Laser Dinghy Disposal from Bournemouth and Haywards Heath

Laser Dinghies were like buses for the Boatbreakers team. We waited for one to come in and then two came along at once. Although from different areas of the country.

The first of the collections was from a property in Bournemouth. The dinghy had been stripped down and was sitting on the gentleman’s from garden. His sailing days were over and his kids were no longer interested. So it was time to recover some space on his driveway. The Laser dinghy was definitely past the point of economical repair.

Our team turned up and lifted the dinghy into our truck. There was the remains of an old launching trolley too with was completely rusted.

The next Laser was based at a reservoir near Hayward’s Heath. It had been sailed there for a number of years but no had some irreparable damage to the hull. Her owner also had another dinghy so this mean it was time to part with this one. Once again the team simply lifted the hull into the truck and set off for the boat scrapyard.

The Laser dinghy, now known as the ILCA dinghy, is a ubiquitous and iconic single-handed sailboat. Celebrated for its simplicity and competitive nature. Designed by Bruce Kirby in 1970, its one-design principle ensures that racing success hinges purely on sailor skill rather than equipment advantage. This makes it a globally popular choice for club racing. Also in Olympic competitions, and casual sailing alike.

Its lightweight hull and easily interchangeable rigs (Standard, Radial, and 4.7) cater to a wide range of sailor weights and abilities, fostering a strong, inclusive community around the class. The Laser’s straightforward rigging and responsive handling offer an engaging and challenging sailing experience, making it a cornerstone of dinghy sailing worldwide.

Both Laser dinghy hulls were purely made of Fibreglass. This means that it was a fairly simple recycling process. The hulls were crushed, shredded and then sent for energy recovery. Meaning that the hull material is completely diverted from landfill.