Loose footed main on a J 105

[mellenburg]

We're sailing a J 105 that has a main sail with a flap at the foot that hangs below the boom. Sometimes, this extra piece of sail flaps even though the main appears to be trimmed properly. I've tried easing and tightening the main and tightening the boom vang. I haven't played with the outhaul or the traveler. Does anyone know what adjustments might reduce this flapping when it occurs. It mostly occurs when close-hauled.

[sugar and spice]

If you adjust your outhaul it will tension the foot for you. The idea being you can shape the sail, tighter in stiffer breezes and more full in light wind. The loose footed UK Main I use doesnt flap much when foot tension is set to match the wind. I had to install a good outhaul car, pad eye, cheek block and cam cleat to make it work right and be easy to adjust. I like the sail much better than the bolt rope main I had before. Hope this helps.

[jzk]

Our loose footed main has a small cord that runs through the foot similar to the leach line that our genoa has. This snugs up that flap and prevents the flutter that you describe.

[Paul L]

I believe that the extra cloth you have that hangs lower than the boom does not get counted in sail area for the main. So from a racing rules point of view it is free. Fussing with the outhaul will help, but yoi don't want to mess up the rest of the sail shape to get this flap looking pretty.

Paul L

[jzk]

The outhaul is a seperate adjustment than this cord to prevent the flapping. You don't want to have to use the outhaul to control this.

[Weyalan]

As a general rule, the lighter the breeze the more you should ease the outhaul, and as the breeze gets stronger, the more you should lighten outhaul. Outhaul is one of the easiest ways of changing the shape of the bottom third of the sail to suit the breeze. Flatter sail = more pointing, less power, rounder sail = less pointing ability, more power.