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[jeffers]

My god, Rooster have gone mad!! It appears that they realised that Britain is getting fatter and that the size of a standard Laser rig is poxy. They have therefore created the 8.1 (??) Stupid big sail on an even more stupid little boat, what is the world coming to.

Even more worrying (?) is that Rooster are setting up a race circuit and a National Championship. More worrying again is that they actually have 15 pre-orders!!!!!!! Why aren't people seeing sense and buying a Phantom.

Take a look yourselves at the things on the Y&Y website @ http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/?article=24972

Scary.....

[Simon Childs]

Is it the 1st April already- I must have missed a month.

It should provide some entertainment downwind- faster death rolls and a bigger splash!  Will a bigger rig will improve the basic   sailing qualities? The formal Laser reaction will also be interesting.

Chris

[Windy Miller]

Silk purse out of sows ear comes to mind. I guess the only thing going for it is that its cheap and the sail could make a good gazebo cover in the summer once you have decided its not a good option. 

On a more serious note though we do suggest that the alternative would be to get a Phantom (but where from) they are a bit like hens teeth. We may be letting other classes take the opportunity to challenge the market place for the more "well built person" by not having adequate supply of both new and second hand craft.

Perhaps the Dinghy Show next weekend will give an indication of what the availability of new boats and lead times will be. I do know that if I wanted to I could probably buy a new Laser off the shelf.

[jez_Southwold]

Are you sailing at Alton at the moment Ian? I hope to make it down there next sunday for a practice in my new boat! There will be an extra Phantom on the startline at Southwold next time you visit.

Jez

[ulrikastoyboy]

Could do well, man sized sailing on a budget. Buy oldish laser for £650, stuff the 8.1 rig for £350 on it and you have interesting racing for a grand. If we rely on, to some extent, on Laser sailors growing big and looking to take the next step, the 8.1 could put a bump in that road.

[rockape]

Hey Jez we now have two phantoms racing at Alton so come on down.

[Wood self drainer]

Could do well, man sized sailing on a budget. Buy oldish laser for £650, stuff the 8.1 rig for £350 on it and you have interesting racing for a grand. If we rely on, to some extent, on Laser sailors growing big and looking to take the next step, the 8.1 could put a bump in that road.

For that its worth I think the 8.1 will do reasonably well, if for no other reason than the large number of Lasers out there already. Rooster have come up with a low cost upgrade route to those people that have outgrown the standard Laser, and to that extent it might well impact the Phantom. There is also, I think, something of a perception that a modern spec Phant (ie epoxy/carbon) is now getting a bit expensive for your average club racer.

However, the sort of person who has outgrown a Laser to the extent they could sail a Phantom is probably going to find a Laser cockpit a little cramped!  I sailed Lasers for years, but I borrowed one last season after around 5 years in the Phant and it felt like a toy boat!

[Miniwebbuddah]

The people who will be drawn to this 'upgrade' are looking to do so in the cheapest way possible and would not even look towards the Phantom as an alternative due to its cost.

Cost is good. It provides exceptional second hand prices for even quite old boats and allows us an 'exclusivity' which other classes aspire to. The Phantoms growth is not only due to the product but also the fantastic people who go out every weekend and do their bit towards the cause by regularly sailing at their home clubs and showing how good and beautiful the boat is.

It takes more than a larger sail area to turn a boat into a success. I'm sure Rooster will get lots of orders for his 8.1 BUT is still will be nowhere near the Phantom especially when the Ovi's hit the water.

See you at the show

Jools

[nick crook]

As en ex-Laser sailor, I see this Rooster sail combo is interesting but clearly not intended as a Phantom competitor, more as a bit of extra power for the ageing Laser sailors, to keep them feeling superior to those annoying children who keep beating them (as kids would have trouble with the 8.1). 
When I got into my first Phantom, it was like the feeling I had when I got into my first Subaru Impreza Turbo - the wow factor - you just knew this was what you always wanted!  No amount of add-ons to my Citroen would do. The Phantom flew and with good handling.

Remember those annoying Laser habits of the main sheet tangling round the transom corner in tacks, the loop in the trailing mainsheet that picks up ski-buoys if you're not careful, the death rolls when you get 'mugged' by a gust downwind.

Naagh, never again!
Nick