Loose-footed Mains

[David]

Tim, I know you have a loose-footed main on Glissando. Some questions for you and anyone else sailing with one: What are the advantages? Do you tie in reefs in the same way or under the boom instead? Any drawbacks to loose-footing?

Thanks in advance,

David

[Figment]

Noooooooooooo! on a loose-footed main, always run the reef pennants between the boom and the sail, not under the boom. She's loosefooted before the reef, and should be loosefooted while reefed as well.
If you run them under the boom and something fails in the reef outhaul hardware (or someone accidentally opens the wrong clutch), you just bought yourself a new sail.

To me, the primary advantage of the loosefooted main is the ease of adjusting the shape of the lower reigon of the sail in light air.

Drawbacks, I can't think of many. It's generally a little more difficult to get a good flake going when taking down a loosefooted main, I think.
I've read that some long-passage cruisers prefer a captured-foot main for the ability to collect rainwater, but now we're really grasping at straws.

[David]

WIth a loose-footed main is the foot straight to the top side of the boom as in a captured-foot or is it scalloped and overlapping the boom (and if it is, is that a potential chafe area)?

Thanks,

David

[dasein668]

WIth a loose-footed main is the foot straight to the top side of the boom as in a captured-foot or is it scalloped and overlapping the boom (and if it is, is that a potential chafe area)?

Thanks,

David

Depends on your sailmaker. Mine has a slight scallop to it. I haven't noticed any chafe issues. The only time the foot really touches the boom is when you tack.

I love my loose footed main and wouldn't really ever consider going back. As Mike says, you can really control the shape of the lower part of the sail, especially in light air, which can really make a difference in performance.

[Tim]

There's not much I can add to the above posts. I like the loose-foot main a lot. It sure makes adjustment easier. You need a pretty beefy outhaul tackle for heavier winds, though, since only the outhaul is holding the sail out (with none of the usual friction inherent in a captured foot).

Possible disadvantage: some old booms may not really be up to snuff, strength-wise, to properly accommodate a loose foot and rigid boom vang combination. The solution here is a new boom.

Flaking might be marginally more difficult, but not really. The bigger the sail, the more of a difference this might make, but in any case it's not enough to sway the decision one way or another.

[tartan30cirrus]

I have loose foot w/ slight scallop. Great shape, fine flaking, and no visible chafe.