Blink and you missed it.....

The new 'Laser Keelboat' made a fleeting visit to the Southampton Boat Show

The Proctor aluminium mast has a double spreader rig with a backstay controlled by a split purchase lead to a floor mounted cleat near the mainsheet track.

A prominent masthead crane and flicker clear the mainsail roach.

With a high jib take off and a masthead spinnaker the rig is controlled with short inners (D2s) controlling the Gnav pressures, and lower shrouds via the long lower spreaders to the upper spreader root and then main shrouds continuing to the masthead via the upper spreaders.

The boom position is controlled via a multipurchase mainsheet system with a floor mounted track, with controls led to the sidetanks and a final mainsheet takeoff cleat forward of the track for the middleman.

Taking care of the power arrangements is a simple outboard bracket that clips onto the transom rail can be stored together with the outboard in an underfloor locker located under the spinnaker bags, keeping the weight central and low.

The stability of the design with a 290kg bulb keel means that it will sit happily at a mooring, but the mini plug-in crane can quickly raise the keel and allow easy retrieval onto a trailer for dry-sailing or transport behind a normal family car.

Richard Gibson, Laser's Product Manager for the new boat (first job - give it a name) was happily answering questions and taking names for demo sails, so it seems that by the time the final refined version is rolled out at the London Boat Show the order book could be very healthy.

We shall be taking up a demo ourselves very shortly and will let you know just what Laser and Tony Castro have come up with.

Call Richard on 01295 268191 to get more information on the boat and book a ride.