Jim,
A fractional
rig tends to put proportionally more sail area into the mainsail. Headsails tend to be smaller than on mast-head
rigs, so they generally are easier to manage for tacking/jibing. Fractional
rigs have been common on racers and racer cruisers for a long time, but there seems to be a trend in the last decade or so to move towards moderately fractional
rigs even on performance cruisers. The feeling is this arrangment facilitates over-all sail handling and generally is advantageous to over-all performance.
One thing to avoid is a fractional
rig that requires the use of running backstays. Running backs have to be switched from side to side during tacking and jibing, so they make for a lot of extra work and would not be welcome on a boat that is short- or single-handed. You tend to see runners on performance oriented boats that are 3/4 or 4/5 fractional and which race with crew. Most performance cruisers tend to be closer to 7/8 or 9/10 fractional, with aft swept spreaders, so the well-sprung
rig geometry does not require runners.
Another disadvantage to some fractional
rigs is that it can be tricky to fly a cruising
spinnaker (such as an asymetrical) at deep angles if the
spinnaker is also fractional. Boats so-rigged will tend to have to steer much higher reaching angles to avoid blanketting the
spinnaker with the taller mainsail. Conventional, poled-out
spinnakers often work best with these designs. Fortunately, many of the more modern fractional cruising designs have a masthead
spinnaker arrangement, which permits the use of the pole-less cruising
spinnakers at deeper angles without too much penalty.
Also, if bridge clearances are an issue, fractional
rigs tend to be taller than masthead
rigs would be for the same size/type boat.
Our cruising boat is a mast-head design that works well for us. But the sketches we have of our "ideal" boat has a fractional
rig. I wouldn't recommend making the mast-head vs. fractional issue the ultimate litmus test for your next boat, but I definitely wouldn't disqualify fractional boats from your potential candidates unless some of the issues I mentioned above apply to you.