The Laser (also known as ILCA) is a class of single-handed, one-design sailing dinghies using a common hull design with three interchangeable rigs of different sail areas, appropriate to a given combination of wind strength and crew weight. Ian Bruce and Bruce Kirby designed the Laser in 1970 and Hans Fogh designed the sail with an emphasis on simplicity and performance.
The ILCA is a widely produced class of dinghies. As of 2023, more than 223000 boats worldwide had been built. It is an international class with sailors in 120 countries, and an Olympic class since 1996. Its wide acceptance is attributable to its robust construction, simple rig and ease of sailing that offer competitive racing due to tight class association controls which eliminate differences in hull, sails, and equipment; the key pinnacles of the class, with a 1970s boat being identical to a boat made today.
The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) defines the specifications and competition rules for the boat but requires authorization by World Sailing, Performance Sailcraft Japan and PSA / Global Sailing who are known as legacy builders. The boat itself remains unchanged but is officially referred to as the ILCA Dinghy, due to a trademark dispute when the boat was called the Laser.
History In the 1967, Ian Bruce won International 14 World Championship sailing on a Mark III boat designed by Bruce Kirby and built by Ian himself. After the regatta, Ian realised that the cost of regatta sailing was beyond the reach of most people, including himself. He started a side business called Performance Sailcraft in an attempt to produce a lower-cost International 14 using his championship-winning hull as a mold. However, after two years, and around 100 boats produced, the boat was still too expensive due to its sophisticated design.
In 1969 a marketing offshoot of Canada's Hudson's Bay Company asked Ian Bruce, then working as a Montreal product developer, to come up with proposals for a line of outdoor sporting equipment. Among the proposals listed as a “maybe” was a lightweight “cartopper” sailboat designed to be transported on the roof of a car. He had no background in marine design, so, knowing Bruce Kirby through racing in the International 14 and Finn classes and through personal acquaintance between their wives, he arranged a meeting at a yacht club in Ottawa where he asked Kirby whether he could develop a new design.
The other day Kirby was in his office as editor of One-Design & Offshore Yachtsman magazine. He received a phone call from Ian. Ian was describing required features of a car-topped dinghy. Kirby was doodling ideas on a yellow legal pad, as he always did during the phone calls. As they were talking Kirby went completely quiet. Ian asked him "Are you still there?" to which he responded "Yes I'm here. I've got a design." This sketch would be known as "the million dollar doodle".
The designer took to the drawing board and calculator and worked for a few days drawing a full set of hull lines. Then came the profile and plan views, with daggerboard, rudder and cockpit, and finally the sail plan. The whole package was sent off to Ian's home in Pointe Claire along with a note suggesting that if his client didn't want a sailboat, he should put the plans away, as someday “we might make a buck on this boat.”
The marketing group passed on it, so the drawings went into Ian's bottom drawer. Six months later, in April 1970, their big break came. The advertising director of One-Design & Offshore hatched the 'America's Tea Cup', a regatta for new and nearly new small boats. Monohulls had to retail for no more than $1,000 and multihulls for no more than $1,200. It would be held at the Playboy Club on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in October.
Kirby called Ian and suggested this would be the perfect vehicle for introducing the new boat. The prototype was originally named the "Weekender", for a lack of a better name the sail held the letters "TGIF", a common American abbreviation for "Thank God it's Friday". Ian originally intended to build two prototypes for testing, but despite efforts, he barely got one boat finished in time for the Tea Cup.
On the way to Lake Geneva, he picked up Hans Fogh who made a sail. The boat was assembled for the first time at the Playboy Club's beach by the three of them. Fogh helmed the prototype during competition placing second to an adaptation of the Flying Junior hull during the first day. He was unhappy with the set of his sail, and that evening he re-cut the luff curve. The next day, the sail looked better and he won the first race by a hefty margin. He was leading in what was to be the final race, but it was called for lack of wind.
After the regatta, the boat caught attention, and Ian was inundated with requests from dealers and buyers. He was back at work deciding on the final fitting locations, such as the type of vang to use. Kirby re-did his calculations for helm balance, and, working with Fogh, he made adjustments to the mast, sail, and moved the mast step forward. Ian built a second prototype and then conducted testing on the water at the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club.
In November 1970, Ian, Kirby, and Fogh had a final weekend of testing to pin down all the details, and they agreed that the boat was ready for the market. That evening, after annual RStLYCa prize-giving dinner, Ian asked to choose a name for the new sailboat. Dave Balfour, a McGill University engineering student, suggested that the name could be something scientific, so the young people will identify with it. He (or Ian?) suggested the name Laser, after the device, because of its versatile international recognition. He also pointed out that the Laser sunburst sail insignia would only have to be placed on one side of the sail because it was symmetrical.
Just after Christmas Ian delivered the first legal Laser to Bruce Kirby. Years later he donated this boat to the Mystic Maritime Museum.
The Laser sailboat was officially unveiled at the New York Boat Show in January of 1971 where 144 orders were placed.
Ian Bruce and Bruce Kirby agreed to put the boat into production with Ian manufacturing the craft and Kirby receiving royalties on each unit. As worldwide demand grew, they realized that licensing regional manufacturers would be more economical than exporting boats from Canada. These builders were granted licences to use the confidential construction manual, which specified the technical standards for building the boat, as well as rights to use the LASER trademark in designated territories.
In early 1972 Ian Bruce set up and licensed a building facility in England under direction of Paul Davies creating Performance Sailcraft Europe (PSE).
In 1972, the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) was established.
In 1974 the first world championship was held in Bermuda. The same year The National Film Board of Canada produced a 28-minute documentary directed by Andy Thomson called "The Boat that Ian Built".
In the early 1980s Performance Sailcraft International went bankrupt. Since then, the construction manual came under the joint control of ILCA, Bruce Kirby, and the licensed manufacturers that existed at that time. Each of the licensed manufacturers were allowed to acquire ownership of the LASER trademark in its territory.
In the late 1980s, a smaller sailing rig was developed for the Laser class. In 1992, 5.7 m2 radial rig was officially recognized as a second class-legal rig.
In 1993 Laser was chosen for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta becoming a men's Olympic-class boat.
From 1997, an even smaller rig was developed in England. In 2001, 4.7 m2 rig was officially approved as third class-legal rig.
In 1998, Performance Sailcraft Europe granted ILCA certain rights to use the Laser Trademark for its activities pursuant to an intellectual property licence in the 1998 agreement.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Laser Radial became a women's Olympic-class boat.
In 2008, Kirby decided to sell his rights in Laser boat design and obligations under Builder Agreements to Global Sailing Limited. However Bruce Kirby Inc. did not sell the "Bruce Kirby" trademark, but at that point GS, Laser Performance Europe and Quarter Moon stopped paying royalties.
In 2010, Kirby requested that ILCA stop issue licence plaquets to LPE I QMI and the Builder Agreement was terminated, however manufacturers kept selling boats with his name as before.
This situation led to a lawsuit filed in March 2013 against LPE and QMI which ended compensation for trademark infringement and name misappropriating. ILCA and World Sailing eliminated requirement to have Builder Agreement. Since then neither LPE nor QMI sold Lasers with plaques that bore the Kirby's name. Opposing to this action Global Sailing created a separate class called Kirby Torch, which existed until 2014.
In the late 2010s, the European Commission along with several manufacturers pressured World Sailing and ILCA to implement antitrust review policy.
In 2016 ILCA announced release of a class-legal composite top mast section, which began to be used in 2017.
As of 1 January 2017 the use of electronic digital compasses that are not GPS enabled and boat or body mounted cameras is allowed. Since then the hiking strap support line can have one cleat and one turning point that are not attached to the hull or hiking strap.
In January 2018, the World Sailing Board commenced a re-evaluation of the equipment for the Men and Women One Person Dinghy for the 2024 Olympic Games. Between March and May 2019 the Evaluation Panel held trials between D-Zero, Laser, Melges 14 and RS Areo. The Evaluation Panel developed a scoring matrix with 80% for RS Areo, 69% for Laser, 54% for Melges 14 and 52% for D-Zero scores.
In 2018, Laser Performance was seeking a renewal of the 1998 Agreement and refusing to seek new manufacturers in their territory without consent. They accused Performance Sailcraft Australia of illegally importing their products into LP operational territory. At the end of the year LP refused to have ILCA undertake an inspection due to ILCA refusing to renew its licence under the 1998 Agreement. This led to revoking of licence as of 27 March 2019.
In the wake of LP licence termination and lack of trademark agreement renewal, ILCA announced an "ILCA dinghy" - a renaming and rebranding proposal. The existing class-approved builders have agreed to use the new name.
In opposition to ILCA, LP created "The Laser Class", which operated until 2024.
Due to trademark agreement expiration and antitrust policies (i.e. FRAND), In April 2019 all new class legal boats, sails and equipment is sold under ILCA name. The design also appears to have changed as boats now are up to 40mm shorter than the 220,000 boats in existence. Important to note, the FRAND vote was a name change but it appears there is a design change too.
In 2019, Laser Performance introduced ARC1 and ARC2 rigs with spars designed by Scott Ferguson and sails by Robbie Doyle. In response ILCA issued a statement about new rigs development progress, especially the "C-rigs" which were in development since 2015.
As of 13 February 2023, shrink tubes are allowed.
In 2024 International Laser Class Association acquired control of all the royalty and legacy builder rights previously held by Global Sailing and Performance Sailcraft.