A Couple of Points Loco,

Your logic leave a lot to be desired. A free footed main attachments to
the boom are the very same connections that are use with the closed
footed sail. The very same. You the slug on the leech? The Leech
cringle is attached to the outhaul car with the same pin as used for
both type sails. The same for the tack.

I've been sailing for over 50 years and I just learned something I never
realized until I seen it with my own eyes. on the free footed sail. When
turning upwind and you tighten the vang, to flatten the main. The lower
part of the sail becomes rounder. (Due to the bend in the boom) n
outhaul adjustment is necessary. Enough of an adjustment as to make it
necessary to make new mark settings for the outhaul car farther
back`than the normal position for car setting the sail to wind
condition. I've never have done that in all the years I've sailed with
the shelve. I've just never seen it.

Loco, do you just use one weight main for Racing? Do you use a lite air
main? Or a laminated main? A free footed main goes on and off at least
10 times easier and a 100 times faster. If you're stripping the boom
after racing, you really should consider the free footed mains.

I thought I had trim down pretty damn well but my new sail has been
teaching me the errors of my ways.

One of the biggest errors was that the bolt rope in the shelve is a
limiting factor to proper lower sail trim. I'm getting better sail trim
on my new sail. Enough to question the effectiveness of the shelve.

After I get a performance curve made up for this sail and if it is much
difference over the UK's, I probably will instatt a shelve and run a
performance curve on this sail; with and without. Probably into next
spring but stay tuned.

Ole Thom