Filed under: C420, Gear, Laser | Tags: 370, 5", 50, adjustable, APS, atlas gloves, bag, barefoot hiking, black max, boots, bridle, C420, chinese handcuffs, Christmas, clew strap, cockpit pocket, Gear, gill glideskin, harken, hiking strap, Laser, s.e.a, sailing, vang, warm, water bottle, wind indicator, zhik
The next best way to figure out what your sailor wants, (next to straight up asking them) is to ask someone who does the same thing as them. Here’s what I would love to see under my tree this christmas.
$0-$25
S.E.A laser clew strap
S.E.A clew strap
These things are much more versatile than the metal sleeve, and they slide nicely.
Black Max Wind Indicator
Black Max Wind Indicator
These work nicely for those light days where you can’t tell where the winds coming from.
Atlas Nitrile Grip Gloves
Atlas 370 Gloves
Great grip and breathabilty, and even better price, but don’t expect these things to last very long.
APS cockpit pocket
Cockpit Pocket
Every laser sailor knows what a pain it is to have to deal with water bottles and drinks. Bungee just doesn’t cut it. Instead of going for the bottleport, you can get it all in one right here, carrying everything, without a hole in your boat. If you already have a porthole, see the bottleport.
$25-$75
Zhik barefoot Boot 50
Barefoot Boots
These boots are the ultimate for laser sailing. They are grippy, comfy, and allow flexibility. See the Ankle Straps for better performance but less longevity.
Gill Glideskin top
Glideskin top (left)
This top is basically the Zhik Titanium top at an easier price, plus its got snazzy shoulder detail. Great for warm-semi cold sailing weather as a wind chill reducer.
5″ wide hiking strap.
Hiking Strap
Those standard hiking straps can wear out or get stiff after a few years of tough wear, and this one is the Mack-Daddy of them all. 5″ will excite any true laser sailor.
“Chinese Handcuffs” C420 adjustable bridle.
Adjustable Bridle
This bridle is great for adjusting bridle height according to wind conditions.
$75+
Harken Laser Vang
new laser vang
Ready to go as soon as you get it, this thing is essential for racing if your sailor doesn’t already have one.
All of these are great bets, but if all else fails, a gift certificate to their favorite supplier saves. Happy Spending!!
Filed under: C420, Gear, Laser, Misc. | Tags: 420, C420, dyale, griptape, Laser, laser line, maffioli, nonskid, sailing, swiftcord
Hey Everybody,
Sorry for my unannounce hiatus. I’ve been really busy with homework, sailing, work, and the like. I’ve been up late and haven’t had time to any of the things that I enjoy. Oh well…
Ok, here’s some of the things that you’ve been missing. I’ve been sailing a lot lately, and the Club 420 States are coming up, and that’ll be interesting. We’re looking to win it after several years of disappointing breakdowns/bummer conditions. We’ve got new griptape, but thats good and bad. My crew never goes anywhere on the trap, but he’s gone through 1 pair of boardshorts and one of mine is on their way out. We’re thinking of sanding the sandpaper down. irony.
I got another shipment of laser lines again a few months ago. It was mainly all swiftcord with some amsteel 3mm red thrown in there for good measure. After all the hype about this italian line, I was bound to eventually get some. Well, WestCoast treated me good and their free shipping arrived much quicker than I expected. Thanks, guys. I got 60 some feet of black 4mm, 17 feet of blue 4mm, and 13 feet of green 4mm. (swiftcord) Sadly, 4mm is the only size they sell. I used some of the 60 feet for a new spin sheet on the 420 because the standard one is way too fat, somewhere around 6.5mm. It sags in light wind. Anyways, that left me with about 25 feet, which I used for the vang, and the blue and green for the outhaul and downhaul, respectively. I had tons of fun setting up the line on the blocks, and its really nice. The outhaul ended up being a bit long but I used the excess for my mast tiedown so it all worked out. It feels like soft string and twine, but much stronger.
Swiftcord
However, I’ve got 2 problems with this line. The first problem that I have with it is that, while it is easy to cleat, it also likes to come uncleated for the first day or so. I would cleat it, and a few seconds later, BANG! It would pop back out. That didn’t happen at all this week though, so maybe its just a case of it getting worn in.
The second problem that I’ve got is that it stretches quite a bit. It takes a good 15 pounds to get its initial stretch out, but after that its fine. Needless to say, this makes it quite fun measuring out line on the dock. In a puff, I can see the line stretch, when going to marginal planing conditions. Thats the price you pay for comfort. Oh, and good luck splicing this shit. Its very hard. APS doesn’t even offer it for diameters of 4mm-.
On the other hand, this stuff is pretty awesome. Its SUPER soft and comfy, and knots very easy. Its colorful, and runs through blocks amazingly. If you use prestretch, or the standard lines from the LASERperformance dealer, you’ll find this stuff runs amazing. I definitely recommend this line for everything on your laser but your mainsheet, hiking strap line, and traveler.
I’ll upload some pics of my laser and my rigging setup soon, after I get a becket block for my outhaul to convert it to the MOJO colie sails outhaul setup, aka the normal one with 1 becket on spectra that goes to tack, and 2 singles on mast. As I said, I’ve been busy. 
