Dear Sand Sailor...
...you know what is really important? How she sails is what's important. Do not try to make your boat look like something she isn't.... she's already cool looking, you just don't know it. You want her to look like a Hunter or some of the other lightweight, fractional rigs in your marina.... but it will look stupid to other, more knowledgeable, sailors if you bastardize the fine design you already possess. A masthead rig, derives its power from the headsail, the mainsail providing some power but mostly balance. Traditional masthead rigs carry very large headsails and moderately sized mains. In the 70's, when I lived in the SF Bay area, the common set up for the windy conditions was a large genoa, with a smaller main or reefed main. Yours is such a boat. If you think the sailplan looks out of proportion.... try setting a smaller headsail, perhaps a 120 or 135 so that it "LOOKS" like you think it should. Do you understand the difference between a masthead rig and a fractional rig? Do a little research... yours is a masthead rig, where the headsail hoists fully to the top of the mast. A fractional rig's headstay terminates somewhere below the top of the mast so the headsail's full hoist is only a fraction of the mast height. For a visual, picture a hobie cat.....that is a fractional rig. Large, fully battened mainsail with a small headsail whose main function is to redirect air over the powerful mainsail and help the boat tack through the wind.
