Loose-footed main?

Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
When reefed, there is no trim benefit a to loose footed arrangement. So I almost never get to enjoy the benefit.
When reefed, why would you want your foot (bottom 1/3 of the sail) anything but tight and perfectly flat??

If for some reason you DID want some foot adjustment, you could tie a sail tie or velco strap around the boom and tight through the reefing eye. Then the reefing line would act like an outhaul. But at this time it s probably time to shake it out.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
When reefed, why would you want your foot (bottom 1/3 of the sail) anything but tight and perfectly flat??

If for some reason you DID want some foot adjustment, you could tie a sail tie or velco strap around the boom and tight through the reefing eye. Then the reefing line would act like an outhaul. But at this time it s probably time to shake it out.
I think it was Stu who said it can be good to add some draft to a reefed main. Not sure if I'm remembering that it was him, though...
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I think it was Stu who said it can be good to add some draft to a reefed main. Not sure if I'm remembering that it was him, though...
Perhaps for sailing through a lull in the action when you want to add power but were not willing to shake out the reef.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,432
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
If it's beneficial to trim a full mainsail, why wouldn't it be equally beneficial to trim a shortened sail? The wind range for a reefed sail can't be that narrow to warrant flattening the sail as if you were ready to put in a second reef. I look at it this way ... When windsurfing, I'd carry at least four sail sizes on some days just to be able to have the right sail for the conditions, as conditions changed. The trim on all 4 sails was equally important. I didn't focus on setting the largest sail correctly and then just make the other 3 "flat". In fact, the smaller sails were probably more important, trim-wise, as the fun-factor increased with the wind!
I'll have to admit, though, I'm not technical about the trim on my mainsail once I've reefed it. :confused: I'm just spouting off hypothetically. :)
 
Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
If it's beneficial to trim a full mainsail, why wouldn't it be equally beneficial to trim a shortened sail? The wind range for a reefed sail can't be that narrow to warrant flattening the sail as if you were ready to put in a second reef. I look at it this way ... When windsurfing, I'd carry at least four sail sizes on some days just to be able to have the right sail for the conditions, as conditions changed. The trim on all 4 sails was equally important. I didn't focus on setting the largest sail correctly and then just make the other 3 "flat". In fact, the smaller sails were probably more important, trim-wise, as the fun-factor increased with the wind!
I'll have to admit, though, I'm not technical about the trim on my mainsail once I've reefed it. :confused: I'm just spouting off hypothetically. :)
The problem that I see with your windsurfing analogy is that most windsurfers are basically planing hulls. Here we're mostly talking about displacement hulls. Although you may, as mentioned earlier, want to add a little draft to power through the lulls by the time you've reefed your sail you're probably at or near hull speed.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,432
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I've never known theoretical hull speed to be a barrier. My sailboat regularly breaks thru that theoretical barrier without planing, as will most of ours (in the forum), assuming decent boat and sail maintenance, wind and wave conditions, and proper sailing. When we have reefed the mainsail, we're generally sailing faster than that theoretical barrier. While it is true that the speed gains are substantial with a planning surfboard (it seems odd to call a sailboard a "hull"), it doesn't negate the fact that properly trimmed sails are always an advantage, reefed or not. If draft is important to punch through waves when under full mainsail, why would it not be important when reefed?
 

druid

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Apr 22, 2009
837
Ontario 32 Pender Harbour
Wow - lots of responses to a simple question! :)

One "advantage" I can see tying the foot to the boom is for those crazy racers (mainly dinghies) that bend the boom to affect sail-shape. But my boom ain't bending...

I've also never seen the use of those reef points along the foot of the sail (apart from keeping the excess sail all neat)

druid
 

BayMan

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Sep 12, 2012
203
Hunter 450 Unspecified
I have a furling main which means a loose foot. I don't know anything else. Works just fine.
 

Dan_Y

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Oct 13, 2008
521
Hunter 36 Hampton
We went loose footed when making new sails for our '91 h30T. It was great compared to the footed factory sail. A cruiser once wrote that the one advantage of a footed main was you could drop the main sail a bit in the rain, creating a trough next to the boom, and catch the run off for drinking water.

JD's FEA plots are interesting because when I called Hunter to make sure it was ok to switch to a loose footed main, they said the boom on that boat was "strong enough", not realizing there would be little difference in the load application points on the boom.