How long is your boom? How long is your sail foot?

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How long is your boom? How long is your sail foot?

Postby fatjackdurham » Tue Aug 01, 2017 10:44 am

In reading the manual posted here, it says, I think, the length of the sail foot is 10'. My boom is 10' 3", which seems to not provide enough length to pull the foot in the out haul to get good tension. Since so many other things in the rigging seemed unusual, I wondered if I have some other boat's boom (or mainsail). So, how long is your boom? How long should it be, and how long should the sail foot be?

Since I plan to get a new mainsail next year, I wanted to decide it it was cheaper to have the sail made with a narrower foot, or to get a standard sail and buy a new boom.
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Re: How long is your boom? How long is your sail foot?

Postby GreenLake » Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:15 pm

I think your boom is right where you want it. By class rules, the maximum extent of the sail when set is 10'. An older sail may have stretched.

On my boom, I don't have enough room between clew and end of the boom for a pair of two micro blocks to create a purchase. They were touching before the sail was taught, so I had to take one of them out and use the clew cringle as a substitute (so the outhaul now runs to a double block at the boom end, back to and through the clew and then to the block at the boom end (and forward to the cleat from there).

That was with a new sail made to class specifications.
1760

Above (click to enlarge) is a picture that shows the end of my boom before I took the second block off. (The tape markings are not the standard markings defined in the class handbook - these are just for me to have another visual reference for clew position). The photo was taken on a light wind day with reef-line not rove through the sail and the outhaul maximally slack. (Because there is some wind, the clew is more forward than if you just rigged the sail on the dock without outhaul.)
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: How long is your boom? How long is your sail foot?

Postby fatjackdurham » Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:42 pm

Ok, i did find a specification guide that listed the boom length as 10' 4", so mine is close. Does your sail have a leech line? Mine does, and two collision windows in it. You are probably right that the sail stretched.

What is the purpose of the "straps" on the boom and mast? Is it so that racing judges can tell if a boat conforms to the standards?
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Re: How long is your boom? How long is your sail foot?

Postby GreenLake » Tue Aug 01, 2017 4:45 pm

My sail does not have a leech line, but that's something the sailmaker will add or not depending on what they offer and what the customer wants. I also do not have collision windows in the main, but I have one in the jib. Again, different sail makers offer different types of sails, so you can't tell from that whether the sail was make with class specifications in mind. Look for current recommendations for sailmakers in the Sails part of the forum or the list on the main DSA site (at http://DaySailer.org).

The required "bands" are put on for racing for competitors to know that no one is cheating by using oversized sails -- in fleet racing there are no judges on the water; sailing is a self-policed sport. (I happen to not sail in sanctioned events, so nobody cares where I put tape on my spars, or what sails I fly - when the water is warm and the wind too light, some boats are known to throw someone overboard to swim the boat around the mark - it's that kind of event. They also have a "beer float" in place of one of the race marks once a year, definitely a night not to miss!).
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: How long is your boom? How long is your sail foot?

Postby fatjackdurham » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:06 pm

Nice.....
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