A recent article in Good Old Boat touted the merits of fractional rigged sloops over masthead alternatives, however the author (Ted Brewer) never gave examples of some of the more common makes over the past 20-30 years. I'm not interested in debating fractional vs masthead, but can anyone point me to some fractional examples? Thanks.
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Tom S
Many new J-boats are fractional
Most (all?) newer Sabres, Tartans and C&C yachts are Masthead. One is not necesarily better or worse, they both have pro's and con's. With that said I think I might want to try a fractional rig for Coastal Cruising like a Freedom Sailboat someday. I understand the advantages. I think I would look at a Catalina that was fractional if they made one -- If I was cruising around the world I might want the simplicity and conservative Masthead Rig
Most (all?) newer Sabres, Tartans and C&C yachts are Masthead. One is not necesarily better or worse, they both have pro's and con's. With that said I think I might want to try a fractional rig for Coastal Cruising like a Freedom Sailboat someday. I understand the advantages. I think I would look at a Catalina that was fractional if they made one -- If I was cruising around the world I might want the simplicity and conservative Masthead Rig
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ed
how bout
pearson, morgan, sabre,tarten, j-boats, hunter, contessa i think had one and about a dozen others. jibs are easier to handle, main gets a bit harder. they work well.
pearson, morgan, sabre,tarten, j-boats, hunter, contessa i think had one and about a dozen others. jibs are easier to handle, main gets a bit harder. they work well.
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Tom S
Ed, Sabre
Are you sure they are making Fractional Rigs? Maybe an older model, but even then I am not sure. http://www.sabreyachts.com http://www.tartanyachts.com And when I think of Morgans I don't think of fractional rigs
Are you sure they are making Fractional Rigs? Maybe an older model, but even then I am not sure. http://www.sabreyachts.com http://www.tartanyachts.com And when I think of Morgans I don't think of fractional rigs
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ed
Im not sure who is building them now but-
That was not the question. I think he asked for suggestions about 20 to 30 years. I put fractional rigged sailboats in my search engine and got 700 plus hits. there are lots of them!
That was not the question. I think he asked for suggestions about 20 to 30 years. I put fractional rigged sailboats in my search engine and got 700 plus hits. there are lots of them!
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PaulK
Style
Fractional rigs come & go with popularity. In the 60's, the many CCA type boats had fractional rigs. Masthead rigs became more favored under the IOR rule, because large mains were penalized and boats needed sail area somewhere. Despite overall trends sometimes the balance of a design simply calls for one rig style over another. The Tartan 33 and Tartan 10 have fractional rigs, for example. Masthead rigs are deemed easierr to sail because you can't do much with them. Fractional rigs are supposedly more difficult because there is more that you can do to adjust mast bend (and therefore sail shape). Theoretically, a fractional rig is more efficient going to windward because of the interplay of the jib & main, and the vortices generated by their relative placements. Right now, most of the current J/Boat crop (J/109,etc) is fractional. Fractional rigs might be seen as more sporty, like a standard shift in a car compared to a masthead rig being more like an automatic.
Fractional rigs come & go with popularity. In the 60's, the many CCA type boats had fractional rigs. Masthead rigs became more favored under the IOR rule, because large mains were penalized and boats needed sail area somewhere. Despite overall trends sometimes the balance of a design simply calls for one rig style over another. The Tartan 33 and Tartan 10 have fractional rigs, for example. Masthead rigs are deemed easierr to sail because you can't do much with them. Fractional rigs are supposedly more difficult because there is more that you can do to adjust mast bend (and therefore sail shape). Theoretically, a fractional rig is more efficient going to windward because of the interplay of the jib & main, and the vortices generated by their relative placements. Right now, most of the current J/Boat crop (J/109,etc) is fractional. Fractional rigs might be seen as more sporty, like a standard shift in a car compared to a masthead rig being more like an automatic.
Ted Brewer
At the risk of getting too personal, the name Ted Brewer struck a cord, if I recall a boat designer. He offered a treatise I think (may still be on his web site) dealing with boat balance. What I found interesting was his very simplistic view of lateral resistance relationship to boat balance... describing it as a fixed static point... when in fact few who currently think about boat balance think of the lateral resistance as a static fixed point but rather the sum of all forces on the hull and as the boat heels, the point can be quite dynamic. In fairness to Mr. Brewer, he may have been intentionally simplistic for a given article but it was presented in such a way that in the case of the discussion that resulted from several reading it, some took it too literal as the gospel from a naval architech and argued therefore that the CLR is static. I'd be interested in reading the article to see if Mr. Brewer did better with it than he did with the treatise on boat balance. Which issue?
At the risk of getting too personal, the name Ted Brewer struck a cord, if I recall a boat designer. He offered a treatise I think (may still be on his web site) dealing with boat balance. What I found interesting was his very simplistic view of lateral resistance relationship to boat balance... describing it as a fixed static point... when in fact few who currently think about boat balance think of the lateral resistance as a static fixed point but rather the sum of all forces on the hull and as the boat heels, the point can be quite dynamic. In fairness to Mr. Brewer, he may have been intentionally simplistic for a given article but it was presented in such a way that in the case of the discussion that resulted from several reading it, some took it too literal as the gospel from a naval architech and argued therefore that the CLR is static. I'd be interested in reading the article to see if Mr. Brewer did better with it than he did with the treatise on boat balance. Which issue?
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Wright Ellis s/v Whisky II
I have one!
My Hunter 26.5 is a fractional rig and the article in G.O.B. pretty much summed up my experience.
My Hunter 26.5 is a fractional rig and the article in G.O.B. pretty much summed up my experience.
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bill
fractional rigs
My Pearson Flyer from 1982 was a fractional rig boat. It was 3/4 rig. Great boat. If it had been a 7/8 rig like the Tartan 10s it would have been virtually unbeatable on the race course. J boats (J 30, J 29, J 24, etc.) were and are all fractional rigs. For a more contemporary discussion, here is a link from the good folks @ RCR Yachts in Youngstown, NY: http://www.rcryachts.com/fractional.htm
My Pearson Flyer from 1982 was a fractional rig boat. It was 3/4 rig. Great boat. If it had been a 7/8 rig like the Tartan 10s it would have been virtually unbeatable on the race course. J boats (J 30, J 29, J 24, etc.) were and are all fractional rigs. For a more contemporary discussion, here is a link from the good folks @ RCR Yachts in Youngstown, NY: http://www.rcryachts.com/fractional.htm
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Hector Mujica
It's a matter of balance
Masthead or fractional it's a matter of sail plan and balance of the WHOLE boat. The designer choice and the intended use, either one is a compromise, as anything else on a sailboat. Both have pros and cons.
Masthead or fractional it's a matter of sail plan and balance of the WHOLE boat. The designer choice and the intended use, either one is a compromise, as anything else on a sailboat. Both have pros and cons.
Fractional rigs/Ted Brewer
I did not read Brewer's article, but I wonder about your definition of CLR. "The sum of all the forces on the hull" would include those imposed by the mast, standing rigging, sheets, crew, stowage, etc. The lateral resistance is the force the underbody longitudinal profile exerts against the water. That varies with the angle of heel, as you say, but its centroid can be calculated for any such angle that may obtain.
I did not read Brewer's article, but I wonder about your definition of CLR. "The sum of all the forces on the hull" would include those imposed by the mast, standing rigging, sheets, crew, stowage, etc. The lateral resistance is the force the underbody longitudinal profile exerts against the water. That varies with the angle of heel, as you say, but its centroid can be calculated for any such angle that may obtain.
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