HideAway is now Loose Footed - Wow

[HideAway]

Have you ever wondered why your Compac main sail sets in a groove on the boom?   It came that way and I never gave it a second thought until I attended a series of classes one of our members has been presenting at our sailing club.  He said that 60% of the main sails? power is in the lower third of the sail and that if your sail is confined by the boom you are losing power. I didn t really think too much of it until he took us down to his boat, a 28 Cape Dory, and demonstrated the difference.  The very next day I made the changes and Sunday HideAway became a different boat.

We had our six year old grand daughter with us on a bright sunny warm Sunday on Boca Ciega Bay.   The wind has been blowing for the last week or so out of the north east in the 20 -30 kn range.   Sunday afternoon it was 12-15kn and gusting to 20.  I let the out haul out as we started to reach.  In order to do this I stood on the stern seat with the tiller between my feet grabbed, the end of the boom and brought it in to reach the out haul line.  The boat heeled pretty sharp as I did which I expected but when I made the adjustment and let go the boat leveled out and took off!   A very noticeable increase in speed - but that wasn't all.

Reaching fairly close in those conditions creates enough weather helm that my tiller controller is over powered to the point where I could not leave it alone for more than a few seconds.   Not with a loose footed main!   We sailed a couple of miles to weather with very little helm and with our tiller controller holding its own-- I did not have to make a correction until we tacked to return! In fact I was standing in the cockpit nowhere near the tiller leaning on the bimini the whole time -- When a gust hit HideAway would gently head up then fall off to her original course- wonder of wonders!  She points higher than you would believe too!

I still have some changes to make.  The Cape Dory had a 10:1 tackle for her out haul which I thought was a bit much. That is until I tried to pull my out haul back and couldn?t budge it with my one part tackle.  I m going to make at it least a 3:1 with a longer line and with the sail further from the boom my jiffy reefing line is too short.   

Next on the list is poling out the jib to leeward on a reach using a short pole adjustable for the 110 and the genny.  I?ve already heard it gains a full knot in speed. Life is good

[Salty19]

Good to hear this and thanks for sharing.  No question the details make all the difference, don't they?
Don't forget to tighten the outhaul in high winds and loosen in softer winds (you probably knew that).

Are you running a foiled rudder as well?   If not...this will take the boats performance to yet another level. 

[brackish]

So Matt, all you did was take the existing sail out of the extruded groove and reattach the clew to the end of the boom?  And the necessary addition would be a multiple part outhaul with a method to cleat it after adjustment?

[Glenn Basore]

I was thinking about trying this on my Eclipse last season but never got around to it.

I had a small day sailor (Hunter 170) with an open foot. I would adjust it to my wind conditions.

The Eclipse not having the open foot and being a newer design boat, I didnt understand the close foot.

I think I will try it the next time I'm out.

I think I will add a jam cleat on the boom so I can just run the out haul through that. That's the way it was on my 170.

reading your post, I;m a little concern about the weatherhelm !

[Billy]

can't wait to try it on my 19. Matt, Please let me know if you got a different sail or just didn't run the foot through the grove in the boom (same sail).
Thanks!

[SailMML]

Post some pictures if you can.  I have been hearing that this is the way to go since I bought my 23 lat year.  I would like ot see the setup to get an idea of how it operates.  Where did you buy the outhaul parts?  What brand?

[HideAway]

I'll get some photos next time we sail.   All I did was pull the sail out of the groove in the boom and insert a sail slide.  A metal slide was recommended not having one I used the same plastic slides as the mast.   Now that I understand the forces involved I will switch to the metal.   You can also run a loose line around the boom through the clew.    My old out haul was a single part block on the end of the boom cleated to a cleat.  Yesterday I changed it to a three part tackle but didn t get a chance to sail since it was our club weekend/workday.  I experienced two problems with the loose foot.  One was the single part block - it is very hard to pull the out haul back - I hope my new tackle will make that easier and I may extend this line to mid boom to adjust it easier.  The other was my jiffy reefing system.  The line that goes through the reef cringle is now too short so I have lengthed it using my Visa Line Stretcher.

I have not started the rudder modification but will eventually.   I asked our resident expert - Bruce Bingham about the Compac rudder and he said I'd get better performance towing a phone book than using the one on the boat! He was not trying to criticize Compac - he designed the hull of the Eclipse after all - but he is no fan of slab rudders.   So yes I will make that mod - he also said the NACA 12 is fine for the 23 as well.