Used Laser Dinghy Price Guide

Graphs (last refresh: 1 Sep 2009) show prices of Laser Dinghies advertised in sailable condition:

• 'For Sale' Adverts currently on the internet
• Historical 'For Sale' adverts
• Sold on ebay (since 12/08/09).

Laser Dinghy Used Boat Prices by Year Built

Laser Dinghy Used Boat Prices by Sail Number

Graphs show prices of Laser Dinghies advertised in sailable condition:

• 'For Sale' Adverts currently on the internet
• Historical 'For Sale' adverts
• Sold on ebay (since 12/08/09).

Laser Dinghy Age

Beware of the Sail Number vs Year Built combination quoted by advertisers!

Graph shows Laser Dinghy Year Built vs Sail Number - according to individual advertisers versus the authoratitive data that used to be published on the website of Laser Performance UK.

About the Laser Dinghy

The International Laser Class dinghy, also called Laser Standard and the Laser One is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. According to the Laser Class Rules the boat may be sailed by either one or two people, although it is rarely raced by a crew of two. The design, by Bruce Kirby, emphasizes simplicity and performance. The dinghy is now manufactured by several boat manufacturers worldwide.

The Laser is one of the most popular single-handed dinghies in the world. By 2010, the number of boats produced was approaching 200,000. A commonly cited reason for its popularity is that it is robust, simple to rig and sail. The Laser also provides very competitive racing due to the very tight Class Association rules which eliminate differences in hull, sails and equipment.

The term "Laser" is often used to refer to the Laser Standard (the largest of the sail plan rigs available for the Laser hull). However there are other sail plan rigs available for the Laser Standard hull (see below) and also other models of "Laser" branded boats which are completely different designs (e.g. the Laser 2 and Laser Pico).

The Laser Standard, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 are the three types of "Laser" administered by the International Laser Class Association.

History of the Laser Dinghy

The boat's history began with a phone call between Canadians Bruce Kirby and Ian Bruce. While discussing the possibility of a car-topped dinghy (a boat small enough to be carried on a roof rack of a typical car) for a line of camping equipment, Bruce Kirby sketched what would be known as "the million dollar doodle". The plans stayed with Kirby until 1970 when One Design and Offshore Yachtsman magazine held a regatta for boats under $1000, called "America's Teacup". After a few sail modifications, the Laser easily won its class.

The prototype was originally named the "Weekender"; the sail held the letters TGIF, a common American abbreviation for "Thank God It's Friday". It was renamed Laser and officially unveiled at the New York Boat Show in 1971.

The first world championship was held in 1974 in Bermuda. Entrants came from 24 countries, and first place was won by Peter Commette from the United States.

The Laser became a men's Olympic-class boat at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and a special Olympic edition of the boat was released that year in commemoration.

A version with a smaller sail, the Laser Radial, was first sailed as a women's Olympic-class boat at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Arguably the greatest champion of the Laser Class is Robert Scheidt (nickname "El Demolidor") from Brazil; he won the world championship eight times and won two gold and one silver Olympic medals.

Design of the Laser Dinghy

As a one-design class, all Laser dinghies are built to the same specifications. The hull, at just under 14ft long and just less than 60 kg makes the boat light enough to lift onto a car roof rack.

All variants of the Laser dinghy are uni rigged, i.e. they have only a mainsail.

The Standard Laser Rig is most competitive when sailed by a fit, agile and muscular person weighing no less than 175 lb (80 kg) - especially in wind speeds of 15kts or more.

Laser Radial Rig

The Laser Radial uses the same hull and fittings as the Laser Standard, but has a smaller, differently cut, sail and a shorter lower mast section.

Optimal crew weight for the Laser Radial rig is 121 to 159 lb (55 to 72 kg).

In Europe Radial rig has surpassed the original Laser Standard rig in popularity.

The Laser Radial replaced the Europe Dinghy as the Women's Singlehanded Dinghy for the 2008 Olympics

Laser 4.7 Rig

The Laser 4.7 uses the same hull and fittings as the Laser Standard, but the sail area is reduced by 35% from the Standard with a shorter pre-bent bottom mast section.

This allows even lighter sailors to sail the Laser Dinghy. Optimal crew weight for the Laser 4.7 rig is 100 to 120 lb (45 to 54 kg), thus making the Laser 4.7 an ideal boat for young sailors.

Laser M Rig

The Laser M is a lesser-known variant of the Laser Rig. This was the first attempt at making a smaller rig for smaller sailors. It employed the same lower mast section as the Laser Standard, but a shorter top section. This variant flopped when compared to the other rigs, primarily because the shorter top section didn't allow enough bend to be induced in the mast (as the bottom section is very stiff). This made the boat difficult to sail and de-power in heavier winds.

The Laser M Rig is not recognized by the Laser Class Association.

Rooster 8.1 Rig

In 2007, a UK company - Rooster Sailing, designed and created a larger rig compatible with the Laser Standard called the Rooster 8.1. This rig is designed specifically for heavier sailors. There are two optional mast configurations. Either a 3.6 metre one piece aluminium lower mast section or a fibreglass extender to the Laser Standard aluminium lower mast section.

The Rooster Eight Point One Class Association administers the class and allocates Sail Numbers. The Rooster 8.1 rig is not recognized for racing in events run under the rules of the Laser Class Association.

The first sail number issued was number 81. At the end of 2009 the highest issued sail number was in excess of 420.

The Rooster 8.1 British National Championships in 2009 attracted 34 entries.

Equipment Upgrades

There are three equipment configurations - Standard, Race and XD. The LaserPerformance parts list details all three options.

Specifications (May 2010):

Standard: Rope set, gorilla tiller, Holt ratchet block, padded toe-strap, self-bailer, silver spar.

Race: Holt XD Powerpack, Holt XD vang, gorilla tiller and extension, rolled sail, Holt performance ratchet, padded toe-strap.

XD: XD Harken Vang System, XD Harken Powerpack system, XD carbon tiller, Carbon tiller extension, Ronstan mainsheet, rolled sail, XD padded-toe-strap, Harken 57mm ratchcet block with Mega spring, Vectran V12 traveller, Mega bolt, Vectran V12 rudder downhaul, self bailer.

Laser Dinghy Specifications, Facts & Figures

Laser Dinghy Hull Identifaction Number (HIN)

A Laser's date and place of manufacture can be determined from the Hull serial number - stamped into the transom or under the fairlead on the bow on older hulls. This serial number is unique to the boat and is also the same number that must be displayed on the sail if used for racing.

The Laser is unusual in this aspect, since almost every other sailing craft has the numbers assigned by the national organization. This means that the same Laser can be moved between countries without having to change sail numbers.

Above is a Graph of Laser Dinghy Year Built vs Sail Number from which you can calculate the age of a Laser dinghy from it's sail or Hull Identification Number.

Laser Dinghy Class Association

UK Laser Association

Rooster 8.1 Class Association

Rooster Eight Point One

Laser Boats and Accessories For Sale

New Boats

Laser Specialist Suppliers

Where are Laser Dinghies sailed?