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April 01, 2025 3 min read
For those who are still unsure about ILCA sails, they are The Class Legal and Official Sails for the International Laser Class Association(ILCA). Hyde has been making sails for the ILCA since the early 80s due to their Highly accurate manufacturing templates and manufacturing methods. They are the longest supplier of ILCA/Sails worldwide.
Here at Sailing Chandlery we can offer you the sail or an ILCA sail or rig package.
The ILCA / Laser has 3 main Rig options. ILCA, 4, 6, 7 These are also known as Laser Standard, Radial and 4.7. The rigs differ in size to help broaden the weight range of sailors and make this a boat for life.
You can start as a child in the ILCA 4 from 45KG to a fully grown adult just by swapping the size of the sail.
Estimated Weight Recommendation
ILCA 4 / Laser 4.7 weight range is 45kg-60kg
ILCA 6 / Laser Radial weight range is 60-75kg
ILCA 7 / Laser Standard weight range is 75-90kg
The rigs can be easily swapped and a lot of Laser sailors have 2 Rigs one for stronger winds and one for lighter winds.
MKII Standard Sail/ New ILCA 7 Sail
In late 2015 The MKII Standard Sail was introduced after extensive testing and development of the new bi-radial cut sail.
This new version of the Standard/ ILCA 7 Sail was introduced witht the main intention of improving durability. Over the years the Laser/ ILCA has been upgraded with new purchase systems and these are being used on a sail that was not designed for these additional forces therefore hindering the durability and longevity of the MK1 sails.
What is the Difference between the MK1 and MKII
-New 4.5oz cloth instead of the 3.8oz cloth
-Radial Cut Cloth Over Cross Cut
-Additional and better-placed reinforcing patches on the mast sleeve
-MKII Batten Pockets and Battens With Velcro Pockets
-Bigger Window for visibility
All of these changes help to improve the durability and maintain the sail shape under load.
The ILCA 6 Sail / Laser Radial Sail has been available since the 80s and is aimed at sailors with a weight between 60 and 65 kg. This size makes it around 19% smaller than a ILCA7 / Standard Rig. The sail uses the same top mast section but requires a smaller bottom section specifically designed for the ILCA 6/ Radial sail. The Sail is easily identifiable due to the sail having blue corners.
Around the same time, the Radial Sail The ILCA 4 Sail / Laser 4.7 was introduced. The Sail is aimed at sailors Progressing from Toppers and Optimist with a weight between 45 and 60 kg. This size makes it around 18% smaller than a ILCA6 / Radial. The sail uses the same top mast section but requires a smaller bottom section specifically designed for the ILCA 4/ 4.7 sail. This ILCA 4 mast has a slight bend to move the centre of effort back on the boat. The Sail is easily identifiable due to the sail having Orange corners or previous 4.7 Logo on the Sail.
What Materials Are Used and Total Sail Area
| ILCA 4/ Formerly 4.7 | ILCA 6/ Formerly Radial | ILCA 7 / Formerly Standard | |
| Weight of Cloth | 4.2oz | 4.2oz | 4.5oz |
| Material | White Dacron |
White Dacron |
White Dacron |
| Sail Area | 4.7 Square Meters | 5.76 Square Meters |
7.06 Square Meters |
| Batten Type | MK1 Battens | MK1 Batten | MK2 Tapered Battens |
| Lower Mast Length | 1810mm | 2262mm |
2865mm |
| Corner Colour | Orange | Blue | White |
ILCA Sail Package includes,
-Sail / Foled Sail bag
-Battens
-Sail Numbers
ILCA Rig Package includes,
-Sail / Folded Sail bag
-Battens
-Sail Numbers
-Lower Mast Section
Much better than those we previously got from a large DIY super store. Stronger and easier to fit.
Just used my new launching trolley for the first time.
Super easy to assemble (about 3 minutes). Fits my laser perfectly and very easy launch and recovery.
What more can I say....other than I would happily recommend.
My local chandlery were unable to supply a white inspection hatch and so it was amatter of looking online. Sailing Chandlery had the cover I needed in stock at a good price and delivery. I had never used them before but the service I received was excellent with the delivery on time and the hatch is now fitted.
I will definitely return, especially with the discounts on offer. Thank you Sailing Chandlery!
I have a old but still fast Laser from the 70s that I have been gifted, I am doing some tidying up, and have noticed that the toe strap elastic was tied to the traveler. So I have changed it to the Laser Anodised Traveller Cleat, this great idea secures the elastic and stops interference to the traveler by keeping each part separate.
Perfect size, shape and works well
Needed 5m of a low stretch rope to act as a mast raising / lowering tail on my Wayfarer forestay as the existing 5mm rope was a bit thick to pass under my reefing spar attachment. Now it fits snugly and the mast raises and lowers better than it did before because of less friction and "bounce".
The top cover was delivered on time as expected. The cover fits perfectly and hopefully it will last forever … Thank you
Bought this for my son so can’t personally comment as I’ve not used it. However he was very pleased with the purchase and said it’s great quality.
Always happy with my orders from Sailing Chandlery. They are quick to post and very helpful when I have had a question.
Jason delivered the boat on time at Hayling Island Sailing Club. The boat was new and all the spars were in perfect condition. Jason came to pick up the boat and return the deposit which I gave at the time of the delivery. Every interaction with Andrew and Jason were handled very professionally. I will recommend to any sailor Sailing Chandlery in the future. I really appreciated how easy it was to charter this boat. Thank you very much. Jacques Kerrest
This was a birthday present for a sailing daughter (i don't sail!) She was delighted, it hasn't been out on the water yet but she's looking forward to trying it out and says it's just what she wanted... so looks like a good choice by me after helpful advice from Sailing Chandlery staff!
I bought the 2.5mm dyneema for a special winch/pulley project which needs to pull two sides of a cradle exactly simultaneously for about a meter. Originally I was going to create loops on both the LHS and the RHS, then loop them together onto a 3mm dyneema rope. This gave me two issues : firstly the "knot" would be large and may rub on the cradle (not much room available), secondly there was no redundancy if the 3mm dyneema was to fail. So I then looked at splitting the drum on the winch into 2 halves so I could wind on both the RHS and LHS 2.5mm ropes on together. This would give redundancy if one leg was to fail but it would not guarantee simultaneous pulling.
Then I had a brainwave. I spliced the 2 x 2.5mm together and then fed a 1.5meter tail through the middle creating a combined rope of approx 3.5mm diameter. I then wound this onto the drum of the winch as a single rope. This would ensure simultaneous pulling, and also provide redundancy if say the outer sheath was abraded and failed - also there was no significant "knot" so it fitted in neatly in the space available.
It was a bit of a fiddle pulling the tail through but not really difficult with the D-splicing tool.
All in all, I am very impressed with the dyneema and I am glad I did not choose a wire rope for this application.
Quick and easy to fit on to the end of the sail and work perfectly.
Thank you 'Sailing Chandlery' for your quick service and easy website which helped me pick the correct part I needed. I am back sailing when the weather allows.
Prompt delivery, with helpful updates and time slot spot on. Perfect new sail at a great price and the number fixing service is well worth it. It even won its first race! Thank you.
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