loose foot or bolt rope

[Johnston Jeff]

Should I consider a loose footed main for my Hunter25.5. My sailmaker is of the opinion that both a bolt rope and a loose foot work equally well after the design of the sail is adjusted for either. Are there real benefits or drawbacks?Jeff

 

[David Foster]

Loose foot is better

This is an improvement from the racing world that is just flat better. The sail is easier to shape, and more efficient. There are no disadvantages. So go for it!David

 

[Don Alexander]

Before Loose Footed Sails

Jeff,Just before the use of loose footed sails they made them with a "shelf". This was a panel of cloth which would stretch along the bias so that the shape of the foot could be pulled out to flatten it. Most of this shelf was horizontal. It had the merit of restricting the loss of air under the bottom of the sail so providing more power. ie. it provided an endplate - (now seen on aircraft wing tips and yacht keels)Present day loose footed sails sacrifice this but it doesn't seem to matter.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Careful.

There are a couple of disadvantages that can be overcome by the right sailmaker. The obvious one is that all the forces are on the tack and the clew. The foot of the sail does not help distribute that force along the boom. So the sail has to be designed for that. Not a problem with a new main from a reputable company.These same forces extend to your hardware. Now all the strain is on the outhaul. So you want to be sure your boom attachment points are up to the task.My new North main is loose-footed and gives me lots of options for trimming.

 

[JPF]

Depends on Use..

Loose-footed mains do provide more adjustment of the mainsail, and potentially improved performance. However, I have sailed using both types of mainsails while crewing on the same boat in Wednesday night races, and really didn't see much difference in performance.Also, be aware that when converting to a loose-footed mainsail you may need to upgrade the outhaul hardware on your boom. This can easily cost an additional $150.00Since I don't race "my" boat, and am mostly a weekend cruiser, I went with a standard-footed main when I replaced it last year. In my experience, if your'e not racing, it is unlikely you will mess much with the outhaul anyway...Just my two cent's worth, and maybe not even worth that much..!

 

[Brad]

Loose foot on my 25.5

We got a new main on our 25.5 this year, switching from the original bolt rope to the loose foot on the advice of our sailmaker (Doyle). We race a bit and cruise, and in either case I've noticed better and easier control over shape of the foot. I can get the foot dead flat with the outhaul full on, which helps in bigger winds. When eased to any degree, the foot takes on a nice, fair curve right to the bottom, as it is unrestricted by a bolt rope. We've noticed no loss of power, and I don't think it's an issue on the 25.5, as the boat is easily driven. We got a bit of extra roach up top, with a full top batten, and it's worked out really well. If anything, we're trying to train ourselves to reef earlier, as this boat is overpowered easily, and seems to go fastest (and more comfortably!) between 15 and 20 or so degrees of heel. More than that and the speedo starts sinking. Just to say, since we have the same boat, I've had no hardware problems. As stated in the previous post, the forces are concentrated at the tack and clew in either foot configuration. We were a bit apprehensive too, but we got used to it in no time (all psychological!), and really like it. As our sailmaker promised, there are no disadvantages. I'd go with it. Good luck!