I've been searching the net & thumbing through books trying to have this query addressed by enough people so as to derive some fairly reliable "truths" on the subject. As with all opinions, everybody has one but would like feedback from this board:
The concensous seems to be that sloops perform better to windward / point better, whereas, the cutter can be reefed and maintain better performance after having done so (especially in comparison to a sloop with a furled/reefed baggy head sail). Agree? Disagree? Caveat?
The other big question (and where opinions seem to vary widely), is which is easier to single hand or tack with. One person said he would never have a cutter on a smaller body of water because tacking was such a pain in the butt. Another said he preferred the cutter because it was less work when it came time to tack (see any conflict between those two opinions?)
Would appreciate hearing what you all have to say-
Hal
CD Ty "Swee' Pea"
ficadoor@aol.com
Cutter rig vs. sloop- advantages/disadvantages
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Tom
Re: Cutter rig vs. sloop- advantages/disadvantages
There was a thread on this subject about a month or two back. Tacking ease has to do with how the boat is rigged outside of being a sloop or a cutter. Are you talking about a sloop with a club footed jib or a 150 lapper? Are you talking about a cutter with the designed yankee or a roller furling oversized genoa as a jib. Are you talking about normal sailing conditions or in 40 knots of wind when you're reefed down and flying the staysail. Are you talking about racing bck and forth on a small lake or cruising to Bermuda? There are a lot of variables that you have to define first, and even then you'll get a lot of opinions as you noted. If it were clear that sloops are better there wouldn't be any cutters in the world would there? And vice versa. Different rigs are better for different kinds of sailing and sailors and for different conditions.
As far as my opinion goes, I've never had a problem with tacking my cutter rig, because if it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of tacking, I roll up my jib and sail on the self tending staysail. To tack all you have to do it put the helm down - period. What could be easier than that? No sheets to switch side to side, no winches to grind, nothing to adjust. Now if you're racing and are going to have to cover tacks back and forth and you don't want to douse the jib because you want maximum drive at all times, then that's a different set of variables that you didn't give us in your question. That may be the reason you're having trouble finding those immutable "Truths"
TomCambria@mindspring.com
As far as my opinion goes, I've never had a problem with tacking my cutter rig, because if it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of tacking, I roll up my jib and sail on the self tending staysail. To tack all you have to do it put the helm down - period. What could be easier than that? No sheets to switch side to side, no winches to grind, nothing to adjust. Now if you're racing and are going to have to cover tacks back and forth and you don't want to douse the jib because you want maximum drive at all times, then that's a different set of variables that you didn't give us in your question. That may be the reason you're having trouble finding those immutable "Truths"
Hal wrote: I've been searching the net & thumbing through books trying to have this query addressed by enough people so as to derive some fairly reliable "truths" on the subject. As with all opinions, everybody has one but would like feedback from this board:
The concensous seems to be that sloops perform better to windward / point better, whereas, the cutter can be reefed and maintain better performance after having done so (especially in comparison to a sloop with a furled/reefed baggy head sail). Agree? Disagree? Caveat?
The other big question (and where opinions seem to vary widely), is which is easier to single hand or tack with. One person said he would never have a cutter on a smaller body of water because tacking was such a pain in the butt. Another said he preferred the cutter because it was less work when it came time to tack (see any conflict between those two opinions?)
Would appreciate hearing what you all have to say-
Hal
CD Ty "Swee' Pea"
TomCambria@mindspring.com
-
bobm
Re: Cutter rig vs. sloop- advantages/disadvantages
Offshore with nasty wind, you want a cutter so you can reef down with the main and fly a small staysail-you have much more flexibility if the conditions get bad
Coastal sailing or say in the Chesepeake you want a sloop-light winds- you want a sloop so you can get that big 150 or 120 out and tacking is easier-not as much flexibility in heavy winds but you are not hampered by small head sails in light wind...
The best soulution Ive seen is what the swans and hinckleys, southern cross sloops and some cape dorys all do-and that is to have a removable forestay added to your boat-so you can cruise with the genny but if winds pick up and you are wandering way off shore you can get out the forestay, pack on a staysail that you store out of the way in the vberth and ready yourself for sailing that requires a headsail close to the center of the boat...running backstays are required on most boats though...
My boat is pretty small up on the forepeak and I dont think I have the room for one so I just have a storm jib-
Bob
HR 31 farpoint
merrick@pop.net
Coastal sailing or say in the Chesepeake you want a sloop-light winds- you want a sloop so you can get that big 150 or 120 out and tacking is easier-not as much flexibility in heavy winds but you are not hampered by small head sails in light wind...
The best soulution Ive seen is what the swans and hinckleys, southern cross sloops and some cape dorys all do-and that is to have a removable forestay added to your boat-so you can cruise with the genny but if winds pick up and you are wandering way off shore you can get out the forestay, pack on a staysail that you store out of the way in the vberth and ready yourself for sailing that requires a headsail close to the center of the boat...running backstays are required on most boats though...
My boat is pretty small up on the forepeak and I dont think I have the room for one so I just have a storm jib-
Bob
HR 31 farpoint
merrick@pop.net