fractional vs. masthead rigged, pros and cons?

kpgraci · Aug 13, 2012

I'll let others deal with the fractional vs masthead, but as for pigtail vs topping lift - I don't like the pigtail on my boat so I replaced it with a topping lift.

The main problem I had with the pigtail was when raising the main - the pigtail does not allow the boom to 'vane' to the wind, so the sail would catch air (as thought it were trimmed for a close reach) and the boat would veer broad side to the wind. With the topping lift it's a much smother and safer process (assuming you remember to duck)

Freedom77 · Aug 13, 2012

You derive power from the main and drive from the headsails. The fractional rig on Ventures is an excellent sailplan. All the Venture/Mac 25's came fractional rig stock out of the factory. The stock mast is not heavy enough for a masthead rig. In '76 I asked Roger MacGregor to masthead rig Freedom with the intention of carrying bigger headsails and chute for open water racing, Newport-Ensenada etc. I think there were only two -25's to come out the factory this way. In order to do this the mast extrusion is much heavier, Sparcraft S-106, due to dismastings on some boat modified with stock mast, S-104. I have been satisfied with this design. Keep in mind that your existing sails will fit but will not perform the same. Freedom was given a 6 second penalty under PHRF. Even with that I was able to sail faster than the stock fractional rig. Masthead rig will give more weather helm and will roundup quicker. Downwind will usually be an advantage.

FastOlson · Aug 13, 2012

kpgraci said:
I'll let others deal with the fractional vs masthead, but as for pigtail vs topping lift - I don't like the pigtail on my boat so I replaced it with a topping lift.

The main problem I had with the pigtail was when raising the main - the pigtail does not allow the boom to 'vane' to the wind, so the sail would catch air (as thought it were trimmed for a close reach) and the boat would veer broad side to the wind. With the topping lift it's a much smother and safer process (assuming you remember to duck)

Lots of small trailerable boats have come with only a "pigtail" to temporarily hold up the boom end while rigging out the boat at the ramp. Simple and saved the builder some money. Most owners that sail often soon rig a topping lift from masthead to boom end, either fixed or with some adjustment capability.
When we bought our first 20 footer, we went thru that same issue.
Not only is the "pigtail" a hazzard when you first get under way, but also of little or no use when reefing.

Stu Jackson · Aug 13, 2012

The "pigtail" is called "boom lift." It works just fine if used properly. It is intended to hold the boom up after you have dropped the mainsail. In most cases it is higher than a standard non-adjustable topping lift, so the boom is higher using the boom lift. Most trailerable sailboats have end boom sheeting, so you can't move the boom off the centerline as you could with mid-boom sheeting. It keeps it out of the way. Just don't keep it attached when you raise the mainsail. Without a topping lift the boom will fall into the cockpit when you drop the main. No reason you can't use both to your advantage.

Paul Brinkley · Aug 13, 2012

My Mac 26S came with neither topping lift nor backstay pigtail. I saw some other boats with pigtails, but decided I had rather have a topping lift for versatility and safety. It was a very cheap mod- an extra sheave in my chicken head, about 60 feet of 1/4" line, a small snap hook, and an eyebolt for the end of the boom, and I waas in business. I have been happy with it. -Paul

syoun10 · Aug 13, 2012

A few further thoughts on pros & cons...

I have a 2006 Hunter 33 with fractional rig.

A major advantage (at lease for the wife) is that the compression post in the cabin is so far forward that it is in the v-berth area, leaving the cabin feeling very open and spacious.

However, since living with it for a few years, I see several disadvantages:

1) the halyard for the spinnaker exits the mast just above the forestay, so the max asymmetrical spinnaker it can take is a lot smaller that if it were flown from mast top.

2) The large main is so far forward that it interferes with the airflow and makes it very difficult to get the asym to fill. I'm still experimenting with this, but have yet to find a set of conditions where I go noticeably faster with the asym vs. poling our the jib! (big disappointment so far.

3) the space between the mast and and the prow is too small to fit the inflated dinghy, so I end up disinflating it or towing it more that I otherwise would.

It does seem to me that going for fractional rigs is the current fashion - but I'm still undecided about what I'd get if starting again. (Do love my H33 though!)

shnool · Aug 13, 2012

Generally speaking a fractional is easier to get mast bend if you have an adjustable backstay. On the masthead it makes flying a spinnaker slightly harder as the spin will exit forward of the mast, and hopefully above the forestay, but everything is "closer." On a factional, you have the option of the spin halyard exiting higher, and out of the way.

Power for a fractional is highly dependent on the main, where power for a masthead is highly dependent on the jib.

I've owned a Capri 22 (fractional 3/4 rig), and a Capri 25 (masthead rig), within months of each other.

Generally speaking with a fractional, you can easily sail on main alone, also as the wind pipes up you change headsails first to smaller size, then reef, on the masthead its the other way around, and sailing on main alone is painfully slow. I speak only with cursory racing experience, and years of sailing experience, and attempting to get the boat flatter sooner, without losing speed is presently my goal. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

I can say the trend now is mostly towards fractional rigs.

THECUSCUS · Aug 13, 2012

The fractional rig (with an ADJUSTABLE backstay) allows you to bend the upper portion of the mast to gain better mainsail shape under various wind conditions. Most of your performance oriented/racing boats will be fractional rigged. The stock 25 backstay is just a single wire and offers little if any adjustments (at least mine was). I redesigned mine, turning it into a split backstay with a simple backstay adjusting setup. Not the best picture of it, but should give some idea (the backstay adj was added later, i can get pics if you're interested).

jrowan · Aug 13, 2012

I have sailed both fractional & masthead rigs. Each era of sailboat design goes through fashions & fads, & each has it advantages. The trend towards larger mains & smaller jibs on fractional rigs also seems to go with the philosophy of easier sail handling, as it is easier to tack a smaller jib the does not overlap the mast. Bigger, more powerful mains are easier to control when tacking then large overlapping headsails. Self tacking jibs are now more popular, and are hence smaller to accomodate this. My current Catalina 30 is a 70's era design with the masthead rig, smaller main, bigger jib era that defined many 70's sailboats. It performs well with a larger 135 genoa overlapping the main, but 150's can be a bear to tack when short handed. I personally like having a slightly smaller main, cut higher with a taller boom that is less inclined to bang one in the head if an accidental jibe occurrs.
I am not a fan of the furling mains that are so popular today, as the lack of horizontal battens severely hampers their sail shape performance.
ps. My split backstay masthead rig gives a nice bend in the mast, so I don't see how this is something that is unique to fractional rigs. To me fractional rigs seem to go hand in hand with trailor sailers as a smaller mast has benefits in raising & lowering (reduced weight), but smaller sail area limits some performance characteristics. (I'm sure some will disagree, but my 2 cents worth.)

Freedom77 · Aug 14, 2012

To Centerline and CusCus on Venture/Mac 25. If you start to round up just ease the main a little. Macs were designed with a proportionaly larger main in relation to some other boats of the same size. It's not the size of your main, it's what you do with it!

Even with a bit of luff in the main the jib will still give you drive and less weather helm. As for the stock backstay, Splitting it accomplishes two things. 1. The backstay is offset from center which is not a great thing and it will also chew a nice big gouge in the tiller. Split backstay with simple tension adjuster will help with mast adjustment. Also get as much weight out of the aft end of the boat as possible and place as near to the keel as possible. This will also help prevent roundups.

c_witch · Aug 14, 2012

It was my understanding that fractional rigs are powered by the Main sail whereas masthead rigs are powered by the Head sail. I don't know what my boat originally was configured as, as the PO or earlier had tried to configure it as a cutter and it is rigged as both currently

.

I does sail under main alone well enough though.

c_witch

Manureva · Aug 14, 2012

if you take a walk down on the docks and take a look at the fractional vs masthead rig you will notice that most of the fractional rig have the mast way forward and that the mast head rig have the mast more aft. I believe that fractional rig give more space down below for accommodation of a dining table and such. The balance of the boat might also have something to do in it, usually the main is larger on a fractional and smaller on a masthead rig.

Joe · Aug 14, 2012

mesange said:
if you take a walk down on the docks and take a look at the fractional vs masthead rig you will notice that most of the fractional rig have the mast way forward and that the mast head rig have the mast more aft. I believe that fractional rig give more space down below for accommodation of a dining table and such. The balance of the boat might also have something to do in it, usually the main is larger on a fractional and smaller on a masthead rig.

Uh......... perhaps some comparative specs and dimensions would be admissible.... but just walking around the docks.... I'm not convinced.

bffatcat · Aug 14, 2012

fractional vs masthead

There are pros & cons on both sides Lets start with masthead rigs: In day gone by, most boats were fractional but with the introduction of the IOR rule circa late 60`s early 70`s which no one has bothered to mention yet. Under IOR The area of the main sail counted for more than the jib. This is why masts were moved aft and main sails got smaller while jibs got bigger. Take two boats same LOA beam displacement sail area but one boat is a fractional the other is a masthead Under IOR the fractional boat will have a lower rating. This is why you see so many 70`s mast head boats. They are no faster but can win on corrected time.

2Masthead boats are considered stronger Masthead boats do not sail well under main alone
but will sail well under jib alone. fractional boats have only one jib so there is no jibs to change down. Fractional boats sail well under main. I could go on all day both rigs have their advantages & disadvantages. I prefer masthead because thats all I ever owned
My friend with a J prefers fractional I do not think that either is better its a matter of personal preference

shnool · Aug 14, 2012

bffatcat said:
with the introduction of the IOR rule circa late 60`s early 70`s

Yeah, the IOR rules started the masthead/fractional diversions, but I didn't think it was important to answer the advantages/disadvantages.

Honestly, rigged correctly the masthead rigs will allow mast bend, proportionately the masthead is harder to get bend out of versus a fractional, that means it's harder to depower with just that one adjustment.

I personally am leaning towards liking the masthead better, the more I sail the Capri 25. The 22 was WAY easier to sail for sure, but the masthead the power up front seems to give accelerator pedal type response to wind changes. That could be more the boat though, then the rig. I do feel I carry way more headsail than I used to with the masthead versus the fractional.

Setup of the rigging for the masthead is simpler to tune for sure. It's really just set rake and go, make sure you're in column, done. The fractional seemed like it was all about pre-bend, and bend, and setting for prevailing winds, it was just ugh.

Manureva · Aug 14, 2012

uh...captain smart @ss....

Joe said:
Uh......... perhaps some comparative specs and dimensions would be admissible.... but just walking around the docks.... I'm not convinced.

why don't you take a walk around the dock......smart.....

Joe · Aug 15, 2012

mesange said:
why don't you take a walk around the dock......smart.....

I might....... but I'd take a measuring tape with me before I started speculating on boat design.

Manureva · Aug 15, 2012

Joe said:
I might....... but I'd take a measuring tape with me before I started speculating on boat design.

it's not speculating, it is a fact. So your boat knowledge come from where, you seem rather quick being a smart ass? Mine comes from 5 year studying marine engineering, and a boating and fishing family. You can bring a tape line all you want, the mast is more forward in proportion to the whole boat when you look at a fractional boat. You must have a sense of observation, use it....

fractional vs. masthead rigged, pros and cons?

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