Loose Footed or Not?

[Royce]

I have a 75h30 and my main is 3-4 years old. It has a bolt rope for the foot to slide in the boom. Could I get better sail shape control by removing the bolt rope from the boom and putting a 1" webb strap thru the clew and around the boom?Thanks for the forum

 

[Joe]

Off hand I'd say....

... probably not without a major re-cut. Why? Because the sail with a fully attached foot usually has what is called a "shelf" cut into it. This allows the sail to bulge out when tension is eased on the outhaul. After removing the bolt rope there would be a lot of excess sail flapping around. Call a local sail loft for details on the feasibility of this project. If it is possible I would highly recommend it. A loose footed main is absolutely the best way to go IMHO. My old main had a shelf, my new one's loose and the difference is profound. Let us know what you did and how it turned out.

 

[Been There]

What differences do you see, Joe?

I've had sails of both sorts, and as far as I can tell, the one that performs best is always the newer one. I've seen two advantages to loose-footed sails. They are easier to bend on. The outhaul is easier to use. On the other hand, I think it is easier to flake a footed sail. And if you want one of those built-in sailcovers, such as the StakPak, the sail has to be footed. I'm eager to hear what differences others have found.

 

[Don Alexander]

Bolt Rope

You can keep a stack pack type of sailcoat in place using a dummy bolt rope. ie. just a piece of the right sized rope fed into the footrope slot after the slug has been entered.My UK main is so flat at the foot that I am considering leaving the footrope out of the boom altogether and just using the clew slug - but I do not know if it will take the loads.Anyone tried it please?

 

[Bill Colombo]

Loose vs Std Fotted Mains

Royce, I like loose-footed mains due to their simplicity and efficiency. This type of mainsail is easy to flatten; simply pull the outhaul tight. Conversely, there is no cloth limiting how much you can deepen the foot by easing. If you have a bolt rope in the foot of your current sail you will need to have a sail loft remove it before it will perform in this manner. In order to hold the clew to the boom a Velcro strap or a clew slug will work equally well.Bill Colombo, Doyle SF