Morgan Ohlson wrote:
I have dwelled over different riggs quite a while... and the real benefit of
a Bermuda Sloop is that you get 2 high ratio sails still with a low
positioned CE.

???

The higher the aspect ratio of the sails, the higher the CE.

However, a higher CE is not really a problem on a small crew-ballasted
boat. The difference is trivial. OTOH, high aspect ratio rigs have a
number of drawbacks for small boats... they require a bit more fancy
engineering, a somewhat more complex & more stressed rig, and they don't
work as well in light air. Then in heavy air, you reef and pay a penalty
in windage for the length of unused spar.


Making a small jib you could just as well use a Bermuda Cat (no jib).

Not necessarily. A small jib is helpful in several ways, including going
to windward, handling the boat in a chop, and helping the boat maneuver.




3. Is a self tacking jib a matter of importance when regarding the
M/F-ratio?

Not necessarily


I get a little tiered of those who call themselves designers and only whant
people to buy books or get stuffed...

???


Usenet is for debateing facts, knowledge and gossip, and to those who
don't like that, try stopping it!

Morgan, you're in the position of asking for free advice, and getting
huffy because you don't like what you're told. Seems to me you're still
coming out ahead in any cost/benefit analysis here... why the attitude?

FWIW I don't like self tacking jibs except on racing boats where you're
likely to be very busy with other more important tasks. Self tacking
adds rigging & clutter that a cruiser would probably be better off
without. Plus, no self tacking sheeting arrangement sheets the sail
effectively for a wide range of courses, for example you can have it set
up for going cloe-hauled (the most common arrangement) and it's all but
useless on a reach... when a racing boat would be setting a spinnaker
anyway, but you probably wouldn't be.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King