Loose footed main vs bolt roped main

kappykaplan · Oct 9, 2022

My main is loose footed - works fine. :beer:

PaulK · Oct 9, 2022

Having a loose foot allows the sail to set better along the foot. It isn't twisted by the boom, so air flow across the sail improves. Jibs seem to work fine with loose feet. Besides the improved performance, if you were buying a new sail you would find that a loose-footed one would be cheaper because there is less work involved for the sailmaker.

dlochner · Oct 9, 2022

Loose footed, easier to adjust the outhaul and cheaper to build.

Tally Ho · Oct 9, 2022

I bought a new sail 2 years ago, and it is my first loose-footed sail.

i like it as it can carry the shape of the foil all the way to th boom. On my old sail with a bolt rope, the sail was “gathered” at the boom, and did not carry its foil shape all the way down.

There is more stress on the tack and clew I would say, so make sure that the sail is reinforced at the corners even more than usual.

Greg

Kingjim91 · Oct 9, 2022

I’ve had a loose-footed sail for two seasons. It adds a surprising degree of shape control.

heritage · Oct 9, 2022

I don't think that making your present sail loose footed will take out the 8" inches of bagginess on the boom. Although if you do go loose footed, It might help the sail shape in light air if you eased the outhaul and allowed to rope bolt to relax. I went loose footed on my new mainsail and like the way it is working.

shemandr · Oct 9, 2022

A baggie sail is a baggie sail. Sometimes some surgery can help it but mostly it's done for sailing upwind. It's not just the initial shape, when a wind gust hits, the sail will stretch and and get worse in shape. Bagginess begets too much power and heel and rudder and is slow. There's nothing good there. You can make excuses but a crappie sail is a crappie sail. Sailing is dynamic sport. If you're not moving you're not having fun.

jssailem · Oct 9, 2022

The loose foot improves your sail trim options. When the sail is dropped the sail spills onto the top of the boat

You loose the way the bolt rope allows you to capture the sail on the boom. Some are even known to use the boom footed sail as a makeshift hammock.

I’m a loose foot fan.

Parsons · Oct 10, 2022

I'm with @shemandr - it is probably time for a new sail not a repair. If you have almost a foot of halyard sag in a 33 foot luff sail, it is probably badly stretched out. Some sailmakers do a lifetime extension called a "tummy tuck" where they remove some material and re-stich to bring back a couple year's life to a bagged out sail. But I think this may be too complex a project for a DIY sailmaker. If you are experiencing excess heel and poor performance, perhaps it is time to look at new. BTW: There are used sails available in the bargain bin (for example: Home - Bacon Sails ) but I warn you that you may just be buying someone else's old baggy sail.

Dave Groshong · Oct 10, 2022

Loose footed is infinitely more adjustable for sail trim!

JBP-PA · Oct 10, 2022

I did this exact same project last winter. I took my baggie bolt rope foot and converted it to a loose foot. It helped me adjust sail shape a lot, but it is not perfect (yet). My main was recently reconditioned by the PO, but still had the big foot shelf to give it shape. I cut off the bolt rope, some of the foot shelf, and added new edge binding tape. The biggest problem i had is there was not enough length near the foot shelf, so I would have to remove too much foot if I wanted it REALLY flat. I already had a slide at the clew, and I have boom end sheeting, so no worries there. This winter I'm planning some changes to make it better. I'll dig up some pics.

Would it be easier to buy a new one? Sure, if you have the money and don't want to spend your time on it. On the other hand, I love fixing things, making them better than new, and learning new skills. I can always buy a new sail later if I want (or if I screw it up). This is the perfect opportunity to start learning sail making. I'd much rather fix something myself than pay someone else to do it.

JBP-PA · Oct 10, 2022

Bolt rope off, laying out where I want to cut.

My $50 zig zag machine, slightly modified for sail work.

In use.

Doing it was great fun, learned a lot. I'm not finished yet, I want to make the foot longer so I can get rid of the concavity and maybe raise the clew if I can (the boom does not quite clear my bimini when sheeted tight, thus the pendant at the tack).

CaptainStan · Oct 10, 2022

I have loose footed. I asked the local sailmaker how to tension the outhall . He said there should be about 9" between the boom and the bottom of the sail. When runing down wind you can loosen it off.
Why not leave the bolt rope on the sail for now and add a slide.

Parsons · Oct 10, 2022

Beautiful sentiments and work, @JBP-PA - I love the can-do attitude and willingness to tear it apart and work on it.

I'm just afraid that someone will confuse taking a little canvas off the bottom and hauling the foot tight with eliminating the bulging middle, well back from the luff of the sail. The sagging luff may be just one symptom of a badly blown-out sail. If you do not care about the amount of heel for the forward push, and are just lazy sailing, that's great - to each his own. Once the sail cloth is stretched out, there is no quick fixing it.

h2o_snow · Oct 10, 2022

Blown out is blown out.

A Recut will help but as folks have noted, is not the end solution. Our new sails have offered noticeably better performance than the original 20 year old canvas.

Hollyberry · Oct 10, 2022

I'm doubtful that anyone would build you a bolt rope footed main without charging you more! And you'd probably have to insist on it.. Loose foot is one of our 'good new normals'! ;

JBP-PA · Oct 10, 2022

The Sailrite sail repair guide is $9 and has a brief but very useful guide to sail repair and modification. The Sailmakers Apprentice is also supposed to be good, but I don't have it.

Loose footed main vs bolt roped main

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