On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 12:53:59 -0400, DSK wrote:

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.

Naturally, but CE fall when dividing the total area on two sails. The
minimum CE is when M/F = 1

.... I think....

If a Gaff sloop is compared to a Bermuda Sloop they will have almost the
same low CE if the Bermuda have M/F = 1 (Gaff generally considered to
have a very low CE)


/.../
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,

Taller mast???
CG rais???


and they don't
work as well in light air.

Transformed CE hight into more area is preferred in lite air??? (Typical low
ratio Gaff)


Then in heavy air, you reef and pay a penalty
in windage for the length of unused spar.

A bermuda M/F = 1 keeps the CE as low as possible (for that type) and keeps
the mast as low as possible.

What wou write is definitely right, but your quick jumps doesn't make sense.
No rig can be optimized for all occations anyway. What can be done is to
avoid silly arrangements with the rig choosen.

A Bermuda Sloop, and basicly all sloops should have a M/F ~1 since
everything else fast incease other backsides.


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.

Explain how a very small jib will improve on a decreased Cat. (same total
area and both correctly balanced to CLA)

The cat...
- can have a high (acceptable high) ratio too.
- is easier to handle.
- Less rigging.
- CG fall almost zero thanks to a small jib

The small jib will not motivate it's existence (work etc.) compared to a Cat
incl. the jib area.

/.../
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.

"going cloe-hauled (the most common arrangement)" ? sorry, don't
understand.

A self tacking boom arrangement attract me most. Someone called it "old
Petrus boom".


Morgan O.