Thom,

I'm not sure you understand MY shelf-footed main. It has no elastic material
comprising the shelf. It has the same 6.9oz Dacron as the rest of the sail. It
is the shape of the panel that constitutes the shelf foot that gives it it's shape.

The bolt rope definitely gives the foot of the sail support as it slides into the
internal track in the boom. Note in the photo how the sliding slug and the bolt
rope line up. Both keep the foot onto the boom and have the added virtue of
spreading out the forces over a greater area than with a clew only like your
set-up.

My friend you have a weak understanding of my clew and sails in
general. Anybody who can even abide a roll-up headsail proves he
has low standards and is willing to compromise performance for
convenience, which convenience leads to all sorts of additional
problems usually at the very worst times.

And, of course, all those layers at the clew patch are sewn together.
Done properly, which they are, those webbing straps are as unnecessary
as tits on a boar hog.

CN

"Thom Stewart" wrote in message ...
Neal,

I'm not sure you truly understand your main sail. That bolt rope on the
foot of a shelved main give NO SUPPORT! A shelved main is a free footed
main and anchored only at the TACK and the CLEW. That shelve is an
elastic material which is designed to let the full airflow shape of the
sail continue to the bottom of the sail. It is the assure that the air
doesn't form a vortex at the Boom. The material is meant to be loose
enough to let sail shape carry to the foot of the sail.

All those layers of of cloth mean didderly without the stitching to
prevent the shearing action that take place at the Clew corner. The slug
is a nice feature but a Clew Strap is something you should install. With
a free footed sail an awful lot of strain is put on the Boom slut.

Neal, my friend, you have a weak Clew on that sail.

Ole Thom
P/S Neal, stop kidding yourself that the shelve is working as a system
for STRENGTH. It isn't!!


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