Laser Performance

Company type	Private company
Industry	Dinghy sailing
Founded	1969
Headquarters	Europe: Long Buckby, England North America: Portsmouth, RI Asia: Hong Kong Middle East: Dubai
Website	http://www.laserperformance.com

Laser Performance (stylized as LaserPerformance) is a Anglo-American dinghy manufacturer. They are most well known for The Laser - a single handed boat which is sailed in the Summer Olympics.^[1] The Laser is widely accepted as the world’s most popular adult & youth racing class.^[2]

On a phone call between Canadians Bruce Kirby and Ian Bruce in 1969, the pair discussed the possibility of a car-topped dinghy (a boat small enough to be carried on a roof rack of a typical car) for a line of camping equipment. Kirby resultantly sketched out on a bar napkin what would be known as "the million dollar doodle".

The plans stayed with Kirby until 1970 when One Design and Offshore Yachtsman magazine held a regatta for boats under $1000, called "America's Teacup". After a few sail modifications, the Laser easily won its class.

The prototype was originally named the "Weekender"; the sail held the letters TGIF, a common American abbreviation for "Thank God It's Friday". It was renamed The Laser (after the scientific mechanism), and officially unveiled at the New York Boat Show in 1971.

The first world championship was held in 1974 in Bermuda. The Laser became a men's Olympic-class boat at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, with a special Olympic edition of the boat was released that year in commemoration. A version with a smaller sail, the Laser Radial, was first sailed as a women's Olympic-class boat at the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[3]

Neither Bruce nor Kirby had the financial or manufacturing capability to mass produce and market the boat, and so sold a series of manufacturing licenses to existing boat manufacturers, each with an exclusive geographic sales region:

• Europe: Performance Sailcraft based in Long Buckby, Northampton, England
• North America: Vanguard Sailboats of Portsmouth, RI
• Australia: Performance Sailcraft Australia

Each was licensed to manufacture the basic craft, and make necessary modifcations and developments to suit their local market requirements. Each builder produced the Laser 1 and 2 but it was Laser Performance Europe which diversified the brand most by introducing boats such as the Laser 2000, Laser 4000, Laser 5000, Laser Bahia, Laser SB3. The company was also responsible for the creation of the Dart Catamaran brand, and a range of rotomoulded plastic dinghies.

In 2007 Performance Sailcraft Europe and Vanguard merged to create Laser Performance. This changed the business model from being a licensed boat builder, to a brand with boats built by a number of sub-contractors, including DK Composites in Malaysia.

• Company website