Shaun Holbeche

Eric, They turn up on a regular basis. I just did a quick search and found this used one for sale on Facebook. Looks a good deal for the asking price of £395. Everything you need. Even includes a radio. That's fairly typical. Secondhand you are talking £300 - £450 depending on the condition, number of rigs and extras such as a bag, stand, Tx, Rx, batteries, spares etc. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/975355414168965/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Acf8b313d-7675-4b58-a35e-d130c4ee9d51 I don't know of any clubs in the Midlands sailing Lasers at the moment though I know one or two Laser owners in the Midlands. Perhaps you could start them at your club as your one design class? If you get a handful in the club then run an open meeting and publicise it. You will get entries, and advice from experienced skippers on the day. A five cell AA 2200 - 2400mAh should last all day. A morning or afternoon of sailing will use something like 950-1100mA worth of recharge, so less than that of actual capacity. Shaun.

Eric, to address the points you raise: " Spent far to much effort on steering the boat both upwind and running. " Upwind you now know why that is. Downwind, the boat will tend to want to luff up a little because the sail is to leeward of the hull and there is no jib goose-winged to help balance it. It will be exacerbated if there is some flow across the sail from the mast to the leech and then further increased if a larger camber is set . In a full size Laser the helm can shift his/her weight to heel the boat and change the underwater shape of the boat, thereby inducing a turning moment to counter the sail. We can't do that of course ! One trick that the Laser skipper can do that is hardly ever practised with intent by two sail model yacht skippers is running by the lee. It takes some practise to do well but it will almost guarantee straight running. However it's real use is more for tactical advantage. It's not something your novice sailor should be concerned with though. " I presume you are meant to set the winch drum position so you use all the revolutions of the winch , (Fully sheeted in set attachment point of sheet line close to bow?) As it was on the boat the elastic tension band and sail sheet was going round the drum and starting to pull sail in! " Correct, or at least most of the winches' capacity. In addition the end point for fully out should finish up with the sheet line attachment point not too far from the deck eye. This should mean that the boom can, if needed, be eased a little beyond perpendicular to the hull centre line, which can help with running by the lee in more extreme circumstances. As I said though, not something that your novice should worry about. Have fun with it ! Shaun.

Hi Eric, If the boat is set up properly with the correct choice of sail for the conditions then the Laser is a very entertaining proposition and provides one design fleet racing in a bomb-proof package. Do not worry about mask rake per se. Mast bend is part of the equation. This is induced by the pocket luff of the sail and the amount of tension on the leech. Think of the sail in the similar way to a Marblehead swing rig sail. On the Laser rear-most boom slider has multiple jobs: of controlling leech shape, partly controlling the camber of the lower part of the sail and to a lesser extent influencing the mast bend. Note that because the mast is, by design, flexible (fibreglass) it reacts to the wind forces and gusts and will automatically de-power to some extent by flattening the sail and/or opening the leach. So, as a starting point the rear slider should be positioned so as to allow the projected sheet angle beyond the clew to reach the mast at about half way up. The camber should be set with the inhaul slider, around three fingers deep. These are starting points with the sail set in a wind-filled state, on the water. It may not look like that on the bank on the ground and out of the wind due to the fact that the sail's clew is not in a fixed position. Boom angle upwind: This is a monosail boat. If you pull it in towards the centreline like an IOM the boat will be very slow, luffy and go sideways bigtime. The boom needs to be angled so that it projects a line outside of the stern corner of the deck by roughly 20mm as a starting point. Upwind: Too much weather helm? - Increase the twist by moving the slider a little further out. This will also decrease the camber (and weatherhelm) as well, unless you wish to maintain it by easing the in-haul to compensate. Decreasing camber alone will also have some effect. Adjustments need to be quite small as they can have a significant effect. There is interplay between sail choice, inhaul, twist and boom angle whereby a balanced upwind state can be achieved. As always practise and experience improve your outcomes. Compared to an IOM or other two sail classes you will probably find that you will want a touch more weatherhelm than them to achieve the best results but each skipper is different! Downwind: The more important dictator of which sail to use is what happens downwind. As with other classes if the bow is starting to dive its time to consider changing down to a smaller sail. Before that happens there is some 'between rigs' overlap between the sails as to which is fastest at certain windspeeds upwind and downwind. I often hear Lasers being maligned. People try one, often one that is poorly set up, maybe with the wrong sail on it for the conditions, find it a real handful in a good wind and dismiss it as a bad job with a slow winch. Lasers are bombproof. The hardware very rarely breaks - you don't have to worry about them. Once you have one the running costs are miserly. The winch is not an RMG, but it's extremely reliable and cheap as chips. Plus everyone else has exactly the same so you are at no disadvantage. In fact just one part of the skill and challenge of sailing a Laser is anticipating when to sheet in/out at bouy roundings, gusts and in traffic. They provide a fleet with a robust boat on a level playing field and of a size that makes them ok to see at that distant windward mark. Rigging takes about two minutes. Sail changes using separate rigs take seconds. There is an art to sailing them fast. You have to pay them attention. They are involving as you really have to actively engage with them to sail them to their full potential. You can't treat it like a two sail boat that sails itself upwind while you think about what you want for tea. ( I'm ducking! ). It's the same downwind. And you have to do all this while doing all the strategy and tactics as normal. I wonder if some people simply shy away from the challenge. Well, we like them at Fleetwood. https://www.rclaser.org.uk/ as a starting point for more information. I'm happy to answer any questions about them too. Shaun Holbeche.

On behalf of Dartmoor MBC : After due consideration, the weekend previously announced for the Nationals next year has been moved back one week and will be held on the 15th and 16th of June 2024 at the Dartmoor MBC water. This is due to a clash of dates for the 6m and 10R Nationals and has been moved to ensure that those who want to enter both events are able to do so. Shaun Holbeche 6m National Class Captain.

An Octavia would measure and likely still be competitive. They tend not to be sailed though. I've not seen one.

Some of the GB pre- Renaissance designs no longer measure due to rules changes, so we're either grandfathered or made redundant. I don't think GB would regard them as competitive now anyway.

Even if John's boat had been on starboard he would still not have been entitled to redress because the none of the conditions of 62.1 or E6.6 were met.

All, I believe the home page is back up now but as I am away from a regular PC I have only seen it on a mobile phone so a confirmation from someone to say it's all ok would be good. I had to reload it from the editor function. I've no idea why it went AWOL ! Shaun.

Hi Gareth, I would suggest making the fin so that it is a uniform naca profile top to bottom. That is the norm (unless you were being exceptionally clever). The thickness will then depend on the chord length at different fin depths. I believe the latest Bantock designs have a keel box rather than the keel bolt running up to deck level. The later is more user friendly for dismantling to transport, if that is required. The former is going to be slightly lighter.

Hi Eric, The sails in the top picture belong to a six metre yacht. From the information I have K701 is a unique design and the boat was called 'Heather' though this might not have been it's original name. The designer's surname was Alexander and was owned by B. Wilde (probably Brian Wilde) of the Bournville club. Though the boat was given a sail number there is no record of it's notification or first registration. The hull will be likely be in the region of 1300 to 1400mm length overall with overhangs at the bow and stern, a vee shaped displacement hull with a longitudinal fin keel with the lead incorporated into it and possibly the rudder hanging off the back of it or maybe a separate rudder mounted further back. Have a look at the 'classic' boats that have been sold on the six metre website here: http://sixmetresailing.weebly.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html and at full size classic six metres. The mast ( there should only be one) will likely be about 1750-1800mm high above deck and will be through deck mounted onto the keelson. Bill Green is the registrar for six metres and may have more information about the boat than me as there is every chance he has seen/knows it. Shaun.

Older ones occasionally come up for sale on ebay but they are usually heavier and not competitive today.

I think you mean the Roger Stollery designed 'Pieces of Eight' ? Shaun.

Hi Richard, Contact Damian Ackroyd for the lowdown on keel trim tabs. They are on Driskys and most of the A class/6m Hollom designs. Derek Priestley is another possibility - he has a Hollom A class 'Hard Tack which has a trim tab. I think you will need a channel with a three position switch on your TX though. Cheers, Shaun.

A report of the open meeting at Fleetwood on the 26th January can be found on the Six Metre website. Worth a look here: http://sixmetresailing.weebly.com/report-fleetwood-open-26120.html Shaun Holbeche.

The results for this year's 2002 Trophy competition have been collated and can be seen on the Six Metre Sailing website here: http://sixmetresailing.weebly.com/2002-trophy-series.html

Just a line to flag that the Six Metre Sailing website has not one but two Rococos up for sale. Both look very attractive propositions too. http://sixmetresailing.weebly.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Hi TC I saw that on ebay myself. It's a Revival 6m, designer Graham Bantock. Mike Ewart and I were discussing it the other weekend and had both independently come to the same conclusion. It's best suited to lighter wind strength so is an ideal complement to your Tern. Which club are you a member of? Shaun.

A report and pictures of The Shearwater Trophy event at the Broads Club can be found now at the class Six Metre Sailing website. Link: http://sixmetresailing.weebly.com/report-shearwater-trophy-5th-may-2019.html

I don't think there is any great disadvantage in having luff rings or ties so long as the mast hardware (spreaders and backstay crane) can be removed so that the sail can be slipped on. Some might argue that the luff ringed/tied sail sets better when fully sheeted out for downwind legs too.

Hi Dbtr, Just to confirm what John says, yes you are limited to one mast but you can have a different jib boom for each suit of sails which can be helpful in keeping the jib in good condition when not in use as well as speeding up a rig change. At least with 6mRs you tend not to have to change quite as often than some other classes. The main boom would not need to be changed as smaller mains rely on shortening the luff measurement whilst keeping the foot measurement the same as the top suit/measured value. I'm aware that there are members of the Two Islands club who have bought the plans and intend to build, so you would not be alone. Which club are you at ? Cheers, Shaun.

A two for one offer! These results are now available on the Six Metre website in the competitions/results section. http://sixmetresailing.weebly.com/

Fleetwood MY&PBC is pleased to announce that it will be holding an Open Meeting for all Radio 6mRs to take place over the weekend of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of April, 2019 at one of the premier model yachting venues in the country, enjoying a large area of water with open aspects and 360 degree access providing skippers with the opportunity to stretch the 'legs' of their Six Metres. 'It ain't no duckpond' There will be an informal, optional gathering on the Saturday afternoon for some tuning, practice and informal races to familiarise skippers with the venue and conditions followed by a social get together on Saturday evening at a local hostelry, probably the Mount. Sunday will commence with a skippers briefing which is anticipated to be at 10.15am, followed by the first race of the open meeting proper. More details will be provided in due course. I hope we can persuade skippers from far and wide to come and support the first ever R6mR event at Fleetwood ( as far as I know!). I'm sure there are owners in Scotland, some of whom I know have suffered from water 'issues' in recent times who would like to dust off their six metres and get on the water; you will be very welcome. Likewise I hope there are some owners around in the north of England who would enjoy the opportunity to sail in a fleet, and of course yachts from the established fleets in England will be very welcome too. Put the dates in your diary!

Regarding the entry fee, it says £5. I can only assume that is for the race itself and as such represents excellent value if it is accurate ( and we have no reason to believe otherwise ). I imagine some catering arrangements will be made, at extra cost no doubt, but that is up to the organisers to advise us upon.

If you go to the MYA Racing Calendar, find the 6m Nationals entry, click 'find out more'. The page should refresh to one showing a small NoR with the entry form below it. Click on the NoR to enlarge. That's how it works for me using Chrome at least.

David, The email address you need is: BVilleEvents at outlook.com - replace the 'at' with the usual. Regards, Shaun.