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Review of LA-krydser


LA-krydser
LA-krydser anno 1962. Late autumn 2024 Sweden


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The LA-krydser aka LA-Kreuzer or LA Cruiser is a sailboat designed by the Danish maritime architect Bjørn Olsen in the late fifties. Several hundred boats have been produced. The LA-krydser is built by the Danish yard Børresens Bådebyggeri A/S.

Looking for a new boat? Find a LA-krydser or similar boat for sale

Hull
Deck plan
Deck plan of LA-krydser. Carlolga ved mastekranen

Interior
Interior
Interior of LA-krydser anno 1962. Inside Tumleren to port
The interior is like many other boats made of mahogany.
The boat is equipped with 4 berths, a galley and toilet facility.
The headroom is above average
Galley
Galley of LA-krydser anno 1962. Inside Tumleren to starboard all Mahogany

Rig
The boat equipped with a masthead rig. The advantage of a masthead rig is its simplicity and the fact that a given sail area - compared with a fractional rig - can be carried lower and thus with less heeling moment.

Keel
Keel
Keel of LA-krydser anno 1965.

The LA-krydser has been built with more than one type of keel.

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a long keel.

The keel is made of iron. Many people prefer lead keel in favour of iron. The main argument is that lead is much heavier than iron and a lead keel can therefore be made smaller which again result in less wet surface, i.e. less drag. In fact iron is quite heavy, just 30% less heavy than lead, so the advantage of a lead keel is often overstated. As the surface of a fin type keel is just a fraction of the total wet surface, the difference between an iron keel and a lead keel can in reality be ignored for cruising yachts.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.55 - 1.65 meter (5.09 - 5.39 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

LA-krydser is typically equipped with an inboard Solé diesel engine at 17.0 hp (12 kW), which gives a max speed about 5.7 knots.

The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenence than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for LA-krydser is 1.68, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.7 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for LA-krydser is about 127 kg/cm, alternatively 711 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 127 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 711 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for LA-krydser is 18.9 - 26.0.

Low High 69% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 69% of all similar sailboat designs. This comfort value is just above average.


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for LA-krydser is 3.58.

Wide Slim 92% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 92% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more speedy hull design. This type of design is also referred to as 'needle'.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for LA-krydser is 41%.

Low High 54% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 54% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just above average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for LA-krydser is 177 which categorizes this boat among 'light racers'.

Heavy Light 85% 0 50 100
85% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for LA-krydser with ISO 8666 reference sail is 12.5, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 14.4.

Low High 14% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 14% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 31% 0 50 100
The LA-krydser has more rig than 31% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly underrigged.


RSP (Relative Speed Performance)

What is Relative Speed Performance?

The Relative Speed Performance for LA-krydser is 14

Slow Fast 14% 0 50 100
The relative speed performance is 14 which means that a it is faster than 14% of all similar sailboat designs.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 23m2 (247 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

Dimensions of sail for masthead rig.

mainsail specifications genoa specifications spinnaker specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 23.8 m(78.1 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard23.8 m(78.1 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Spinnaker halyard23.8 m(78.1 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Jib sheet 8.9 m(29.1 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Genoa sheet8.9 m(29.1 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Mainsheet 22.2 m(72.8 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker sheet19.5 m(64.1 feet)10 mm(3/8 inch)
Cunningham3.5 m(11.5 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Kickingstrap7.0 m(23.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)
Clew-outhaul7.0 m(23.0 feet)8 mm(5/16 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for LA-krydser it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References