilliant! I have to have one.
21 comments:
You did get a release from Joe Rouse before posting his photo in your third reason? (btw ... I think I'm your 4th reader)
Id really like the yellow boat in the photo- seriously, what is it?
Seriously, it's a prototype for a next generation Force 5 built by Brian Weeks. It's called a Force 5 EXT.
Not sure of the present status of this version as the website seems a bit out of date, talking about the "second testing" scheduled for summer 2006.
A vote for the laser here. Notice I never started a Force Five Olympic campaign. Besides, they say there's safety in numbers.
On a completely unrelated topic, I stole your list of things gimmick today. But at least I gave you a subtle shout-out at the end.
Edward, writing a list is a well-known technique for overcoming blogger's block. I didn't invent it. Well, actually I know seven ways to overcome bloggers' block... but that's a story for another post.
And thanks for the subtle shout-out... I'm glad you didn't tell all your regular readers (all three of them) that it was me that had the arrogance to belittle your upcoming trans-galactice voyage.
Gerald should be rigging his Laser 2 soon so he can challenge any local BN5 sailors.
As the owner of another Laser wannabe boat, the Megabyte, I feel privileged that you allow me to read your blog. :-) Unlike the FFers at least I can claim some shared heritage via Messrs. Bruce and Fogh. At last weekend's Whiskeytown Regatta I was envious of the Lasers and even the Banshees who had enough boats for their own classes while we three megabyters were relegated to the "open" class.
Tilly old man you've gone and done it to me again. ROFL!!!!!!
Any Mouse Numero Uno: Me cago en la mar!
David, you're envious of Banshees? Wow! Things are getting strange.
Since I've worn out five Lasers in my life, I consider myself a force-5 kind of guy. I won't be tempted with a Farce-5. BTW, did you airbrush or photoshop the wires out of that yellow/lime green boat above?
No airbrush or photoshop was used in the preparation of this post.
I like the Orangutan arms. There is an actual secret society of windsurfers on Long Island who call themselves the Wind Chimps for the same reason.
Do people race Force 5's?
Without stays, that spar looks too stiff to be aluminum.
Yes puffin, believe it or not, people do actually race Force 5's. I've seen it with my own eyes.
You might be right vigilante. But it sure looks like aluminum in the pictures at Force 5 EXT.
The Force 5 with wings has already been done. Check out the Wing Dinghy: http://www.antrimdesign.com/monohulls/wingdinghy.html
Current owners have added full-batten flat top sails.
But does the Wing Dinghy have a zipper?
David there are a lot of dinghies with wings. Jim was not the first person to come up with this idea, nor will he be the last. Have you seen the Moths from the 70s? Wings big Daddy, wings!
Vigilante, it's because of guys like you that many non-laser sailors hate laser sailors. "I won't be tempted with a Farce-5."
There's no reason for any waterman or waterwoman to hate a watercraft (unless it's a jetski).
Being a 36 year old Force5 sailor I have to agree with most of your points. The boat is comfy for us larger 6'5" 230lb sailors. We are a very fiendly bunch with 15-18 boats showing up for our weekly races. They are fun to sail and the zipper is a realy dumb idea.
Tillerman if you happen to be in New London CT on a Thursday night stop by Thames Yatch Club and come sailing with us, we always have an extra boat hanging around.
Mark
I forgot to add this to my previous post, the insignia...also a dumb idea.
Mark
Is anyone still on this chat? I'm an athletic small boat sailor who sails Lightnings, JY15s and Laser. Due to a total knee replacement, I'm on the hunt for boats that allow me to continue to sail/race. A Force 5 may be that boat. I can tell you the Laser doesn't allow for anyone with a knee that flexes about 125degrees.
Cockpit is too narrow and too short relative to where you want to sit in some conditions. The boom is very low and when vanged hard requires the Skipper to lay flat on the deck to get under boom. That said I can only go so low on the one side my knee will not bend....
I have some questions: How high is the boom gooseneck from the deck? How do I get in a boat in May 2016 in Southeastern CT.
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