Loose Footed Main

[Dan & Pat]

We're finally ready to think about a launch date! A couple of rainy weekends have slowed us down, but I'm thinking mid July!

The new mainsail was ordered from Porpoise Sailing in Sarasota FL a few weeks ago. The sailmaker asked me if we preferred a loose footed main... I told him I wasn't sure. Is there a specific weather or wind condition that makes this more desireable on a CD 25?

I've done some reading in past posts, and it seems as though this is the preferred style. Anyone with any thoughts?

Dan

[mahalocd36]

Just a caution - check your boom - if it's mid-boom sheeting at a single point, there are a lot of opposing forces there. Booms can break - just ask Bob Emmons. He had a nice writeup in the Masthead about fixing it and changing his mainsheet routing and attachment to the boom.

You are changing from somewhat evenly distributing the force on the boom to just having the force on the two ends. A lot of people have changed to loose-footed and like it. A lot of people say their boat points better, sails better. However, a lot of that *might* come from getting new sails, period.

[Glen C]

You are changing from somewhat evenly distributing the force on the boom to just having the force on the two ends.

Wouldn't the forces be distributed the same with a reefed main?

[Anthony P. Jeske]

Dan:
If you look around, you'll see that most racing sailboats are now sporting loose footed mains. It's pretty safe to assume they would only be using these if they improved performance. It's the curve of the sail that provides lift. The foot of the mainsail loses its curve when it's fastened along the straight boom. The loose foot allows the curve to be maintained throughout the entire sail, a good thing.
However, in order to get the most out of the loose foot, one needs to have an effective way to adjust the clew outhaul. With an easily adjustable outhaul, you can easily flatten the sail in higher winds, or add more belly to power up in light air. Sadly, our Cape Dorys don't come with easily adjustable outhauls. You'd need to consider improving the outhaul of you want the best performance out of your new loose footed main.
Good Luck,
Tony Jeske

[Dan & Pat]

One of the issues that I saw as being a potential challenge was the need to be making adjustments when wind condition changes.

I'm thinking about extending the outhaul bitter end through a series of blocks or loops along the boom and terminating it on a cleat on the boom up close to the mast. This would eliminate the need to be standing up and leaning out to make tension adjustments.

Like everywhere else, South Florida weather does change sometimes in a matter of minutes. This time of year we have decent ESE winds that start the day at 5-10 and by noon are up in the teens to low twenties. Come evening its back down below 5. Fall and Winter winds, on the other hand, can change 180 or even 360 degrees in an hour, and blow up to 30 or down to FAC (Flat @$$ Calm) in another hour, so sail changes and adjustments will be one of the drills we will have to practice.

[Neil Gordon]

Wouldn't the forces be distributed the same with a reefed main?

Yes, except that the leverage is somewhat reduced.

[Ed Haley]

I have a Halsey Lidgard mainsail on my CD330. It has a shelf along the foot that allows adjustment of the mainsail so that the sail has a full curve up to a limit; the limit being the full extension of the outhaul travel (about 8 inches). The sail has a curve as if it's loose-footed but retains the slugs in the boom. When the outhaul is fully tensioned, the sail is flattened along the boom and the shelf disappears along the boom like an accordion without a visible tuck.

I had a loose footed main in my daysailer. It worked well but the sail could vertically fold in half if the outhaul line came free.

[Stan W.]

Although more of a racing thing and not common on cruising sails, it is possible to cut an attached-foot main so its lower part flies just as flat as a loose-footed main. When the outhaul is tightened, some extra sail cloth is squeezed to leeward and just hangs there not doing anything. Some people claim this type of sail gives a beneficial end-plate effect when sailing downwind with the outhaul loosened. Interestingly, I'm pretty sure most if not all Americas Cup yachts have attached-foot mains. This may be the result of some quirk in the rating rules but it doesn't seem to slow them down much in any event.