Loose Footed Main Sail Video

[Glenn Basore]

OK, you all have convinced me to try this loose footed sail on my Eclipse so I step my mast while on my drive way and made the change, it was very easy to do. The hard part will be waiting until I can actually get her in the water to try it out!

Are  "loose footed sails" from a factor sail store shaped differently as loose footed sails compared to taking a rope sail and using it as a loose footed sail as we are doing now?

Glenn

[CaptRon28]

The shape of the sail at the foot is sligltly different on a sail specifically built to have a loose foot. A sewn in bolt rope will not allow the foot to curve out as much. It was designed to hold the sail straight on the boom track and let it flare out a drop a few inches above that point. Sort of like a pleat but not as obvious. Many loose footed sails also have a foot that drops down a few inches below the top of the boom as well. That helps to block the air going over the boom from getting through. Using a main sail with a bolt rope in the foot as a loose foot would negate some of the advantages. Notice the foot of the sail on my Telstar. This has a real loose foot which actually hangs down to about the bottom of the boom.

[Salty19]

Well I sailed a few times now with the loose footed arrangement.  Basically an exact copy of Hideaways setup, including the outhaul purchase system.  Thanks again Hideaway for posting the video and comments.

Seems to work well.  At first (light winds) I didn't notice anything different.  I had crew onboard and that fact alone distacts you from analyzing things too much.  In medium winds the boat sails a tad closer to the wind me thinks.    As for tiller effort, I'm using the naca 0012 foil...there is almost no effort to steer the boat already so the loose foot didn't change this.  I don't need it with any less effort (you can steer with one loose hand in all points of sail). 

So far so good...more testing is needed and that will come this weekend at the Com-pac rendezvous at Carlyle lake, IL.

[HideAway]

We've had a chance to sail in higher winds with the loose footed main.  High teens gusting to mid 20s over the Independence day holiday.
Weather helm returns although not quite as bad probably because there is some curve to the sail even when the outhaul is pulled tight.  As the wind increased so did the weather helm until we finally decided to reef.  HideAway was rail down and if the gps can be believed approaching 7kn in choppy but not rough seas.  There probably was a tide influence but we were doing 6.5 on the other tack.

Until that day I did not think it was possible to fall off a Compac 23 however as I was balanced on the transom trying to pull the outhaul back against the force of the wind with the rail in the water the thought occurred.   Must have a cheek block to make the job less harrowing next time.   Reefing was easy - remove the sail stop - drop two slides - tighten the second out haul and later tie the buntlines.  Once reefed we were doing 5.5- 5.8 and sailing on our lines.  Very much relaxed and safe.  We do not stop the boat during reefing letting the jib do most of the work.  Linda stays on the tiller and I do the reef.

I'm still sold on the concept and plan, when the weather cools off some to do the rudder mod as well.
Oh...I've started a blog[[ below]] where I am posting our sailing adventures below.  I will post a movie of the holiday sail when I get it done.   Matt