Inter Michael,
Attaching chicken lines to the shroud won't work well. When you need chicken lines you are in the back of the boat and the shroud is too far forward. You really need the attachment on the rudder gougen or an eyestrap on the transom.
Keep One Hull Flying,
Mike Hill
H20 #791
Re: "I'm interested in doing the same thing to my 5.5SL. Adding footstraps, that is. ... How do you decide what angle and position to set it at (& where to drill the holes) "
I put footstraps on my Nacra 5.5. There is not much room behind the rear beam on the 5.5 to work with. I based my location on another 5.5 that had footstraps. The forward part of the footstrap is just behind the rear beam and is bolted in with the rear beam strap bolt to avoid drilling a hole. For the rear I drilled a hole, straight back and very near the center line of the inspection port, but near the hull edge. The other 5.5 I copied from drilled out a rivet in the inspection port and put a new bolt there to avoid putting another hole in the boat. I did not think putting that stress on the lip of the fiberglass at the port was a good idea. You could probably go back a foot further to the end of the hull, but this position seems to work well for me.
In response to Whitecaps' note about footstrap and chicken line usage, I agree. Unless you are familiar with footstrap usage, you might be better off until you DO get used to them. I grew up on windsurfers, and know that the footstrap should never be too snug, and shouldn't really go much past the ball of your foot, lest you suffer ankle injury in a crash. Remember, too, that if you wear shoes, booties, etc. when sailing, account for these. Most straps are adjustable, and learning how to adjust them before mounting them is essential.
I have chicken a chicken line for me attached to the rudder pintle, but I am running a second through the rear beam for the crew. I am concerned about the forces involved on the rudder in a crash when there are two people on the line, but I've heard from other teams that this isn't too much of a problem with the pintle. When we're really flying, the crew traps out jus in front of the rear beam, and moves forward in lighter air, so perhaps the rear beam option for him(her) could suffice.
PS the footstrap for the skipper really helps with gybing, as you can hang out longer, and use the strap to pull yourself in to the tramp if you're caught out there too long in the turn.