Fractional Rig vs. Mast Head Rig

[blt2ski]

The Hanse could be a 1-2 yr old used model, as locally, used boats will be a the on water part of the show in Seattle. OR< the boat could be an older still unused boat, that has not sold due to small size requirements of some folks currently. So it was purchased with OLDER exchange rates, hence a reasonable low price!

marty

[Tumblehome32]

Good point, exchange rates sure have gone nuts. It works for and against all of us in a huge variety of ways.

[jacobsenlc]

The nonsuch is perfect for single handling and some are outfitted best for coastal cruising.



Carol Jacobsen

[Faster]

Ahh... the Nonsuch... a 0% fractional rig

[sck5]

After all of this discussion I am left with a question. Why not a cutter rig and have the best of both worlds? A big headsail for light air and a self tending staysail for heavy weather or single handing in close quarters? Make the baby stay easily removable and you eliminate the problem of dragging the genoa across it if that is likely to be a hassle on a particular day.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by sck5

After all of this discussion I am left with a question. Why not a cutter rig and have the best of both worlds? .....

Many do favour a cutter rig for the reasons you suggested. However some negative aspects could include:

- a more complex/costly rig - extra stays, hardware, deck gear, sails etc.
- more complicated to set up efficiently, though as you say you could use it as a sloop and simply choose which headsail you want.
- the large genoas generate large forces, requiring heavier winches and sail handling gear. (the lack of a large genoa and masthead kites is a big part of the pro-frac argument)
- a true cutter rig as defined by Perry requires that the mast be considerably further aft on the boat, which can (but not impossibly) complicate the interior layout.

Some appreciate the versatility of the cutter rig, others simply like the "salty" look since it's quite rare to see a true cutter rig in a modern looking design.

The rest of us maybe like to keep it simple.......

[Jeff_H]

In many ways, for the kind of sailing that most of us do, the cutter rig is the worst of all worlds. At the heart of it, it is the hardest rig of the single mast rigs to shift gears. Beyond that it requires the most complex rigging layout. Proportioned to actually act as a cutter rig, it is the least efficient sail plan meaning that you need to carry a lot more sail area in order to achieve the same drive as a fractionally rigged sloop, and that increased sail area means more work to sail and more hardware, and a lot more cost to maintain.

To be frank, at least here on the US east coast, most of us spend the majority of our time sailing in a wind range between 8 to 20. The kinds of gear shifting that we end up doing is a far finer tuning than a cutter rig is easily capable of. The intermediate stay and the proportions of the headsails to mainsail make a very limited gear shifting capacity, for the most part, with shortening sail the primary viable option at the upper end of the range.

But my biggest gripe with Cutters has to do with the way boats behaive as the wind nears the upper end of its standing sail plan's wind range. Most boats develop weather helm as windspeeds increase due to a variety of factors, heeling, sail stretch and rig sag being some big factors. At the upper end of the windrange, you end up having to reduce sail rather than depower as you would with a fractional rig. The standard regime is to reduce headsail size or completely furl the headstaysail (Genoa or yankee), but because the headstay sail is so far forward, that simply adds to the weather helm, which means that you need to reduce mainsail area as well. In other words, as typically configured, cutter rigs lack the smaller incremental stages typically associated with more modern rigs.

Respectfully,

Jeff

[OutThere]

Great discussion! But what about jumper struts we see on those fractional rig masts? What is their main function - to aid in bending the mast or to illiminate/minimize the need for running back stays??

[camaraderie]

As Jeff says...for the type of sailing most do...a cutter rig is not ideal. BUT...when you go offshore and the weather gets snotty...there's nothing better IMHO. We used ours all the time in higher winds and particularly at night as it kept the motion comfortable and was easily handled (on roller furler) by one person on watch while the other slept. I am a big fan of cutters for long term cruising...but I would agree that they are not a good choice for the Chesapeake!

[Plumper]

The jumpers shape the top of the mast. They stop the headstay from pulling the mast too far out of column. Tightening the backstay should put a gentle curve in the entire mast not just the portion above the headstay.

One point that I haven't seen here is the design of the rig with regard to the racing handicap systems. For a long time large overlapping genoas were not handicapped and many boats were built with small mains and large headsails to cheat the rules. Look at the venerable Ranger 26. I am 6'6" and I could stand up under the boom of my Ranger. The headsails were the drive. The main was just a big air rudder to trim weather/lee helm.

Gaz