Sailors,
I saw a Youtube video of C23 Hideaway sailing with the main sail disconnected from the boom except where it was fastened to the outhaul at the end of the boom.
Having sailed a Potter with such a loose footed main ( and a boat with no boom at all on the mainsail), it seems that almost any Compac could operate the mainsail loose footed ( maybe even the catboats). What would be the pros and cons? The video said Hideaway sailed better to windward loose footed? But, no doubt there are problems or it would be more common.
I am glad you asked this, will be interesting to hear the thoughts.
I have been reading more about this topic lately on the internet, but havent found the "right" in for for myself to understand it all.
I found some info pointing to the sail shape? but nothing on the actual gains....
Mac
I think it is generally accepted that you can achieve better mainsail shape (control) with a loose footed main as opposed to one attached along the foot to the boom. Consequently, boat performance would improve with the better sail shape for a given set of conditions. I've made and used a loose footed main on my homemade 12' sailboat and really like the way it performs. A few Owners of gaff headed Sun Cats have changed to a NEW Loose Footed Main and reports are quite favorable.
Also, based on what I've heard, the loose footed main is cut a little differently than one that is attached to the boom. An experienced sailmaker could (should) clarify this question. If not critical, a few of us could try "uncoupling" our main'sl foot and see what happens!
The outhaul control for the loose footed main should (must) be stronger and have more mechanical advantage because it must overcome far more force on the sail which was otherwise distributed along the boom length with bolt rope or sail slugs.
Just my two cents worth.
capt_nemo
I attended a seminar put on by one of our club members, Bruce Bingham of Flickr fame. Bruce brought his boat to the dock and demonstrated how the loose footed main, his had a shelf, worked and how he can reef his 28 Cape Dory in 25 seconds. I decided to give both a try.
The loose footed main completely changed how HideAway sails. In moderate air there is no weather helm when the main is adjusted properly. As the wind increases over 15 the weather helm returns but it is not as bad as it used to be, by then its time to reef anyway. 5 kn is easy to maintain. Our self steering device originally installed to take the brunt of the weather helm - it did not steer the boat - can now steer for long periods of time with no correction. off the wind it is a dream. We haven t had to fly the genny in two years - really - its not been necessary.
I added a three part tackle and ran the lines up to the cabin area opposite the reefing line. You need every bit of the tackle to handle the adjustments. We have a very old and much patched main sail that will be replaced soon. I have no hesitation to order a loose footed main with shelf.
Recently we were sailing in a strong gusty sea breeze and badly needed a rest. I decided to try heaving to - That is really sweet - as long as you have sea room you can leave the boat unattended - its great. We can reef in under a minute standing in the cabin on a board across the bunks. I made two videos of the loose foot the second is called Sailing the Third of the Fourth on the Sailing HideAway uTube site below. Matt
"I think it is generally accepted that you can achieve better mainsail shape (control) with a loose footed main as opposed to one attached along the foot to the boom. "
There seem to be two differences there. First, you can put quite a bit more belly into the sail when it is loose footed as you don't have a bolt rope bunching up in the track. Second, the shape of the sail holds the entire length of the sail. Typically with a bolt rope the sail is always flattening out at the bottom.
"the loose footed main is cut a little differently than one that is attached to the boom."
I haven't compared the original sail to my loose foot sail but going from memory the cut does seem a little different around the base of the sail. Pretty sure even with the outhaul tensioned there is a foot in the sail that drops down the boom some. I will double check that next time I'm on the boat.
BTW, not at all an expert on this... I flew the old sail loose footed all last season until my new main came in. I've only used the new main a few times so far so I'm still learning it.
Shawn
Matt,
"I added a three part tackle and ran the lines up to the cabin area opposite the reefing line. You need every bit of the tackle to handle the adjustments."
Did you change it from your video? The way it is rigged in the video you are only getting a 2:1 mechanical advantage, only 2 lines pulling on the sail. To get a 3:1 you could put a double block at the end of the boom and a single block w/becket on the sail or just tie off the line to the clew itself.
I rigged up a 6:1 on mine. It is likely overkill but it makes it easy to pull the outhaul in in higher winds. A harken 22mm triple block with becket is on the boom and a harken 22mm triple is on the car/track.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/7469223102_1fa6b2046e_z.jpg)
This year it is also part of the reefing setup which means when the outhaul is tightened all the way there is a lot of line at the cleat. I hang it with a velcro loop around the boom.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8022/7490645130_f2fb0109a1_z.jpg)
I haven't been out in really light air with the track setup yet so I don't know if it will slide on its own. The system I was using last year had a slug in the boom and it needed a little help sliding forward in light air conditions due to the friction in the blocks and on the slug.
Shawn
Thank you all.
Matt, or someone, please explain the reference to "a shelf" in Matt's response above.
Bill in NC .
The "shelf" on a bolt rope main sail foot refers to the extra material sewn into the sail (down near the foot) which allows the rest of the lower portion of the sail to move sideways a drop to hold a better shape for certain (usually light air) wind conditions. Depending on the amount of material added, it can almost look like a "shelf". It tends to give it some of the loose foot properties. Since most mains have some added sail cloth there, they are not really suitable for use as loose footed sails as is - there is too much material there to form the correct shape. You can re-cut it to remove some cloth, or start fresh with a pattern that will allow the loose foot to work. Many loose footed mains also have extra cloth added vertically to reduce the size of the open slot between the boom and sails foot. As an example - the foot on my trimarans loose foot kevlar main comes down to the bottom of the boom, thereby eliminating the slot altogether.
Also note that most of the force acting on the main is taken by the tack and clew - the middle of the foot handles substantially less force.
Con...loose is not factory. The factory way already exceeds hull speed.
And with a lose footed main, you'll need a vertical batton at just the right spot on the 'foil'.
Like a Penquin that was designed by the famous boat designer Philip Rhodes.
skip.
After reading a bit on the advantages we ordered a new loose footed mainsail for Wrinkles 4 weeks ago. We should have it in about one more week. It will be interesting to try it out. I believe the PO was already sailing our 23 loose footed even though the mainsail had a bolt rope design. They had a 4:1 outhaul set up which will work great on the new loose footed main. We have added a cam cleat to the boom for this adjustment as well. We will still have the regular cleat available for high wind days when we want the outhaul really secured.
We will be sailing Thursday - Sunday in Door County and we will try the old mainsail loose footed just for fun.
Mike and B
Shawn - I thought I had a 3 part in the final set up - I ll have to look - memory being what it is - The set up works for me - I would say any thing less than 2 part is too hard - an yes I think 6 part is over kill - too much stuff on the boom for me. Your idea for the velco loop is a good one.
Ron28 - That is a great explanation. I also heard the shelf helps keep the air from falling off the sail thus keeping the air moving over the sail.
When I asked Bruce about it he had to admit the effect was probably not great but then he was in stiff competition for the 2010 boat of the year in west Florida. He won his division. Bruce is a perfectionist - He admitted to sealing the gap between the rudder and hull so as not to disturb the water flow. He also mentioned he thought a screen door would be as effective as my stock rudder. He did not mean it in a bad way - Bruce has had a long association with Compac - he designed the hull of the Eclipse for instance.
Bob23 comment in another post about the difference between his blown out sail and the new one - excessive heeling for the wind - has gotton me motivated to get a new sail. M
"too much stuff on the boom for me."
On the flip side it lets me get rid of both reefing lines on the back of the sail and running the length of the boom. No chafe and they aren't dangling down every time I raise/lower the sail. For me that is a good tradeoff.
I think you will really like the new sail. Bob is right about the difference from old to new sail. Still heels with puffs but seems to be quite a bit less than before and that is with just the new main in my case. Still have the old jibs.
Shawn
Shawn, I like the track idea with aft reefing hook. I've only put one reefing line in (haven't needed the second reef in the stable 19 yet) but always looking for a better way and really do want that second reef better prepared. I'm not one to not go out sailing just because the wind is blowing hard!
I wonder if a machine shop could turn out a small piece of hardware that would act as a slug, reef/clew hook and outhaul eye in one compact piece. Nice and clean. Might just look into that...would anyone else be interested if I find a place--could be a lot cheaper per unit if they make several.
I really like our loose footed main too. Using a 3:1 outhaul on our 19..seems to be a good match (effort required when the wind is strong, easy most of the time) and it's not bulky.
The velcro on Shawn's clew is probably how National delivered the sail, that's how mine came and it seems to work quite well.
Terrible pic, but an idea of how bulky the 3:1 outhaul looks...
(http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z290/yamaholic_mcarp/Island%20Time/2012-06-15_17-45-38_346.jpg)
"I wonder if a machine shop could turn out a small piece of hardware that would act as a slug, reef/clew hook and outhaul eye in one compact piece. Nice and clean. "
I had been looking for something like that before I put the track in. After I got the track in the local marine consignment place got in a number of longer SS slugs with an outhaul eye. They look like they could work similar to what I am doing with the track. Next time I'm down there I can see how much they cost if you like. As I recall they were $20ish or so.
"Using a 3:1 outhaul on our 19..seems to be a good match (effort required when the wind is strong, easy most of the time) and it's not bulky."
Isn't that a 2:1? You start the line at the rear block, it goes forward to the sail (1 line) through a block on the sail and then back to the block on the boom (2 lines). After the line comes out of the block on the boom it is just changing directions not adding mechanical advantage to the load. You only get mechanical advantage for the number of lines on the pulley moving with the load, in this case the sail.
Shawn
Shawn--You're probably right...I always thought that was a 3:1 (3 legs) but you're right..it goes through 2 blocks only. If a 2:1 only used 2 blocks, well, it's definitely a 2:1. So if I put a small double block aft and the existing aft block with spliced line on the clew, ran the line aft, then forward then aft then to the cleat that would be 3:1..I could do that with an extra block laying around, but there may not be enough line to do it. Come to think of it, if I used this as the reefing hook instead of jiffy, that line would be too short for the second reef too. Hmmpph..spliced New England Euro double braid ain't cheap!
Learned something new about the blocks..thank you for that.
As for the SS eye with outhaul..yes I'm interested. Would love a pic if you can snap one! Having a reefing hook back there would great!
"If a 2:1 only used 2 blocks, well, it's definitely a 2:1. "
You can also check it by pulling two feet of line out and seeing how far the sail moves, in your case it should move 1 foot.
To make it a three to one you would need a double block on the boom and move the block you currently have on the back of your boom to the sail. Now you would have the line starting at the sail heading to the first block on the boom (1 line) heading from the first block on the boom back to the sail (2nd line) and then from the block on the sail heading back to the second block on the boom (3rd line). The line coming out of that second block would change direction to point forward but you get no advantage from that as that pulley is fixed.
This site explains it pretty well...
http://www.technologystudent.com/gears1/pulley8.htm
"Come to think of it, if I used this as the reefing hook instead of jiffy, that line would be too short for the second reef too."
Yes, you likely would need more line. With my 6:1 setup there is a lot of line tied up in there to allow the car to move to the second reef point. I may try rigging it as 4:1 and see how that goes to cut down on some of the line. 6:1 means basically very little effort and I have very fine control over the outhaul position since I have to move 6" for the outhaul to move 1".
"As for the SS eye with outhaul..yes I'm interested. Would love a pic if you can snap one! Having a reefing hook back there would great!"
Next time I am down there I will get the price and take a picture of it for you. Having the hook is nice, just need to make sure it doesn't snag on any of the existing hardware when you are adjusting the outhaul.
Shawn
Salty,
I was down at the marine consignment place again and took a look at the part I mentioned to you.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7612634710_d195c7cfa9_z.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7135/7612636728_668b9c1949.jpg)
I think it is some form of a gooseneck.
If you took the extra piece off the center ring this should be useable to go loose footed and give you the reefing hook. The hook that is already on it may work as is but it would likely be a little easier if it was opened up a little wider. Then just attach the clew and the outhaul to each other at the center ring, using the ring just to hold it down, and you should be good to go. They had a box full of these. I think this one was marked $15. If you would like me to pick one up for you just let me know. It is always a fun place to stop by as you never know what you will find.
Shawn
Shawn:
Good thing that consignment shop isn't close to my house. Do you have an address for them and do they have a website?
Back to the thread:
My 23 is fitted with a regular mainsail (is it called clubfooted?) but after reading all this, I may have it remade into a loosefooted main this winter. My sailmaker would have no problem doing this. Presently, I get to play around with this stuff on my Force 5 sailboat. For a little boat, she has a lot of strings: Downhaul, outhaul, boomvang and Harken traveler. It's a great boat to experiment with sail shape as you can instantly feel how the changes affect the boat performance. Now if I could only come up with a reefing arrangement for when the winds pick up!
bob23
Shawn, the part you're holding is sometimes referred to as a dinghy gooseneck. The sail tack goes on the hook, the middle piece is a boom pin, and the down haul is connected on the lower tang. A new one runs about $35, depending on source.
Racelite Hardware makes similar ones for grooves or track, and may be able to fashion one to order.
-Justin
Bob,
The shop is Marine Consignment of Wickford. They also have a location in Mystic, Ct. Very dangerous place... gives lots of ideas. This is where I bought my storm jib a couple of years ago. They have a website but it is never terribly up to date and it seems to be broken at the moment.
www.marineconsignment.com
When I was in a couple of weeks ago they had a Shipmate 212 wood stove/oven.... man that thing would be great in a suitable old boat. ;)
My father had a Force Five when I was growing up. Fun little boat. Couldn't you reef the sail by rolling it around the mast?
Shawn
Justin,
Thanks, makes sense. If the boom pin is removed this should work fine for an outhaul and reef hook.
Shawn
Shawn,
Thanks a lot for getting those pictures. That's an interesting part.
I like that piece of hardware, but I'm afraid the clew will tend to come out without a spring loaded gate. Could see times like raising and lowering sail and maybe light wind tacking where the clew would slide out of the hook. That wouldn't be too fun to fix all the time. Hmm..
Maybe a pin mounted snap shackle would work on the forward tang for the clew. Just unshackle the clew to reef. The entire eye piece could be cutoff-don't really see a use for it?
How strong does this part appear to be and what would you say is the diameter of the slide? If it fits on the slide, seems rugged enough for the load the rest can be modified.
Salty,
"but I'm afraid the clew will tend to come out without a spring loaded gate. Could see times like raising and lowering sail and maybe light wind tacking where the clew would slide out of the hook. That wouldn't be too fun to fix all the time. Hmm.."
I wasn't thinking using the hook for the clew with all sail up, just using the hook when reefed. When I reef mine I do the luff hook first and then the rear hook. Once I get that hook in I tension the outhaul and use the cleat at the back of the boom to keep it hooked. So far so good.
For when all sail is up I'd just use a shackle to hold the clew to the outhaul and either to the big loop or the forward tang. Because I'm loose footed I don't need to unshackle the clew to tie in the reef.
It seemed like it would be plenty strong for this. I didn't measure the diameter but it 'felt' like it was about right. I can measure it next time I am down in that store.
Shawn
Shawn: Force 5 reefing:
In order to do that, I'd need to disconnect the boom, boom vang and downhaul, pull the boom away from the mast and rotate the mast to wrap the sail. I'd also need to extend the hook for the outhaul so it could reach further from the end of the boom. All that while sitting in high winds because, hey, that's why I'd want to reef anyway, right?
On my old Seapearl, I had rotating goosenecks in order to roof. I don't think I had boom vangs or downhauls on the Pearl but I don't remember precisely. Reefing was easy. I probably could rig the same goosenecks on the 5 but I might invent some way to lower the sail and tie it around the boom via reefing lines. Or, most likely, I'll do nothing at all and keep it simple. It's a fun boat and I've sailed her in high winds. Scary fun!
bob23
Bob,
Isn't the Force Five loose footed? Couldn't you just disconnect the clew and then wrap the sail around the mast, not roll the mast to wrap up the sail? You would need to extend the outhaul though I'd think.
Shawn
Shawn,
That makes total sense about using the hook only for reefing.
I'm thinking the clew needs to be as low as possible to maintain proper leech and foot tension. A short shackle on the forward tang/eye should do it. I might just use some Amsteel line (1/8 dyneema--supports over 2,000lbs!)here to keep the distance as low as possible. Then a super short snap shackle for the reefing points. The hook looks way too tall to keep leech tension when reefed. By this I mean you want everything pretty tight in strong winds (when reefed) and raising the new clew when reefed of the boom is going to loosen the luff leech.
Edit/crossed out- sorry about that.
Going to think about this a bit
Really appreciate your thoughts on this, as well as the detective work Shawn.
Salty,
"I'm thinking the clew needs to be as low as possible to maintain proper leech and foot tension."
If you are loose footed is that going to matter? Won't the tension really be set more by the outhaul and vang?
"The hook looks way too tall to keep leech tension when reefed. By this I mean you want everything pretty tight in strong winds (when reefed) and raising the new clew when reefed of the boom is going to loosen the luff. "
Humm... if you aren't going to use the big loop I wonder if you could just cut out a small section of it near the base as a gate to use the rest of the loop as the hook. Not sure how much of an issue this would be though, couldn't you compensate with the boom downhaul?
Shawn
Sorry I misspoke a bit..or rather didn't get my point across too well. Happens often. :) Getting my luffs and leeches backwards--so I fixed my post.
You're right, the vang will keep overall leech tension correct. The outhaul is most effective adjusting the foot, leech tension isn't changed too much as the direction of pull is 90 degrees off. The leech needs the downward pull the vang gives for better upwind performance. I shouldn't have said the it affects the foot..slipped it in there by mistake.
But if the clew is higher than the tack-which is what would occur with a taller clew attachment point, to keep luff tension correct (similar to of the clew was lower) you need the rear portion of the boom to sit lower than the front (ie pulling vang down more to lower the boom), by the same distance the clew and tack are spaced, for the leech to set correctly. Does that make sense, the triangle would be "off" with tight luff and foot and loose leach if the boom were kept at the same position.
The sail foot should be "level" and "horizontal", or close to it, parallel to the boom across it's length, reefed or not. Actually that is a good sign your sail is gone..if the boom hangs down in the cockpit at an angle.
At 6'2" the boom clears the noggin, but not much room to spare so having a lower boom is not an option for me. Wouldn't work with a bimini either. Not that we have one, but someday.
Anyway, this thing has me intrigued.
Salty,
"At 6'2" the boom clears the noggin, but not much room to spare so having a lower boom is not an option for me. Wouldn't work with a bimini either. Not that we have one, but someday. "
I don't know how much of a difference there is in mounting height between the slide and my arrangement but with my setup it does work with a bimini but just barely. Of course this is on a 23, don't know what it would be like on a 19. I have the boom downhaul set so the gooseneck is right below the opening in the sail slot. I can *just* hoist all sail that way but to tension the luff better I need to use the cunningham cringle in the sail. I'm going to rig up either a 2:1 using my old reefing cleats at the front of the boom or a 3:1 and add a V cleat to the mast.
Shawn
Well, I slapped together the concept I'm thinking of for the combination boom slug, outhaul attachment and reefing shackle.
It ain't pretty..required some trimming of plastic on the slug and steel on the shackle base, but it works.
Caveot: I've only tested this once yesterday and the winds were very light (so light even with the 170% drifter we only made 1 knot). Very little strain was present and reefing was only an exercise to see if the shackles would work (they do). However I've used the slug in the past so don't expect anything to break.
Luckily I had all the parts already (don't we all have that box of unused parts!!?) , so this prototype was easy to make. Time will tell if it's strong enough and if reefing is easy. I'll attach some small lines to the reefing grommets to haul down the main during reefing, and will tie up the main (unreefed) clew to the boom so the sail won't get out of control when unschackling. If this all works out...no more reefing lines and a nice adustable foot when reefing!
Went ahead and repurposed a 3:1 block setup with integral cam cleat that I had planned to use for a downhaul, but didn't get around to finishing it up. And the line is long enough..what luck!
Notched shackle
(http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z290/yamaholic_mcarp/Island%20Time/photobucket-33507-1343656250095.jpg)
Clean, no aft reefing lines
(http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z290/yamaholic_mcarp/Island%20Time/photobucket-31962-1343655174868.jpg)
Out haul with cam cleat and reefing shackle
(http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z290/yamaholic_mcarp/Island%20Time/photobucket-1138-1343656275684.jpg)
Ideally the clew of the sail should be closer to the boom. I noticed sail rite has stainless slugs..one could cut off the base of the shackle I'm using and weld it to a steel slug to bring the clew lower.
Nice use of the snap shackle! Let me know how well that works when you try reefing in higher winds. I think I have a few of them in my spares box too, might give that a try just to see it too.
I was using a slug like that last year when loose footed and it held up, it did concern me a little though. Getting rid of the rear reefing lines is nice!
Shawn
I'll let you know about how hard it is to reef with this setup. Just reefing at the dock in light wind definitely was not "proof" to me that it works well, only that the parts are compatible.
I think the line I'll rig from the main (unreefed) clew to the boom, to hold the sail from flogging wildly when unshackling the clew, will pay dividends. Time will tell...I'll report back once I've given the setup a good workout in strong winds.
Had a nice strong wind this week and the shackle got a workout pushing the boat to 5.6 knots--about as quick as I've made this boat go without a motor.
I didn't reef the main-probably should have, though unreefed this worked really well. Easy to adjust and I love not having the reefing lines crowding the boom.
-The slide moved easily to and fro. Easier than the velcro strap provided by national Sails.
-Nothing bent or broke.
-The 3:1 outhaul is way easier than the 2:1. Granular adjustments are easier.
-Camcleat on the outhaul is a dream...so quick and easy to adjust I kick myself for not doing this earlier. Beats untying the line from a cleat, adjusting and retying for each adjustment.
Once I get to reef in real sailing conditions vs. the dock I'll know if this setup will work for all conditions. If it does, I'll probably stick with it.
While I'm not ready now, I know the next replacement/upgrade sail for my boat will be the main, so I put my existing bolt rope main up loose footed to see if I could discern a performance difference. I've always had a foiled rudder, and most would say that would be the first step in eliminating excess weather helm with a loose footed main being the next step. With the foiled rudder I don't experience an excessive amount of weather helm to start with, so that was not an issue. I tried to go out with an open mind, not being influenced by those that have gone before me on this matter. After all, any impressions would certainly be subjective in nature. I sailed up lake wing and wing for about three miles, and on that point of sail I didn't notice any real difference and concluded if there was one, it would have to be measured objectively and no way to do that. I then turned to go down lake which put me on a beat. I was single handed so was tacking by myself. Here there was a discernable difference. With the sail set up as a closed foot I often fight every tack with the boat oversteering or understeering through the tack when I drop the tiller to set the jib. With the sail set up with a loose foot, it tended to stay on the intended course as I dropped the tiller for the period of time it took me to properly sheet the jib. It made the trip back enjoyable instead of a fight to make sure the boat doesn't backwind out of the tack usually close to the lake bank. Subjective of course but so noticeable that I'm now a believer in the loose footed main.
I guess great minds think alike! I was just thinking about calling my sailmaker (John Eggers, NJ) about converting my main to a loose-footed main. These sails are only 2 seasons old and they work great but there's always room for improvement, right? He may try to talk me out of it and for the most part, recognizing that he's probably forgotten more about sailmaking than I'll ever know, I may just do it.
Thanks for your input!
bob23
Hi All,
I sailed a Hunter 170 loose footed by design and it really sailed great in light air.
I had read a few post here before about sailing loose foot and thought I would try it on my Eclipse.
Although I think I had better sail shape being loose footed I had a problem with the boom striking the arch support everything I tacked or jibed.
I could have added a topping line to the boom to keep it high enough to clear the arch but I just didn't want to do that,
I'm back using the original design set up.
I think if I had some extra money to spend on a loose footed sail i would do so.
Glenn B.
I honestly don't know if this loose footed business is going to help. I had it on the Penquin with a short batten going up and down in the middle of the sail starting at the boom. Not sideways above the boom. I'm not sure what the designer Phil Rhodes had in mind.
What are we trying to do here? We want an aeroplane wing that is standing on it's nose. We want the airfoil shape as close to the mast as we can get it to lift the boat 'sideways' and move it along in the water. What's below the water counters this sideways lifting tendency. It's a balance 'tween the two. An air foil shape far astern does no good, does it? unless what we are sailing is a down wind square rigger.
skip.
Personally, I have arch envy. The arch proves a place to put the main sheet Up, Up and Away. But it also provides a head banger. But, being a go slow fast kind of guy, remember I drive an AH Sprite (0-60 in three afternoons head jerking speed), I appreciate handling over, well, I don't know what.
But that forward rake just looks fast - and cool. Yep! Arch envy.
tg
Hi guys,
Just my two cent's worth.
My 2012 Legacy is factory fitted with a loose footed main, Hutchins must have a particular reason for doing this.
Perhaps some one could ask them their thinking on the pros and cons of the loose footed main.
Cheers,
Pete H
I'm of the mind to suggest that the 'airfoil' that creates lift necessary to move the boat forword is moved away from the mast toward the end of the boom when the main is loose footed. I mean what controls the curve? Just the outhaul?
Is this good? Or maybe it does not matter. Apparently the boat still moves forward. Are we going faster? Are we exceeding hull speed? It's not really Hutchins but rather the boat designer. Who designed the Legacy? Now bare in mind Philip Rhodes made the Penquin, a cat boat, a loose footed main with a vertical batton.
Note the seams in the sail, and the battons in both these two pictures. I don't know what I'm looking for but I'm seeing something.
(http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh299/1930fordroadster/Firstsailboat1.jpg) (http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh299/1930fordroadster/Firstsailboat2.jpg)
skip.
"I'm of the mind to suggest that the 'airfoil' that creates lift necessary to move the boat forword is moved away from the mast toward the end of the boom when the main is loose footed."
Not really, just that you have more control over the shape of the airfoil when loose footed. You can add more belly to the sail if desired when loose footed. The position of the belly doesn't really change. The other difference is the airfoil shape stays the entire length of the sail, it doesn't flatten out at the bottom as it does with a bolt rope.
"I mean what controls the curve? Just the outhaul?"
Outhaul mostly, you can also influence the shape with halyard tension, downhaul and/or cunningham and a vang.
"Are we exceeding hull speed?"
Of course not. The difference IME is you can get to hull speed in a little less air.
Shawn