Loose footed mainsail?

[suznhenz]

Hi all- I keep thinking that Purrfect would look gorgeous with a tanbark sail and got a good price from Peak Sails for a  colored sail in 3.8 oz Challenge Performance Cruise Dacron. Does anyone know if that is the same weight as the OEM sail? Is there a drawback to a colored sail here in Florida (it will be stored under a sail cover, obviously.) If I spend the money for a new sail, should I get a loose footed one? Is there additional rigging that has to be added to the boom?

Thanks again!

[Galnorth]

I replaced the sail on my suncat, Therese Sea II,  with a loose footed one  earlier this summer and have seen a noticeable improvement in performance.   The only mod I needed to make was to replace my single line reefing lines - the new sails reef points were a bit higher so I needed a longer reefing line.  Although not a real change, I slackened off the lazy jacks and added some sail tape wear patches where the foot of the sail touches the lazy jacks.

[capt_nemo]

suznhenz,

Although I did not have a loose footed main on my Sun Cat, I would have definitely replaced it with a loose footed main when the time came for a new sail.

Everything I've learned about loose footed main sails indicates that they can be adjusted to achieve a more efficient shape than their sail slide/slug/boltrope foot tethered brethren. Consider beefing up the Sun Cat clew outhaul tackle a bit to handle the increased concentrated load at the clew (not distributed along entire foot).

That said, since the Sun Cat was intentionally designed as UNDERCANVASED, with very poor performance in light air, you might seriously want to consider a main with a slightly larger area, with the larger area accommodated by a higher peaked gaff. A quick look at the sail plan for the Marshall Sanderling and relatives shows exactly what I mean.

capt_nemo

[suznhenz]

Thanks to both of you for your input. I think it may be a little while before I order my new sail, as I just got back from Ameriseam, where I ordered a new sail cover ($256.80), a new Bimini ($370 plus $40 for zippers on all three pockets for easier removal) and full cockpit cushions ($810 in Parchment Sunsure- like a tighter weaved Phifertex- with Forest Green Sunbrella piping). I thought those were very good prices. My boat's previous owner couldn't find his old sail cover, so I had to get a new one.

I will keep in mind your recommendations, capt nemo. I see that the Sanderling has a much longer boom than the SunCat and a longer gaff, it appears. Not sure that my "slow and easy" style of sailing needs that much canvas! LOL

Sue

[Craig]

Go slow and get to know your boat. 10 knots is the  "magic number" for Suncats. At that point they really come alive! Because they are "under canvassed", you probably won't have to worry about reefing until the wind approaches 15-16 knots which is a really nice range. The Suncat is a fantastic boat. We loved ours and love our Horizon Cat which in some respects is just a bigger Suncat.

[Peter Dubé]

I'm in the market for a new sail. I have been talking to a couple of lofts and Hutchins.

In speaking to Travis Mack at Mack sails,i asked about going loose footed. He was cautious about the idea. He said it would cause different stresses on the boom as the loads would shifted from the foot to the tack and clew. He said the boom would have to be strong enough to accept the shift of the load.   When I told him that I have mid boom sheeting, he said he would not recommend a loose footed sail.

Peter

[capt_nemo]

Nevertheless, there are a few Sun Cats out there with loose footed main'sls.

I fully understand and agree with his NO recommendation with mid boom sheeting.

capt_nemo