All of the first boats were produced using the hand-laid method for the decks which were then subsequently finished by hand. The level of this finishing has constantly been improved to the point where, at most boat shows, visitors to the boat have to be told that the deck is not produced in the closed-mold.

Perhaps because of the importance given to the closed-mold in the original literature, a mystique appears to have built up around the process, which is really without foundation. The raison d’être for the closed-mold has always been a reduction in the cost of manufacturing the boat as no liner or interior finishing is needed. There are no performance advantages of one over the other. The weight differences are within the normal tolerances of the hand-laid process and no one who has a hand-laid deck will be at any advantage or disadvantage on the race course. We have shipped three boats so far with closed-mold decks and are slowly chan­ging over the line as all the small tech­nical bugs that relate solely to the quality of the finish are ironed out. Sometime in 1985 we will be fully converted.

Marketing

Prior to starting on the Laser 28 project, Laser International made the basic decision not to market the boat through its existing network of some 300 dealers. The reason for this was because very few had experience in the big-boat field and the Company decided it did not wish to build boats at a rate that would be required to supply that network if the boat proved to be successful. Instead, we opted to market the boat directly to the consumer and to use “Representatives” in fairly large areas who were extremely enthusiastic about the product and who would demonstrate and promote the boat by virtue of having one themselves. In return for their support they would receive a small commission on all boats sold in their territory. These territories are much larger than would normally be covered by a “dealer” but, the Rep’s main responsibility is not to stock and sell boats but to create visibility for the boat and to organize and create Class activity. As this activity expands throughout the area, the Reps continue to receive their commission and hence to stay interested in the development of the Class. This concept is working extremely well and, of paramount interest to the consumer, results in a considerably lower purchase price for the boat as there is no built-in dealer margin.

Fleet Locations
The following map (not included) shows the location of the boats that will be sailing by May 1st and the numbers in the circles correspond with the list of representatives that follow the map. These Reps all own boats that are available to be seen or sailed and, in addition, have a supply of VHS or Beta video tapes of the Laser 28 being sailed and manufactured that they will be delighted to mail, on loan, to anyone inerested enough to contact them.

Approximately 140 boats will be sailing by August 3 1st, 1985 and we will decide at that point whether or not to increase production beyond the one-a-day level. Although it is still too early to confirm anything, the wheels are now in motion to introduce the production of the Laser 28 in Europe at approximately that same time and a demonstrator boat is now actually sailing in England.

A Line of Boats
There are no plans whatsoever to develop a “line” of boats of incremental lengths on either side of the Laser 28 as most sailboat manufacturers have done. The Laser 28 is our “big Laser” and our only big boat. It represents a multi-million dollar investment and one to which we are giving all our attention; the same level of attention that the original Laser received. Believe it or not, that little boat will be 15 years old in October, yet still represents the finest investment in dollars per sailing hour available on the market today. This is because the boat has never been modified or produced in an “improved model”, continues to have its activities as a Class fully supported by the Company, (it is the strongest Class in the world) and enjoys an unsurpassed resale value. The plans for the Laser 28 are no different and we will not dilute our efforts across a line of boats.

Farr 38 Race/Cruiser
On this same subject, however, many people who knew the boat have asked what plans we have for the very fast, cruising, Farr 38, a prototype of which we built and exhibited at Annapolis in1981, called Early Byrd. There are over 100 of these Farr designed 38’s sailing world­wide and the boat is truly a “big brother” of the 28; a very fast (PH RE 81), com­fortable, good looking, easily handled fractional rig which is not designed to any rule. All the production tooling and moulds were finished prior to the Laser 28 project and are now sitting in storage, but we do not have the human resources at this time to mount its production even though it obviously would not require the same time and effort to develop the Class profile that the Laser 28 needs. In a few years, however, when the 28 is firmly established, we will undoubtedly approach Bruce Earr for a license to produce the boat as the final link in a chain of boats spanning the full spectrum of sailing from age 1610 60! Meanwhile, Early Byrd is in Annapolis and is now for sale.

Offshore Sailing School
On a final marketing note, we are extremely pleased that Steve Colgate’s Offshore Sailing School at Captiva on the west coast of Florida, off Ft. Myers, is now running its Advanced Race Program in 4 Laser 28’s. These are one-week programs with intensive on-the-water instruction yet carefully scheduled to provide ample free time during the day so that the week can also be a marvelous holiday. Each week Steve brings down a Guest Expert who is well known in the yachting world and it is a fantastic opportunity to sit and listen for a week to the likes of a Bill Shore or an Ed Baird tell you how it’s done. I’ve been lucky enough to be chosen by Steve on several occasions as the Guest Expert and can say, unequivocally, that it is an outstanding value.

The Laser 28 Class

Start-Up
The Laser 28 Class Association has been formed with a provisional Governing Council to run its affairs until the first general class meeting at the North American Championship in Kingston, Ontario in August (see Regatta Schedule). The Council is made up of our U.S. Rep. Lucy Minihan, from Sodus, New York on Southern Lake Ontario, our Canadian Rep., Don Morgan from London, Ontario and Paul Lestock, who represents the manufacturer. Tim Coventry, of the U.K., who was a President of the worldwide International Laser Class for 10 years and who with Bruce Farr and with myself instigated the Laser 28 project, is also an ex-officio member of the Council.

The Class will have a provisional Constitution and Class Rules which will be mailed to members in the First Class Newsletter in early April. Owners will automatically receive this information, but should anyone else be interested, they should drop us a line and we will be glad to forward it.

Regatta Schedule
Apart from the many open regattas available, a sanctioned Laser 28 regatta schedule has been set up for the summer which will include four events. These events will be sailed under Class rules which means using only Class approved factory sails, sailing with maximum crew weight of 1100 lbs (weight in usual street clothing) and sailing with all interior furnishings in their normal position. The Class has elected to go with a maximum crew weight after discussion with many sailors in other types of boats who have seen their racing destroyed by huge heavy-weight crews which a family, for example, cannot compete against. The schedule is as follows: