loose foot or not?

[Craig Illman]

Catalina Direct has a replacement outhaul kit to increase the purchase to 20:1, or you can assemble the equivalent yourself. A very useful control to depower your sail quickly.

[Noah]

INMHO, the best "tool to depower" the main is the traveler. Outhaul is for fine tunning. 20:1 is a lot of purchase, maybe overkill.

[britinusa]

I think the CD outhaul kit is 10:1.

I intend to take a close look at the current condition of the outhaul: Wire, Shackle, Boom internal lines & sheaves, and their bearing pins.

The clew will be held down to the boom with a webbing/velcro strap inside the Cradle Cover.

Paul

[Craig Illman]

yes, my mistake, 10:1

It's definitely an improvement over the factory 3:1 outhaul. Yes, there are many ways to depower, move the traveler to leeward, loosen the vang, loosen the mainsheet, tighten the Cunningham and reef, whatever one prefers.

[KWKloeber]

yes, my mistake, 10:1

It's definitely an improvement over the factory 3:1 outhaul. Yes, there are many ways to depower, move the traveler to leeward, loosen the vang, loosen the mainsheet, tighten the Cunningham and reef, whatever one prefers.

Paul,

Although you can certainly use the current slugged car - I do w/ my loose footed main.  But a bb car/track is nicer.  Harken has a system, so does Garhauer.  The GhM has purchase, so you leave the 3:1 add the car, and end up with 6:1.  sweet.

I had been working with GhM (I'm a dealer)  to come up with a system very much like the Harken outhaul car, but the customer went a different direction -- I could pursue if there's a need.  I think it could be done to be ordered with or w/o purchase.

Ken

[KWKloeber]

I'm not a sail trim/ sail power expert. but I'm not sure all the methods mentioned are the 'best" (or "proper") way to depower.   Has anyone seen the sail trim charts that a C30 has brethren developed?   They are very good.

http://www.sailtrimproducts.com/sail_trim_chart.html

Reefing is IMHO the proper way to depower a main, as less cloth is to the headsail -- depending of course pn how much depowering you need.


kk

[Jim Hardesty]

Don't want to change this discussion to sail trim 101.  Just want to second Ken's recommendation of Don Guillette's sail trim book and guides.  I study the book every spring and keep the guides handy when sailing.  It's the only book that I don't loan out. 
Jim

[Stu Jackson]

Although you can certainly use the current slugged car - I do w/ my loose footed main.  But a bb car/track is nicer.  Harken has a system, so does Garhauer.  The GhM has purchase, so you leave the 3:1 add the car, and end up with 6:1.  sweet.

I had been working with GhM (I'm a dealer)  to come up with a system very much like the Harken outhaul car, but the customer went a different direction -- I could pursue if there's a need.  I think it could be done to be ordered with or w/o purchase.

That is a fine, fine way to do it.  The internal arrangement has always been problematical, hence the repeated "fixes" needed to make it work.

I also agree with Jim, Don's Sail Trim book is the very best ever written on the subject.  You can get it here:  http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?51998/

[Craig Illman]

Thanks Stu! Just ordered the book and laminated chart. Maybe I can even get my partner to read it so she can make suggestions when she's at the helm. 

[KWKloeber]

Thanks Stu! Just ordered the book and laminated chart. Maybe I can even get my partner to read it so she can make suggestions when she's at the helm. 

Thank's Ken for bringing this to our attention LOL! 
No, seriously Craig -- Not to hijack this thread into one on sail trim, but Don G is also a regular contributor to SBO and he has many posts on sail trim and boat handling in general.  Check out his threads when you get a chance -- it will take a long time to get thru them all!!

http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?search/28248/

kk
ps. IMHO, increasing depth is not the way to depower the main. Light wind = more belly; heavy weather = a flat sail.

[Craig Illman]

Ken - sorry, yes, you identified Don's book and chart, but it was way easier to order via SBO, instead of directly from Don. I don't think I suggested loosening the outhaul to depower, but to tighten it?

I cruise in the San Juan islands, we try to sail, often motor. Often in the summer, the currents are more significant than the available wind and what wind there may be, dramatically changes every few hundred yards. There are lots of opportunities to fiddle with all available sail controls. I certainly will defer to the racing crowd.

[Alex W]

I'm not familiar with Don's guide, but from years of racing I will say that loosening the outhaul is not a good way to depower the main.  Slacking the outhaul increases the draft of the sail, which increases lift and drag.  Increased drag means the boat will go slower, but increased lift means it will heel just as much.

The draft should be shallow in very light air, deepen as the wind picks up, then be pulled shallow again as the boat picks up speed in heavier air and starts to heel past 12-15 degrees.  The reason the draft needs to be shallower in very light air is to maintain laminar flow (air sticks to the front and back of the sail, and stays at the same speed).  There was a good thread somewhere about how a bigger jib isn't better in very light air – same principle with mainsail draft.

Unfortunately the outhaul is only effective at controlling the draft on the bottom third of the sail.  Sail draft farther up the main is best controlled by bowing the mast forward (increasing backstay tension).  Our masts don't bow, so this control is not available to us.

Dumping the traveler has the same effect on the main as heading up a few degrees, and letting out the mainsheet will open the sail and spill air... both effective in the short term, but I agree the correct answer is to reef.  If there's more than 90% out front I would change headsails (reef... yayyy roller furling) before thinking about shrinking the main.

[Stu Jackson]

There was a good thread somewhere about how a bigger jib isn't better in very light air – same principle with mainsail draft.

It's a sticky topic right here on the forum.

Dumping the traveler has the same effect on the main as heading up a few degrees, and letting out the mainsheet will open the sail and spill air...

Correct.  As Don discusses in his book, what this does is change the angle of attack, but using the traveler changes the angle, while letting out the mainsheet changes both the angle and the sail trim, not always a desired approach.

[Craig Illman]

As a follow on, SBO shipped the book and charts the same day as ordered. Since they were local, I had them the next day.

I'm going to sleep with them under my pillow and through osmosis, it will be ingrained into my brain by next spring.

Craig

[Stu Jackson]

I'm going to sleep with them under my pillow and through osmosis, it will be ingrained into my brain by next spring.

Good technique, worked for me all through college.