Mast head or Fractional rig

How is a fractional cruising rig more complicated than a masthead cruising rig?

In my experience, if there a difference, the cruising masthead rig gets more complicated than a cruising fractional rig.

R

 

The rigs that are fashionable today are tapered, with pre-bend and multiple swept aft spreaders. A masthead cruising rig can do fine with an untapered section and single spreaders.

 

Absolutely no complicated rigging on a fractional. It the opposite...very clean . With aft swept spreaders and wide rigging geometry eliminating runners they are the simplest of rigs. Very effective.
My masthead must carry runners to pull the inerta out of the rig. I dont like the sloop configuration implied by a frac. Mast forward, long boom in the waves. Im a cutter man. Off course a frac could be cuttered but her staysail would be small for rig height and that long boom is gonna be surfing thru the backs of waves at 15 knots.

 

Are we talking about cruising rigs?

Multiple spreaders on many boats over 35ft are common. Fractional rigs without the need for huge overlapping Genoas can have a wider shroud base and fewer spreaders for a given mast height. Sweeping the spreaders aft and tuning in some pre-bend can eliminate the need for double lowers or a baby stay. Aft swept spreaders reduce or eliminate the need for running backstays on a fractional rig. The modified B&R rig as seen on Hunters have the pre-bend tuned in to the rig before it is stepped, this reduced compression loads. Most of these cruising rigs do not require the mast bend to be changed whilst underway, they are static settings. The fractional rigs change mast bend with mainsheet load, that is simple, not complicated.

How is a tapered mast more complicated? The only reason NOT to taper the mast is budget or laziness. When they were wood they were built with taper, when they are built from carbon they are tapered. If they are recycled lamp posts (Nonsuch) they are tapered. When they are not tapered they are much heavier than they need to be but they are simple extrusions and cheap.

There is nothing about a fractional rig that requires the mast to be tapered any more than a masthead rig. Any cruising boat that can do fine with an untapered mast and single spreaders can use the same rig setup on a fractional rig.

How many boats had constant section masts and masthead rigs before the IOR rule?

 

Do you realize what the heel angle would need to be to drag the boom in the water? I've sailed on many fractional rigged boats in the past 25+ years and you have no more problem with the boom hitting the water than you do on masthead boats.

This is a Red Herring.

 

Most masthead rigs on quality boats are also tapered. Don't want to pay for a taper on a MH or Frac rig? Then don't. No problem. You'll simply be living with more weight aloft than is required.

All masts should be set up with some prebend. We are talking about a couple of inches, not feet. This keeps the mast from inverting.

Don't want multiple spreaders on your MH or Frac rig? Fine. No problem. Live with a bigger, heavier section and poor sheeting angles if you have overlapping headsails.

Not one of the items mentioned in the quoted post are required on a fractional rig anymore than they are on a masthead rig.

Owners of both types of rigs usually prefer to include them when they have the choice.

 

Depends on your sailing style.

I like small jibs. Easier to handle. Less damage to crew. Cheaper. More induced twist. And that's what the Redwing's of Bembridge (sp?) landed on. Personally, I think they work better on boats D/L under 100, but that's just me. My boat is 96.

Paul

 

Boom drag a red herring ? Hmm, Im dragging all the time. maybe my boom is full of red herrings !!!! Can Ya cook em' ?

 

That picture does not show the boom anywhere near being in the soup.

 

Inspecting the masthead as the boat sinks is possibly not the usual maintenance procedure.

 

Chinese lug you just pull the aft topping lifts and put in a diagonal reef when rolling downwind. Difference between ox (chinese lug) and race horse (modern rigs). Nobody uses oxen much these days but they still do the job.

 

Yah Bataan. Thats the way to do it. People forget the old ways. The British have a term for it..Scandalize or Scavendge the boom...I cant remember any more

With a conventional main is hard to get the boom high without loosing leech control. Its possible to cut the sail with High reef points but then you loose sail area in flat water conditions. Also consider how long your boom vang would be !!!
The boats that carry the best system are the ocean racers. Very high booms , high cut sails and no boom vangs to keep the boom out of the backs of waves.

 

One of the reasons for a flattening reef (the tack does not move) was to both flatten the main and raise the boom end. For racers this allows a full E length foot in light air and full E length when the foot is flattened.

It is not just heel angle that dips the boom, it is a combination of heel, roll, and wave shape/angle.

Vangs ... the ocean racers with the gooseneck at or near the deck don't have vangs because they never or seldom need them, the traveler is long and they sail at angles that do not require a vang to hold leech tension. Vanged down booms hitting waves are only an issue for slow boats that get best VMC at deep sailing angles.

The real hassle with vangs is the people that thing the vang is also a preventer. They vang to the leeward rail ... when they roll the boom into the water on a powered up reach the boom folds at the vang bail and I get to sell them a new boom.

 

Agree, also the shorter the boom (and smaller main) the less of a problem.

 

Every boat need somes kind of leach control..vang. And Vangs are heavily loaded. Big problem at sea is boom vang goosenecks. Even upwind..as soon as you ease the travellor to leeward and crack mainsheet the vang takes over leach tension control. Huge loading
The boat Im sailing at the moment carries its boom vang on deck rather than transfering the load to the delicate mast wall.
Ocean racers use multiple Vangs or full beam travellers on boat with.."Enough Beam " to do it to generate leech tension.