ok, so I purchased my new Laser !!

J

James W.

Member
Just purchsed my new 1995 Laser (well, new to me :) )

Haven't even had it in the water yet. The guy I bought from seemed nice, rigged it with
me so I could check everything out, etc. , mast step ok, etc. Theres only one thing I'm
worried at this point- that's the bailing system. It looks fine- I opend the port holes and
looked inside- it looks dry inside but I've read about Force 5's that got really soaked when
the bailers broke or otherwise didn't work properly and people had to open up the ports
and dry 'em out (set 'em in the sun to evaporate the water out) and then either fix the
bailer syatem or just plug up the holes and carry a plastic jug in the cockpit to bail with.

I DON'T WANT WATER GETTING INTO MY NEW BOAT !!!!!

Should I just take her out for 30 min to an hour and then beach her and inspect??

Thanks, James
 
There is no "bailing system" for the inside of the hull. It should remain completely dry. The Laser bailer only works to remove water from the cockpit (which will get wet through normal sailing).
 
In older Force 5's, the putty wore out over time so you could get the inside of your hull soaked.
I don't think the older designs had a tube either. Please refer to pic. I'm not quite sure how the
bailing system works on a Laser since I'm newb.

Thanks, James
 

Attachments

  • CockpitDrainRepair.jpg
    CockpitDrainRepair.jpg
    25.9 KB · Views: 46
A Laser and Force 5 have almost no similarities. If your laser hull leaks, the bailer won't solve the problem!!
 
Yes, if the connection between the bailer and the hull is compromised, it will get wet inside the boat. That's not a common problem though.

If there is a small leak in the boat, you'll get water in the boat in just a few minutes of sailing. No need to sink it to the gunnels with an hour of sailing!

To find leaks without sailing, search for threads about the soap bubble air pressure test.
 
On a 17 year old boat, I'd check the sealant used on a couple of the fittings, if it's old silicone that comes off easily or crumbles, I'd re-bed every fitting on the deck, transom and bailer (if you have the "racing" autobailer installed, the common leak point is the screw into the hull), as well as the standard cockpit drain hole (which if it leaks from inside the cockpit or outside on the bottom will allow water into the hull, similar to the issues with a F5 bailer).

Once you are happy with the bedding on the fittings, you can do the soapy air test or go sailing. About the only other places it could leak would be the rails or mast step. If it does leak, check the rails, looking for hairline cracks or larger in the bog/putty used to join the hull/deck. The larger ones will need to be repaired
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top