Racing or cruising?
For cruising, the best combo is a furling 110, and an asymetric spinnaker. This rig will outperform a genny in all conditions except going to windward in light air - and most of us cruisers are motoring in those conditions! Racing rules usually penalize the spinnaker, and windward performance is critical, so you would want to think about a furling 135-135, or even a 150 if you often have light winds. Finally, my strongest recommendation is to find a sailmaker you like (locally or online) and develop a sail strategy with him/her. Let them know your plans, and resources, and get advice on the steps that will take you where you want to go. Over two years, we replaced the blown original main and 110 on our '77 h27 with the rig I describe above, and a partial full batten main, all from the local Doyle loft. The results for our week long cruising and day sailing on Lake Erie are: Easy shifting and reefing of the sail plan as winds change is provided by the roller furling headsail, sock on the cruising spinnaker, and sensible main reefing. 20% less time on the engine while reaching on the spinnaker with the full batten (larger roach) main. High performance in heavy air from the tunable main, and reefable 110. The new main also reduced heeling by 5%, and weather helm substantially We kept the 135, but only use it occasionally for racing. Those are my ideas, but I encourage you to think through the question for yourself - that's a key joy of sailing - understanding the trade-offs, making our own selections, and then seeing how they perfoms for us. That's also why we have different rigs, but each can be somehow "right." David Lady Lillie
