The Foiling Laser – Who Will Be First In Ireland?

26th February 2015

#laser – The invention of a new bolt-on foiling kit means the foiling experience is open to more sailors than ever before. As Afloat.ie previously reported in 2013 after four years of product and design testing, Peter Stephinson and Ian Ward launched the Glide Free Foil kit for Lasers in 2013.

The key element of the kit is a horizontal lifting foil that's controlled by a surface-sensing wand, which is built into the centerboard. A special insert is fitted into the Laser centrecase, which accepts the foil and locks it in position, with no need for fastenings or any alterations to a standard Laser dinghy at all.

The system is also unique in the sense that it can be rotated for and aft and retracted for ease of launching.

So far, just under 100 units have been sold across the globe since launching in 2013. As YBW report some of the kits have been sold in Manchester and Stokes Bay in the UK but as far as we are aware none yet to Ireland.

Published in Laser

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About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):