Top Laser Dinghy Upgrades

Top Laser Upgrades  

Zhik Grip II Hiking Strap

Hiking is an essential part of sailing a Laser. This is your driving force through the water when sailing upwind and controlling the roll-down wind. The hiking strap connects you to your boat and keeps you in your boat. The Zhik grip II hiking strap is a very popular upgrade for people with new boats the added grip over a standard hiking strap keeps you secure with the boots and strap locking together.

Harken 29mm Carbo Blocks with Bolts 

The Harken 29mm block with a bolt is a great upgrade if you are finding your outhaul and downhaul is not going out when you un-cleat them. The standard 16mm fork head air blocks are great for beginners but to make your control lines run more easily you can upgrade to 29mm to fine tune your boat when under load. This gives you the ultimate edge over your competition when trimming your sail.

8 to 1 Downhaul System

With the introduction of the Mark II standard sail brought stiffer sail cloth. The addition of the 8 to 1 downhaul system assists in tensioning the luff to de-power the sail. The 8 to 1 systems has moved down the rigs to the Radial and 4.7 to help smaller sailors that struggle to use the 6 to 1 to de-power the rig on windy days.

Carbon Tiller and Extension

The carbon tiller and tiller extension is a great upgrade for all Laser sailors, the increased rigidity and strength give you much more control and accurate steering over an aluminium tiller.

No more bendy tillers hitting your traveller cleat when you are steering. The carbon fibre tiller also allows you to have a much lower profile tiller and tighter traveller this therefore keeps your blocks in the corner of the boat. It is very common to walk around the sailing club on Sunday before racing and see a lot of odd shaped tillers with bends and twists from capsizes. A carbon extension eliminates the chance of bending and the increased rigidity when steering. Once you have used one most people never go back from carbon.

Travellers Wear Protection Pads

These protection pads go hand in hand with the carbon tiller and tiller extension. Having a tight traveller keeps your block in the corner of the boat. However, XD blocks are made from reinforced nylon that is very hard and strong in its structure. This is good for the longevity of the block but can damage the deck of your boat. The traveller wear pads are made from the same Nylon and give an extra layer of protection to keep your deck from getting damaged. They are very simple to fit and attach with no hardware necessary.

Laser Questions?

If you have any questions about these upgrades, or other enhancements you can make to your Laser then get in touch with our friendly team.