hunter 27' mainsail/ loose foot or slides?

[john]

I am contemplating having a new main made for my cherubini 27'. Are there advantages to having a loose foot or one with slides? I am also somewhat confused. the Specs. call for a hunter 1977 27' for a luff of 29' 10". My boat did not come with an OEM main, so I don't have one to measure. The 29' 10" main seems a little too long for my rig. It brings the boom down very close to my head while standing in the cockpit. Any thoughts here are appreciated.

 

[David Foster]

Loose footed

There are some good discussions in the archives. Loose footed is equivalent shelf-footed for performance, but it is easier to adjust the clew.My Doyle main keeps the boom well above 6 feet off the cockpit floor while sailing. In port, the topping lift can be adjusted to give you whatever boom height you want.Find a sailmaker locally, or on this site - a good one will answer all your questions, and make you the sail you want. That includes raising the aft end of the boom a little under sail if that is what you want.DavidLady Lillie