dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or Towing, towed by a Watercraft, larger vessel for use as a Ship's tender, tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they diffe ...
crewed by two persons with a
trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes, metal straps, or chains, from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or ...
for the crew. Launched in 1996, the 3000 was developed from the
Laser 2
The Laser 2, or Laser II, is a sailboat that was designed by New Zealander Frank Bethwaite and Canadian Ian Bruce (sailor), Ian Bruce as a one-design Sailing (sport), racer and first built in 1978.
Production
The design was built by Bruce's co ...
, using the original
Frank Bethwaite
Francis Dewar Bethwaite (26 May 1920 – 12 May 2012) was a New Zealand naval architect, author and Olympic meteorologist.planing hull combined with a brand new self-draining deck by Derek Clark. Clark also re-designed the rig, using spars and sails from premium proprietary sources and replacing the symmetric
spinnaker
A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a Point of sail#Reaching, reach (wind at 90° to the course) to Point of sail#Running downwind, downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinna ...
of the Laser 2 by a larger
asymmetrical spinnaker An asymmetrical spinnaker is a sail used when sailing between about 90 and 165 degrees from the angle of the wind. Also known as an "asym", "aspin", "A-sail", or gennaker, it can be described as a cross between a genoa (jib) and a spinnaker. It is ...
. The gennaker is chute-launched and retrieved using a single halyard line, and is set on a retractable bowsprit. Helm balance and handling were improved using a shorter-footed mainsail with two full-width battens giving a larger roach. A mast with conventional spreaders replaced the now-unusual diamond arrangement of the Laser 2.
The 3000 offers fast, exciting yet easy sailing, particularly for lighter sailors - couples, parent-child and teenage combinations are common at 3000 events. A modest rig size and forgiving nature means that if other classes are sailing on a windy day, any reasonably competently crewed 3000 will be able to join them and enjoy a sparkling sail.
Originally built by Laser, boats tagged 'V3000' currently built to the design by VanderCraft are constructed from woven glass and epoxy resin using vacuum-bagging to produce a boat which is very stiff and light yet durable. These boats race together with Laser 3000's in races within the
3000 3000 or 3000s usually refers to:
* 3000 (number), the decimal number
* 3000 AD/CE, the first year of the 31st century
* 3000 BC(E), a year in the 3rd millennium BC
* 3000s AD/CE, a decade, century, millennium in the 4th millennium
* 3000s BC(E), ...
Class.
Again, while the original Hyde sails are still competitive, North Sails now offer a cheaper alternative using the latest cloth technology. The centre-sheeting optionally via a deck-mounted jammer or directly ‘off-the-boom’ may include a centre or an aft bridle, and a compression-strut kicker (‘GNAV’) is allowed which gives the crew much more space than the conventional kicking strap.
The boat is easy to sail singlehanded, optionally using the jib, gennaker and/or trapeze, the latter being easy to use thanks to the deck layout and lack of racks. Most boats are sailed two-up, however, and class events presently cater for this crew format. The class association organises open meetings, including a national championships and, recently, coaching days. The atmosphere at all these events is friendly, with plentiful advice available for newcomers.