staysail
- Thread starter Rick
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Cuter vs sloop
A cutter by definition has a staysail and a forstay sail, a sloop has only a forstay sail. The mast is set back farther on a cutter than on a sloop and the keel placement is different. To answer your question a cutter has more options as to suit of sails as it has 3 vs 2. So in addition to the normal Genoa suite it has a staysail suite. This makes it GREAT for everything from 0 to 50+ as you can correctly position the appropriate suit of sails for a given wind condition. A cutter really shines when the wind pipes up and you have to reduce sail. With a tri-sail on the mast and a storm jib on the stay (not forestay) the boat is balanced for storm conditions. So the staysail does not make it faster it just gives you more options and if you know how to take advantage of them that will make for a faster boat. Roosa family TRITIUM
A cutter by definition has a staysail and a forstay sail, a sloop has only a forstay sail. The mast is set back farther on a cutter than on a sloop and the keel placement is different. To answer your question a cutter has more options as to suit of sails as it has 3 vs 2. So in addition to the normal Genoa suite it has a staysail suite. This makes it GREAT for everything from 0 to 50+ as you can correctly position the appropriate suit of sails for a given wind condition. A cutter really shines when the wind pipes up and you have to reduce sail. With a tri-sail on the mast and a storm jib on the stay (not forestay) the boat is balanced for storm conditions. So the staysail does not make it faster it just gives you more options and if you know how to take advantage of them that will make for a faster boat. Roosa family TRITIUM
I like it because
...because it makes sail handling much easier, which is important to me and my wife because of a few age-related iritations, such as arthritic hands. Also, I don't have the upper body strength of the body-building 30-something son-in-law, and he is not always available. The jib and main are both smaller than you would find on a sloop rigged boat of the same length, but in combination with the staysail we have no problem sailing at hull speed when the wind blows. And, as stated earlier by Bill, you gain a lot of flexibility in dealing with heavy winds, and the boat remains stable and easy to handle. I would add a staysail on a boat my size (37) and up if it did not come equipped that way. Some Hunter 37 owners have rerigged to a sloop rig, and like it, but I agree with those who feel the boat was designed for max efficiency with the staysail rig, and works best that way. Sanders s/v Good News
...because it makes sail handling much easier, which is important to me and my wife because of a few age-related iritations, such as arthritic hands. Also, I don't have the upper body strength of the body-building 30-something son-in-law, and he is not always available. The jib and main are both smaller than you would find on a sloop rigged boat of the same length, but in combination with the staysail we have no problem sailing at hull speed when the wind blows. And, as stated earlier by Bill, you gain a lot of flexibility in dealing with heavy winds, and the boat remains stable and easy to handle. I would add a staysail on a boat my size (37) and up if it did not come equipped that way. Some Hunter 37 owners have rerigged to a sloop rig, and like it, but I agree with those who feel the boat was designed for max efficiency with the staysail rig, and works best that way. Sanders s/v Good News
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