Sunday, August 04, 2013

Foiling on a Laser?



According to a report via SailCoach on Facebook by Chris Caldecoat of Performance Sailcraft Australia, it will soon be possible to buy a set of foils for the Laser.

"Went foiling today on the first production set of Kirby Sailboat foils (being politically correct) my first time ever foiling, never thought I would as a 96kg Finn sailor. I foiled first go, learnt a bit and on my second sail after a turn or two on adjustment on the rudder I was smoking across the bay, a brand new boat, no holes, just a cassette in the case, rudder goes on a current rudder head and is held down the same way as current boats. Pull it all off in one pin and you can go do Kirby/ Laser Worlds in your boat. Future, it's not to replace current racing, just to let everyone, with old or new boats to get out and try foiling. Stay tuned as soon to go public, cheers from PSA and the Glide Free team".

Hmmm.

I wonder if they will be available in the USA.

Or is this just some elaborate hoax?

What do you think?


Update Mon 5 August: another photo from the same source...



Updated Tues 6 Aug: video of Laser foiling.

19 comments:

Baydog said...

Hoax.

Tillerman said...

It would certainly be more believable if we saw a picture of him actually foiling instead of a bad picture of some kind of foiling daggerboard stuck in the bottom of a Laser.

Anonymous said...

Does Australia celebrate April Fools Day on August 1?

Keep Reaching said...

Who knows - remember those pictures of a Sunfish with a wing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2xx80JUz3c&

Baydog said...

Hey, I just saw one out on Buzzard's Bay!!

O Docker said...

Maybe the photog was just using the Instagram Blue Foil filter.

George A said...

Classic Moths, usually Duflos design (similar to a Mistral,) equipped with the more powerful high aspect sail plan and hiking wing,s have been known to foil. However, a laser is much heavier and I see no mention of hiking wings or racks needed to have the required righting moment to keep the foil-borne laser under control. Further there is no mention of the usually "wand" type control that "senses" when the AoA on the T-foils need adjustment in order to stay up on foils. But, I'm willing to hear/see more....

Anonymous said...

And why was the top dude in Performance Sailcraft Australia using SailCoach to break this news? I smell a torch.

Luke said...

If an opti can foil, why not a laser?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sadlr/4168451619/

Bruce Taylor said...

Hehe, it had to happen. Just a matter of getting the size right for the lifting foil and sorting the pitch controls. Love it!
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=149270

Anonymous said...

Go sail a Moth, the Laser class is already do fragmented...lets keep the Laser a Laser!!

Noodle said...

Crazy but probably not impossible provided there's enough wind. The Laser hull is what... twice as heavy as a Moth.

Tillerman said...

It is real. They have now released a video showing the Laser foiling and say that they have had it foiling upwind too.

Tillerman said...

I doubt there will be much racing of foiling Lasers but it would be a fun thing to play with.

George A said...

Perhaps the foiling Laser will be the breakthrough that foiling needs to become universally popular. Foiling via an International Moth has a v. steep learning curve mainly because the narrow Moth hull has little stability in lower-rider mode or when stopped. At least a Laser will float sunny side up while the boat gathers the speed required to lift and the intrepid pilot gathers the skills required to hold the plot together. The ability to add and subtract the foils and wand from a readily available production boat should also broaden the appeal--one shouldn't have to splash out the better part of $20 grand just to give it a go...

I haven't looked at the video yet but those T-foils must be huge in order to lift a 130+ lb boat with 75 square feet of sail area.

Tillerman said...

The video shows foiling with a Radial sail, so only 62 square feet.

I think you have a good point George. Foiling for the masses perhaps? In the video the sailor isn't even hiking very hard when the boat starts to foil.

George A said...

A Radial rig--that plus while the helmsman I'm sure is a lean, robust, beefy lad who enjoys a good thrash in his Finn, at 96kg he's not exactly what one might call "willowy". Heavy boat, heavy guy, small sail area--those foils have impressive lift capacity. Similarly, in theory, a Bumble Bee shouldn't be capable of flight but fortunately no one remembered to tell the Bumble Bee that.

If they can price the kit right it will be interesting to see how long it takes for this development to spawn an off-shoot racing class. The early adapters probably won't wait for the Laser Class to make up it's collective mind. Hell, it took how many years for the Class to finally approve upgraded sail shape controls???

Tillerman said...

Quite right. I doubt the class will ever approve these. if it's raced at all it will be as an offshoot class. A bit like the Rooster 8.1.

Vintage Mothist said...

Torch Foiler, Priced right I can fit these on other boats. Weeee. I have a light Maser.

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