How much info is too much?
The original question was posed by a new sailor. I know when i was new i wanted a relatively simple answer. I am not a racer, but i assure you i can sail from point A to point B. I am a retired engineer so i certainly can do the math. If it is a relatively light wind day I want my 150, why? because the bag says 150 not No.1. I put up the 150 which is the biggest one I own. But wait, It is not comming back that far past my mast, looks more like a 110. How do i know which one it is? I get out my square, my tape measure and a series of other stuff including a calculator, OR...I look and say to my self "self, is that a tad past the mast or is it about 50% overlapping".Maybe when you start talking 'J's, I's, LP's , etc. to a new sailor you might think to your self, is this too much information? No, probably not, because then how would i tell the sailmaker how to design a sail?Maybe a person with 'limited knowledge' in life has a need to display all his knowledge to convince the world or himself of how smart he is. maybe it is the show off that doesnt have a 'clew', LOL.