ILCA Wear Protectors
Author: Allen Brothers Date Posted:30 May 2022
The ILCA (laser) is one of the World’s most popular sailing dinghies, with over 215,000 boats sold worldwide,
it would be no surprise to find one – new or old – in almost every dinghy park around the globe.
Allen has been involved with the ILCA/ Laser class ever since the early prototypes. One of which was actually fitted out in the Allen factory! You will still find the Allen Vang unit and cam cleat base pictured in the class rules, as all of our ILCA fittings are still class legal.
More recently we have been developing several ILCA specific products, one of which we are now pleased to be able to sell directly to anyone.
Introducing the ILCA Wear Protectors, a product designed to stop the damage which can be caused by the mainsheet traveller blocks, ensuring your boat stays protected.
Anyone who sails an ILCA will know that having your traveller line as tight as possible is a huge performance gain. However, the tighter the traveller the more it forces the mainsheet traveller block to rub and chafe the gelcoat on the transom of your beloved boat.
This damage occurs because the mainsheet traveller blocks are harder wearing than the thin layer of gelcoat on the deck of the boat. Over time the mainsheet block will dig into the deck of the boat, creating serious damage and resulting in the need to have repair work carried out to the boat. But, all of this can be avoided by installing the ILCA wear protectors.
The ILCA wear protector is designed to fit around the existing traveller fairlead – A.282A. An item which is the same on every ILCA dinghy, due to the one-design nature of the class.
The ILCA wear protectors are moulded from nylon and shaped to give a smooth transition from deck level to ensure the mainsheet block rides over the pad easily. Comes as a handed pair, one for starboard and one for port.
How to install wear protectors
To install the wear protector, firstly loosen and remove the traveller line. Then slide the “mouth” of the wear protector around the A.282A fairlead and push firmly until you hear a faint click. Re-install and tighten the traveller line. Voila!
The friction from the “mouth” piece around the fairlead, and the tightness of the traveller rope, will keep the wear protector in place.
ILCA wear protectors come as a handed pair and are marked with port and starboard to help you fit them correctly. They fit any age ILCA (Laser) and are class legal.