Pros and Cons and Various Modern Cruising Sail Plans

[Hugh Walker]

Hi all,

This discussion may already exist, apologies if I missed it in my search. I'm looking to learn more about the pros and cons of different modern cruising sail plans. Without sailing on all the different options out there I want to be better informed for my next boat. My interest is mainly in an easily manageable sail plan that offers a good compromise of upwind and downwind performance and options for light and heavy winds. Basically I want the best of everything

I currently sail a sloop with 140% genoa ('09 Beneteau Oceanis 46), in mast roller main and genoa on roller reefer. Pros to me are a manageable sized main and a really powerful genoa when going downwind. Reefing is absurdly easy. Cons are the size of the same genoa when heading to windward, it's a big heavy job to winch it in close hauled. The roller main also lacks performance to windward. I also have a straight luff gennaker on a continuous line furler, it's a good sail in light winds but the furling is very difficult in strong winds.

I've also sailed on a sloop with a self tacking jib ('09 Hanse 370e), it had a fully battened main and roller jib. On the pro side it was an absolute dream to windward, tacking involved nothing other than turning the wheel, performance was impressive and was very close winded. Downwind though the self tacker was near unless ( unless it was really blowing) and this boat really needed a gennaker to get it moving.

Heres my list of interest so far;
-Sloop with large overlapping genoa (like my current Oceanis 46)
-Sloop with large main and small overlapping genoa/jib (like the current Beneteau First range)
-Sloop with large main and self tacking jib (Hanse)
-Cutter (sloop with inner jib and forward overlapping genoa)
-Not sure what you call it but a sloop with small overlapping genoa or jib and a permanent downwind sail forward (Discovery)
-Ketch (Amel)

Recently I saw a sloop with a cutter rig forward as well as a permanent downwind sail (probably a code zero thingy), three forestays sounds like a lot but on larger boat is this the prefect cruising rig???

[sailorboy1]

my last boat had the large head sail/smaller main sail arragement, current boat is large main with end boom sheeting and a smaller head sail

the current is definitey easier to handle and manage

But I didn't reay thnk much about the sail plan in chosing my boats; figuring I would just learn to sail whatever it had.