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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Loose footed mainsail vs. snug footed

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AADIVER
Admiral

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USA
966 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/26/2006 : 16:57:57

According to the "experts", a loose footed main is superior/more effective than attached to the boom with a bolt rope thru the boom slot per factory delivered. If so, why aren't more Catalinas rigged that way aftermarket as a mod

Frank Farmer
Long Beach, CA
aa.diver@verizon.net
http://mysite.verizon.net/aa.diver

PRETTY PENNY
'01 C-250 WK, Hull #558

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Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2006 : 17:59:48

Frank, there are many discussions of this in the archives. I suspect that many of the footed mains you see are the factory originals. Many of us, when buying a replacement main, have gone to a loose foot, because it makes adjusting the draft so much easier. That's what I did two years ago when I bought a new main from Doyle. I really, really like it.

Brooke

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AADIVER
Admiral

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USA
966 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2006 : 21:47:37

From an archived post:

"North (Sails) doesn't claim that the loose-footed main is a faster sail, or that the wind moves over it more efficiently. If they had any test data that said otherwise, they would probably have said so."

So why should I bother loosening mine just to gain a cabin top hand-hold?

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2006 : 22:00:07

Frank,

There are about a million and one sail manufacturers all of whom have a different opinions about just about everything. I don't think anyone in this post said the sail is "Faster" They said it is easier to adjust the draft and shape the sail with a loose foot.

Second - Why should You bother just to gain a cabin top hand hold - I don't know, you brought the entire topic up, nobody is trying to twist your arm.

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AADIVER
Admiral

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USA
966 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2006 : 23:11:50

Does a loose footed main affect weather helm in any way?
Nobody has yet answered my query as to why the vast majority of 250's have (and keep) factory delivered boom snugged mains and not loose footed ones.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2006 : 23:34:50

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by FARMHAND
 Does a loose footed main affect weather helm in any way?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No more so than a footed main.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by FARMHAND
 Nobody has yet answered my query as to why the vast majority of 250's have (and keep) factory delivered boom snugged mains and not loose footed ones.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I would guess the reason why the vast majority of 250's still have and keep their factory mains is because the C250 is still a relatively young boat and owners don't have a need to replace their mains yet. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it)

When I bought my boat, a C25, it still had the original 20 year old bolt-roped footed main that was still serviceable. I since replaced it with a loose footed main. I'd imagine as the average age of the C250 starts to get up there, you'll see more C250's with newer, non-factory sails with some of these sails being loose footed mainsl's.

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 03/26/2006 : 23:37:05

Frank, C250s are newer and have not worn out their factory sails. Loose footed sails are cut for that and have a reinforced clew. It is much easier to adjust the outhaul on a loose footed main due to less friction. I think most C250s have not converted because they are still running their factory mainsails.

I've run my North shelf footed main both loose and in the slot. I like it footed better, loose I can't work the draft of the shelf very well.

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5932 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2006 : 07:57:45

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">So why should I bother loosening mine just to gain a cabin top hand-hold?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">You shouldn't. But when it's time to replace your sail, you should replace it with a loose-footed main.

I haven't seen any significant difference in performance between the footed main and the loose-footed main. But many sailors set the tension of their outhaul, and never change it. They don't realize how much they can improve the performance of their boat by adjusting the outhaul tension in accordance with the windspeed and the point of sail.

When you get a loose-footed mainsail, you can see more clearly how much the depth of the sail's draft can be changed by increasing or decreasing the outhaul tension. Once you see that, you start experimenting with it, and you become a smarter sail trimmer.

But, until you get a loose-footed mainsail, you should learn to adjust the outhaul tension on the footed mainsail, because the principle is the same with both sails, and it'll improve the performance of your boat.

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AADIVER
Admiral

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USA
966 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2006 : 10:43:53

Thank y'all, especially Steve's post. Bottom line: slack the outhaul tension in light air, tighten it in heavier air. Now I've got to figure out how to remove the foot from the track and re-attach the sail's tack and the clew!

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Ericson33
Admiral

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USA
892 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2006 : 11:29:18

Lets see you own a 2001 sailboat, Do you race the boat? What are the conditions that you go out in, Light air to heavy. I had a bolt rope on the main sail of the San Juan 24 I owned. I really kinda liked it, It made me feel more secure that the sail was going thru the boom. The plus (if you have kids) is take the sail down about a foot and use the foot of the sail like a hammock. This is nice for smaller children. I don't think there is a huge preformace difference in the sails, I think the loose footed sail spills air down thru the slot, as the footed main has to spill over the boom.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2006 : 18:33:42

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Capri25
 I think the loose footed sail spills air down thru the slot, as the footed main has to spill over the boom.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Not necessarily, the loose foot usually hangs over the boom. Plus any air your losing down that low isn't doing much for you anyway.

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Charlie Vick
Captain

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USA
423 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2006 : 19:12:05

Loose foot.

You can get so much more sail shape adjustability you'll wonder why you didn't do it before.
But everone is different.
Sailing on a lake with constant wind speed changes I'm always messing with my sails to get the best shape to match the wind. Thats part of the fun of it for me.
But there are those who like to set their sails and forget about it, which is ok too.
Its all about what you want to get out of your sailing.
My sail shape looks great, my teak... well thats another story...

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5932 Posts

Response Posted - 03/27/2006 : 19:14:54

The theory used to be that the footed mainsail had an "end-plate effect." The attachment of the sail along the boom supposedly funneled the air along the boom and maximized the power generated by the sail.

The advocates of loose-footed mainsails now contend that the end plate of a footed mainsail actually generates more turbulent air than a loose-footed main, and that the loose-footed mainsail generates less turbulent air.

If there have been any objective tests proving either proposition, I've never seen them, but I raced against a lot of boats with loose-footed mainsails, and never saw any noticeable difference. I suspect the difference, if any, is so insignificant that it's like agruing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

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