SAIL LOCO wrote:

And with a shelf foot, do you honestly expect the foot bolt rope to hold the
sail
if the clew slug breaks?? Sorry, but it ain't gonna!

LOL......... Well you tell me how a bolt rope is going to lift out of the slot
especially when it's held by the tack fitting and the outhaul? There is no way
a 5/16" rope is going to lift out of a 1/16" wide slot. Duh "it ain't gonna"

If the stress is enough to rip the slug out of the track, or break the connector
between clew & slug, yes it is. Been there, done that..... it rips across the foot
of the sail like a zipper.

If the problem is chafe where the slug is strapped to the clew, then yes your foot
might stay in the track.

The tack fitting is at the other end of the foot, how is it going to help keep the
clew in place? Loco, you're not an engineer are ya?

BTW I used to not believe in putting a relieving line on the sail between reef
point & boom when reefed... but now I do... guess why?



The only reason to have a shelf foot is if it's mandated by one-design rules
OR you
get a rating hit for a loose foot. The shelf adds nothing to the sail except a
place to catch rain water.

SAIL LOCO wrote:
Douglas, I never said they were better. I only said the loose foot wasn't
better and that the shelf foot was safer if you lost the clew slug.

Well, sorry to disagree. The loose foot is slightly faster and (as outlined above)
I don't think the shelf foot is going to hold the foot & clew if the clew slug is
ripped out... the clew slug is much stronger to start with, if it breaks why
wouldn't the weaker link also break? Sort of like tying a kite string to a piece
of chain, and saying 'now I'm safe if the chain breaks.'

BTW the shelf foot of a Lightning mainsail will hold about 1/2 gallon of water,
and in a roll-tack will dump 6 pints of it down the skipper's neck.... one more
reason I like loose footed mains!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King