- Laser Pico
The Laser Pico dinghy is a small sailboat designed by Jo Richards in the mid-1990s and used primarily for training and day sailing. It can be crewed by one or two children or an adult. Current models come equipped with both a
mainsail and ajib , but the jib is so small that it is faster sailed single handed using only the mainsail.The hull is of
thermoplastic sandwich construction, providing strength, stiffness, and built-in buoyancy. The cockpit is self-draining. The boat comes equipped with an aluminum two-piece mast, an aluminum boom, a daggerboard, and a lifting rudder. For the more racy type, the pico can have a battened race sail attached instead of the cruising main. This sail is made of mylar and is much tougher and more powerful than its cruising counterpart.Laser has sold over 10,000 of these boats. Fact|date=January 2007
The first UK National championships were held on the 27th, 28th and 29th of May 2006 at Gurnard Sailing Club on the Isle of Wight, the Pico's spiritual home.
Dame Ellen Macarthur is quoted on the manufacturer's site as saying "It's simple, it's fun, and it's cool." [http://www.lasersailing.com/disp/uk/pico/introduction Laser Pico]
pecifications
*Length: 3.50 m (11'6")
*Beam: 1.43 m
*Hull weight: 60 kg
*Mainsail: 5.1 m2
*Race mainsail: 6.44 m2
*Jib: 1.09 m2External links
* [http://www.lasersailing.com/disp/uk/pico/introduction Laser Pico]
* [http://www.go-sail.co.uk/pico.asp]
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