Loose Footed Main Sail Video

[HideAway]

Awhile ago I changed HideAways main sail to loose footed and promised to post photos-- Well how about a video instead?

We were out sailing in our usual haunts last weekend getting used to how the boat handles with the modification.  You might hear in the film that we were doing 5.9kn in a 10kn breeze.  Although reading the pilings did not indicate a fast tide I believe the tide was contributing a good knot  or so to the gps speed.

I still can t quite believe the difference in how she handles and how fast she sails now--- I have another video in production that shows the tiller unattended for long periods - She's a different boat now -- have a look below

http://www.youtube.com/user/SVHideAway

[carry-on]

Good video. Is that the normal main or a sail change? Same battens?

[Salty19]

Hideaway-Thanks..I always your enjoy your stories and video's.

Loose foots are definitely nice!  Had one made for my 16 and it really made it fly and close to the wind.  Now with the new to me CP19 with boltrope, your thread is good timing.

The multi purchase outhaul is a great idea. 

Thanks again and happy sailing.

[HideAway]

Carry On-  Yes it is a standard main in need of replacement.   There has been much discussion at our sailing club about building a shelf in the main along the foot.   The idea is the same as the vertical fin on a jet plane wing - its supposed to keep the air from falling off the sail and provide more lift.   Most of the racers have them now.  Small stuff makes a difference in this sport!   M

[Shawn]

Thanks for the video,looks interesting.

What happens when you reef?

Shawn

[newt]

impressive video! Makes me want to change my main tomorrow!

[Bob23]

Thanks, Mike. I have a spare sail slug so I may try this later today or Monday.
Bob23

[Craig Weis]

That was a fine video, I'd like to see tell tails stuck on the leading and trailing edges of both sails, and to see these plastered horizontally flat against the sail would really illustrate the work the sails are doing. So aside from crabbing up into the wind a bit more, do we see an increase in SOG? [Knots]?

Keep in mind that for every 15 lb of force on the sails about 1 lb of force makes it to the keel to drive the boat.
I don't sail 'loose footed'. My catboat Penquin, designed by Phil Rhodes, did have a loose footed main AND a vertical batton about in the middle of the one sail for what ever that's worth. Hummmmmmmm. I wonder.

I too have sailed 'hands off' the tiller for about 2 1/2 hours coming back from Marionette-Menominee to Sturgeon Bay. I had no particular tract in mind. Just locked everything down and let C&J go. I think I fell asleep. Of course my CP-19 is no racing boat. Just a safe family boat.

skip.

[HideAway]

Shawn-
When you reef pull the out haul out to flatten the main sail then reef normally.   The idea is to depower the main.  You will sail faster and safer with a reefed main than you will if the main is unreefed and powered up.   Racers tell me it is not uncommon reef 15 times during a race!  I had one captain of a 40 footer tell me he lost a race because they did not reef and had to watch a 28 footer sail right by them.  We don t race however if I can shave off a couple of hours from Gulfport to Dunedin the difference is enjoying the sun set or having supper in the dark.  Matt

[LConrad]

This is great stuff. I tried it this weekend in 15 mph winds gusting to 22. Delightful set her new speed record on GPS - 7.2 MPH.

[Shawn]

Sorry, what I meant to ask is does the sail depower as well loose footed as with the sail in the track?

Have you seen any stress issues on the main or the boom? All forces along the foot of the sail are now at just two points.

Thanks,

Shawn

[Salty19]

Shawn, The truth is almost all the strain on a boltrope main is already on the two ends.  Check for yourself, I bet you can move the foot around in the middle of a boltrope main.

Many CP owners have changed sails to loose footed without any reports of failure that I'm aware.  'course if one failed very few would own up to it.  I had a loose foot (cut that way on a new sail) on the 16 and sailed 'er pretty hard (rail in the water) with zero ill effects. This should not be a concern but always good to be suspicious of unknown (to you)  modifications.

I'll be setting up my boltrope main to loose foot this week.

Hideaway, thanks again for the video.

[CaptRon28]

There are other factors involved, but a loose footed main sail can have better performance than one with a bolt rope tying it to the boom. The difference is sail shape at the bottom few feet of the sail - you can continue the air foil shape all of the way down. The bolt rope tends to straignten it out. Some of the other factors include the size of the sail. Some loose footed designs don't quite make it to the boom anywhere in the middle (mast rolled mains for example, and others) - you've got several inches or more of space showing. The faster sails tend to have cloth that extends down and partially covers the boom. To take advantage of this you've also got to trim the outhaul for the current wind strength.

Most of the strain is on the leech at the aft end of the boom. The rest is on the luff forward. Not much in the middle at all. On a sloop the back half of the main is what's developing most of that sails force.

There's one other nice thing about a loose foot, especially on larger boats. You don't have to gradually thread the bolt rope into the track. Just slide the aft slide into the track and yank on the outhaul. Makes a difference with a 12 or 15 foot boom where you wind up fighting it otherwise.

[brackish]

Great video Matt!  I'm going to give it a try as soon as I relaunch from my road trip.  Doing a little post trip maintenance right now.  Should have bought the second block when I was down in an area that actually had stores for that purpose.  Now, back to mail order.

[Shawn]

Anyone happen to know the size of the sail slug on the 23s main? My main doesn't have one and I want to add it to give loose foot a try.

Thanks,

Shawn