Laser EPS

Laser EPS : a skiff-like single-handed sailing dinghy. Sharp bow,
flat stern, a true planing hull form. A high aspect-ratio rudder
and centreboard provide high lift and low drag. A fully battened
9.4 m2 mylar sail with large roach gives the power. Much power ...
the helmsman has to hike out from side wings to control all that.

Technical Data: Length over all: 4.30 m Hull Beam: 1.33 m Maximum beam with wings: 1.85 - 2.40 m Hull weight: 53.5 kg without wings, 62.5 kg with wings Mast height: 6.35 m Sail area: 9.3 or 8.4 m2 Portsmouth Yardstick: 1020

Gallery For more information: Laser EPS page on the Swiss Laser site (with picture gallery) Laser EPS newsgroup Laser EPS rigging manual (PDF file 15 Mb) Laser EPS test from "Yacht"(in German) Information on various skiff sailing classes Various other links Dutch organisation for skiff sailing Single-handed sailing hints & tips section, from Steve Cockerill. Sailing club VADA in Wageningen Local weather registrations and forecasts, Wageningen University

This is great sailing! Upwind sailing in a wind Force 3-4 or more means, fully hiked out from the wings, only your feet just inboard under the hiking straps. Light on the helm, very responsive, a delight to steer. You watch the bow cut through the waves, and shift your weight to find the right balance, the lowest drag, the best speed. Steer a little lower, hike hard and the EPS starts just planing to windward. On a reach, a feeling of unlimited speed. No spinnaker, just a powerful rig and a light, planing hull form. A gust puts the sharp bow down, you move aft and hike; big acceleration and a dazzling plane. A flat wake, as a white scratch on the water surface. This YouTube movie shows what is Laser EPS sailing (or you can find it here as a 15 Mb mpeg movie, from the same source). How fast? Using a GPS a few times, so far I recorded 12.5 knots, in a wind of about 16 knots. 10 - 11 knots while planing is quite common, even with just 10-14 knots of wind. Upwind in flat water, normally 5.5 to near 7 knots. The boat A hull with a sharp entrance, round-bilge sections in the forebody, fairing into a hard-chine flat afterbody with wide transom. Side wings permit hiking far out. The wings slide out on rails; class rules prescribed the setting for given crew weight during regattas (EPS stands for 'Equalised-Performance Singlehander') but this is not widely followed any more. Between the wings is a shallow, self-bailing cockpit. The two-part carbon mast stands on a pin on the deck, and is supported by a 'mini-stay system' that is connected to a ring around the mast just below the gooseneck. Cunningham and vang lines are led to cleats on both sides and can be set while hiking out. This is a much more modern boat than the most common singlehanders like Finn, Europe or Laser. Compared with a standard Laser, hiking is much more 'comfortable' (but of course requires some muscle power and agility); no more sudden loss of control due to rudder stall; no more 'rope tricks' to make the trim lines work, etc. Focus on optimising speed, rather than on just making it work. At the same time, the Laser EPS is not as demanding as e.g. a Musto Skiff or RS 700. The wings bring you far out if needed, but it is still easy to come back from that position. Also the sail area is more moderate. Fast and fun but still accessible. Boat layout. Note the wings sliding out on rails and fixed in their position (not meant to be adjusted during sailing). A shallow cockpit but large enough to sit in in light winds; self-bailing through two very effective drains aft towards the transom. Carbon mast supported by a mini-stay system at gooseneck level. Upside down vang. Vang line and cunningham lines led to both wings. Outhaul cleated aft of the mastfoot.

How to get one? The Laser EPS was introduced in 1998, but since 2000 is not built any more --- unfortunately, as this is a great boat. Altogether some 200 boats have been built; in Holland there may be just a few around. Second-hand boats are sometimes offered, mostly in Britain. A good place to look is on the Laser-EPS newsgroup site, see link at the left.

Racing a Laser EPS As there are not many of them around, most of the racing you can do is on handicap. A Portsmouth Yardstick of 1020 (adjusted in 2010) is now being used in the UK. In the Netherlands a different handicap system is being used, the SW-numbers. No official SW rating has been established for the Laser EPS, but from the average ratio between SW and PY ratings, and the PY rating for the EPS, you get SW = 102 to 103 (I am currently using SW=102). It shows the EPS is quite a bit faster than a Laser (108), Finn (105), Europe (115) and even a Contender (104).

A revival for the EPS? There is new activity in the UK, see the Laser EPS newsgroup. In 2007, national championships have been held for the first time in some years, and since then some races have been organised every year.
An important step has also been that a new manufacturer for the carbon fiber EPS masts has been found. Sails can be made to order by Hyde's. The best next step would be that the production of the Laser EPS is taken up again. Noticing the interest this boat attracts, why not?

last change: May 15, 2011.

'Disco Volante', my Laser EPS 224, near Wageningen, Netherlands