loose foot or closed foot main?

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greigwill
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Joined: 3/28/10
Posts: 174
loose foot or closed foot main?

Time for a new main from National Sail...any reason to keep the closed foot main?

"Sailing Still" 1990 C36 M25 wing
 Sail Canada/Transport Canada training
Gibsons Harbour BC
www.landsendbc.ca

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Nimue
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Joined: 6/23/09
Posts: 429

Both of mine are loose footed - in BC it is basically the choice between having the rain run off the sail all along the boom (loose) or run to the end of the boom and drip just on one person (closed).

Jason V
Vancouver, BC, Canada

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GaryB
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Posts: 570

Have had an open foot for about 5 years now never saw any difference in performance, easier to haul it out because less friction. Certainly easier to put on for same reason as above. This year I added a "stack pack" and it uses the channel to secure the pack, now I do not have to have sail ties or a seperate sail cover as it is all on the boom.

Gary Bain
S/V "Gone With The Wind"
Catalina 36', Hull #: 1056, Year: 1990, Engine: M-35
Standard Rig
Moored: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Home: Auburn, Maine

greigwill
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Joined: 3/28/10
Posts: 174

Loose foot it will be then,thanks Sailing close hauled yesterday,full main and 125 gen,wheel brake on,no autopilot...the boat perfectly balanced,seemed like it could have gone on forever that way..the sound of silence.

"Sailing Still" 1990 C36 M25 wing
 Sail Canada/Transport Canada training
Gibsons Harbour BC
www.landsendbc.ca

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deising
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Posts: 1351

[QUOTE=greigwill;9504]Loose foot it will be then,thanks Sailing close hauled yesterday,full main and 125 gen,wheel brake on,no autopilot...the boat perfectly balanced,seemed like it could have gone on forever that way..the sound of silence.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's a sweet feeling.

Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/

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montenido
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Joined: 3/20/10
Posts: 52

Hi Gary, I have a loose-footed main with Dutchman furling and I would like to add the stack pack instead. Do you have a name of the manufacturer of yours? Pictures would be even better if it isn't too much trouble.

Thanks and cheers, Bill

[QUOTE=Gary Bain;9499]Have had an open foot for about 5 years now never saw any difference in performance, easier to haul it out because less friction. Certainly easier to put on for same reason as above. This year I added a "stack pack" and it uses the channel to secure the pack, now I do not have to have sail ties or a seperate sail cover as it is all on the boom.[/QUOTE]

S/V Wild Wind, 1988 SR, #813,
Channel Islands Marina, CA

windward1
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Joined: 9/18/09
Posts: 146

Gentlemen,
When you purchased a new main from National or other such companies, did they put the Dutchmen pockets and "holes" in the sail or did you have to take the new sail to a local loft?

Richard
1994 C36 Tall Rig M1.5
Waukegan Harbor
Lake Michigan

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GaryB
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Joined: 10/26/08
Posts: 570

Bill,
I purchased the stack pack from Hallett Canvas and Sail in Falmouth, Maine. Along with the stack pack they made "Lazy Jacks" I can not tell you how much easier this has made dropping the sail. I do not have the threads going up through the main as my thought is it would become problamatic. This arrangement works fine.
I found this picture which shows most of the pack with the lazy jacks. The LJ's are adjustable another feature to consider as with a full batten main many times you cannot point directly into the wind. When lowering though with the LJ's taught the sail just drops into the pack and you just zipper the top...no ties, no sail on the deck, & no sail cover to install.
The only negative factor was that unknown to me it has a tendancy to funnel rain into the boom. A small hole in the bottom is planned to allow the rain to drain....no big deal.

Gary Bain
S/V "Gone With The Wind"
Catalina 36', Hull #: 1056, Year: 1990, Engine: M-35
Standard Rig
Moored: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Home: Auburn, Maine

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pilotsailor
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Joined: 10/27/14
Posts: 8

We just bought a new main sail that is open footed and I noticed that the foot is longer than the length of the boom.  Is this normal? 

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tgrover
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Joined: 1/5/08
Posts: 131

You may want to go back to your sail maker to see what "E" (foot) measurement they used. If you have a standard rig, the 'E" measurement is 12.0 feet. You may have ended up with a standard rig sail that has a tall rig "E" measurement of 13.0 feet. I have seen this on several of the online sail lofts where they show the standard rig "E" measurement to be 13.0 feet. Your options are to have the sail re-cut or get a tall rig boom. Hope this helps.

Tom & Janis Grover

C36 #0949
SR/WK, M25XP
Midland, ON

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Laura
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Joined: 12/23/07
Posts: 150

We got a new loose footed main last year and the difference in sail trim is wonderful. 
The plan this year is to also add the stack pack option.
 

Laura Olsen
Commodore C36/375IA
S/V Miramar
hull 938 (MKI 1989, TR,WK, M25xp)
Edgemere, MD

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GaryB
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Posts: 570

When you get your stack pack you'll be asking yourself why you did not do it sooner, believe me!

Gary Bain
S/V "Gone With The Wind"
Catalina 36', Hull #: 1056, Year: 1990, Engine: M-35
Standard Rig
Moored: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Home: Auburn, Maine

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