... OTOH many "cruising" oriented boats
(not just dinghies) are unnecessarily difficult to handle because the
rigs are cumbersome in an attempt to be "strong" and they have
sacrificed too much controllability.

Morgan Ohlson wrote:
Could you explain this, please. I undertand you mean that omthing in some
cruiser rigs is "to much" and contra productive.... How?

What to beware of?

Things to be wary of-

mast too heavy and/or too stiff.

stays too heavy and/or placed where they limit sail travel

Fittings not installed, or too big, and/or placed for looks (or
strength)instead of where most effective

running rigging too heavy and not allowing proper travel

For example, a mainsheet that does not run easily because the blocks &
rope are too big for the sail, and not long enough because the bigger
rope makes a cumbersome mass in the cockpit... seen this many times!

Another example is the vang & downhaul on many classic small craft...
they tend to be undersized or placed where they are unobtrusive, instead
of being rigged where they have maximum effective control... result is
that the rig goes all floppy & baggy in gusts, making the boat
frustrating to sail in anything but ideal conditions.

Many years ago I was invited to join a bunch of people racing a fleet of
beautiful small classics (in fact they were Herrshoff gaffers). After
gladly accepting, I spent about 45 minutes re-rigging the halyards &
downhaul & improvising a vang. The result was that I had a great time
sailing the boat, also won three races and their only comment was, "Look
what you've done to that poor boat!" But that's the nature of sport,
you're supposed to spend your time & effort overcoming a bunch of
artificially imposed barriers

Fresh Breezes- Doug King