mast head vs. fractional

[scott]

Trying to figure out the pro's and con's of mast head rigs vs. fractional rigs. Some sailors swear by one and curse the other and visa versa. Can you give me the Reader's Digest version of the differances?

 

[Don Guillette]

Mast Head vs Fractional

Scott: A fractional rig is easy to recognize as the jib goes only part way (a fraction) up the mast. That is the type of rig the America Cup boats have. On a fractional rig, the mainsail is the engine. A mast head rig has the jib going all the way to the top of the mast. On a mast head rig, the jib is the engine. That is the story and you prety much trim both of them the same way.

 

[dave]

fractional rigs

never had one but the tartan 33 and tartan ten are good examples of them. the primary advantage of a fractional rig as best I can tell is it allows you a lot more control over mast bend. since the mast essentially pivots about the headstay connection when you tighten the backstay it allows much more flattening of the mainsail and thus the ability to sail closer to the wind for beating. trying to bend a mast with backstay tension on a masthead rig basically puts the mast in compression and forces it to "buckle" under the compressive load since any backstay tension is transmitted directly thru the masthead to the headstay. perhaps the support of the mast at the headstay is stronger in a capsizing situation so a fractional rig may be less advantageous for offshore racing or cruising work just due to strength not sailing performance.

 

[Jon Petersen]

Pro Fractional rig

I like the fractional because when tacking I can handle the jib a LOT easier.

 

[Bryan C.]

Another pro frac rig

Masthead rigs, I have read, were developed to comply with IOR racing rules from times past. On a masthead rig boat, the genny is the power sail. An a frac rig, the mast is usually a little more forward, the mainsail bigger, and the main is the driving sail.Personally, I like the frac rig for the some reason Jon said -- much easier to handle. I worry a lot less about getting hit by a squall, I can roller furl the headsail and its not very big. The main is bigger, true, but ismore controllable, and you can reef it down without affecting sail characteristics. You cannot reef in the headsail with roller furler much without your headsail becoming a bag that is not much help going to weather. Big headsail = big bag.I've sailed on boats with big gennys, and they are (relatively) a pain in the ass to handle, and if you get caught in a squall, the force on the big forsail can make them pretty tough to get in.