Main Sail size

[ccesur]

Hi,I am going to renew the sails of my 1995 Hunter 29.5. The original mainsail is 405.7 sq ft and one of the famous sailmakers said that 40% roach on mainsail is enough based on their design experience, which means approaximately 330 sq ft sail area, and a bigger mainsail is not necessary for such a boat, which makes handling more difficult. Does anybody have similar experience, smaller mainsail and slightly bigger jib compared original Hunter design? I would appreciate any comments.Thanks,

 

[Don]

stay with the spec sail

I believe your 95 is a B+R rig without a backstay. The design is to have a large roach on the main which means a small jib which allows for easy tacking. The boat should be well balanced with the existing setup and I would not change it.