On most footy designs, there is only one place to step the mast- in a tube through the deck. That means you get one shot to get the CE of the sails right. Is it that critical to get the CE right, or will a Footy sail anyway?
Options?
thx
i always build my rig after i have installed my mast step, simply because by then i have concreted the design brief in my mind, and i can design the rig to the boat… also, but that point, i can use the old “ILAR” principle to some extent… 
I put multiple mast tubes in my footys. I know others build a mast tube box to allow adjustment.
Tomo, I don’t think any boat will sail well…point well, track straight, etc…unless the CE is in the proper place to balance the boat. The tricky thing with Footys is that the boat is so small and the sails so large, that balance problems are exaggerated compared to larger boats. IMHO, finding the balance point is critical, and 1/4 inch can make a big difference.
I think lack of understanding of the balance issue has led some people to denigrate Footys, because they built one with poor balance, it performed poorly, and they conclude that “Footys can’t sail.”
Kit boats generally have one mast location because they have been designed and tested with a particular rig. You can make other rigs for them, but you should design those rigs with the same CE as the original if you want to use the same mast location.
Bill H
hum…pictures please:D for us newbies
Ome alternative to solving balance problems is to use two masts like my Akela. I know that there is at least one other 2-sticker in Italy.
If you have a cat ketch rig, the polar moment of inertia of the ‘frontsail’ and ‘backsail’ is such that a tiny difference in their relative sheeting angles can have a huge effect on balance. Obviously this can be a disadvantage if you set it up wrong, but it does mean that small variations in mast position can be compensated for ‘on the fly’.:graduate:
I have never seen a mast box. Are there any good pictures or diagrams?
thx