I am considering purchasing an RC Laser. The reason being that it will primarily be used in salt water,typically in winds of 10-20 knots. It will sometimes be beach launched if there is minimal swell. I basically want another beach toy to play with after I have exhausted the battery packs on my modified Kyosho surfer. I like the fact that it is easily transportable but am concerned about its ability to withstand the rigors of being aggresively worked in a saltwater environment. Does anyone have experience with this boat in such an environment and if so would you please comment on whether you think it is the right boat for these conditions?

I have no experience sailing in salt water, but I can say that the Laser can handle surf--it's a fairly large boat (42" I think) and if you opt for the optional 'C' rig, you'll find it can sail in pretty windy conditions (I had a friend that sailed in white cap conditions at a lake without much trouble with the C rig on). The other extremely attractive thing about the Laser is the fact that it's very water-tight. The hull will pretty much be leak-free no matter how windy or lumpy the seas--that might be a good thing for salt water, since it's not generally very good for electronics.

I hear that after sailing in saltwater you MUST rinse the boat (and any parts that touched salt water) with fresh water.

Andy
[link=http://www.acmsc.org]Air Capitol Model Sailing Club[/link]