I am looking for an outhaul car for my '75 Catalina with new loose-footed main. This would be for a boom that has the 1/2" round bolt-rope slot.
Catalina 27 Outhaul Car, Loose-Footed Main
- Thread starter philwsailz
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Phil, when I bought my new loose-footed mainsail it came with its own slide/slug which was sewn on to the clew of the sail. There is no separate car required. And it works fine. If you have a sail without one, call your local sail loft. They should be able to find one (and attach if if desired).
Consider using a sail tie tied around the boom instead, or at least as backup to a sail slide. That is what you will be using when the sail slide breaks off as ours did and we are still using the sail tie method. Works just fine if there aren't any fittings on that end of the boom.
Love our new loose footed main BTW.
Love our new loose footed main BTW.
Cool, thanks for the input. I am bench-sailing as it is winter and I will likely not get to sail this summer either due to the drought. I have my son's boat, but it doesn't hold much beer....
Still building on the 27 and jsut thinking through all the little nuggets I want and need still. The outhaul car and a good 4:1 or better outhaulwere on the list. I thknk you have almost convinced me I don't need the car.....
Still building on the 27 and jsut thinking through all the little nuggets I want and need still. The outhaul car and a good 4:1 or better outhaulwere on the list. I thknk you have almost convinced me I don't need the car.....
I've had the loose foot main for quite some time... it increased performance dramatically of the old North, attached foot, main it replaced.... but... most of that improvement is the result of a new sail replacing an old, worn out one.. what the loose foot allowed was near instantaneous adjustment to draft depth....easily visible.
If you feel more comfortable with an attached foot, have your sailmaker sew in a "shelf" of lightweight sail cloth to fill the gap between foot and boom...the shelf folds up as the outhaul tension inceases. That said, most sailors find the loose foot more than adequate and are reluctant to spend the extra money for negligent performance increase of the open version.
Attached foot sails, must be cut differently and offer less responsive adjustment. Many attached foot sails were equipped with a "flattening reef" feature.... essentially an additional cringle four to six inches above the clew that required special tackle to constrict the leech more which effectively flattens the lower part of the sail..... not seen too much on modern sails.
As I said in another thread, most modern non racing sails will have a somewhat larger roach, and require full battens in the top two slots.... partial battens in the lower two slots, and a loose foot, will allow one to quickly adjust outhaul..draft depth... and that gives the average sailor like myself a lot more tools for little investment.
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