I told this to another local who has owned several Alberg and traditional design boats, his response to me was that almost all Alberg designs are over canvassed in the main and benefit from a -slightly- smaller main. This isn't gospel and it's obvious that most people here have no issue with their standard dimension sails, but it is another observation from someone I've done a lot of work with and trust.
We obviously did not cut the boom, I wasn't that brave, you can always raise a smaller sail, you can't extend your boom
There were several times I wished it was shorter, though. Mainly when it left bruises on my head, but that's more my fault than the boom. I usually try to avoid making alterations that cost thousands to fix and work around them, instead (e.g. install track and sliding blocks for outhaul + reef points). Regarding the discussion around the age of the design, just because it's a 30+ year old design, doesn't make it the right in every regard. There seem to be inherent flaws in every design and build that don't hold up to the test of time. I've just come to the conclusion that I'll sail and operate it the way I find it does best, while trying to avoid making significant alterations.
