I read about this in the Hunter Catalina debate. I am fairly new to sailing and do not know what this is. Pluses and minuses of the system? Thanks.
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great info in reference section
You'll find a lot of basic info on the rig in the Reference section of this site. Look toward the bottom of the nav column and read the tuning info plus the Q and A with Jim Bohart.
You'll find a lot of basic info on the rig in the Reference section of this site. Look toward the bottom of the nav column and read the tuning info plus the Q and A with Jim Bohart.
Quick summary
A B&R rig utilizes swept back stays and a unique (diamond) shroud structure in lieu of a backstay. Hunter says its stronger and permits a lighter mast to be used. I have never heard of a rig failure on a B&R boat. The major advantage is that you can put a large roach fully battened powerful mainsail on the boat (you don't have to worry about he sail hitting the backstay. As I mentioned in an earlier post, IMHO these kinds of sails on a big boat are more difficult to handle (in terms of hoisting and furling) but Phil (who has one) disagrees; I imagine the sail issue becomes less a problem with an electric winch and some kind of furling system. Another advantage is you don't have a single or split backstay cluttering up the stern of your boat. A major disadvantage is that you cannot fully sheet out the boom because of the swept back stays and shrouds, thus, downwind performance can be compromised. This problem can be alleviated by sailing a little off the wind, using a cruising chute, and a large roach mainsail that has more area to capture wind. People that like to be able to adjust the mast rake thru an adjustable backstay also criticisize the B&R rig for lacking this ability. All in all, I doubt these things really matter a whole lot to the typical cruiser. Witness the fact that many (most?) Hunters are purchased with in boom furling. These furling systems cannot handle the large battens required for large roach sails and therefore have more traditional cut sails. In this case, one of the B&R's main advantages (large roach sail) is eliminated. Hard for me to see the benefit of a B&R if you have in boom furling or you don't want a full batten, large roach sail.
A B&R rig utilizes swept back stays and a unique (diamond) shroud structure in lieu of a backstay. Hunter says its stronger and permits a lighter mast to be used. I have never heard of a rig failure on a B&R boat. The major advantage is that you can put a large roach fully battened powerful mainsail on the boat (you don't have to worry about he sail hitting the backstay. As I mentioned in an earlier post, IMHO these kinds of sails on a big boat are more difficult to handle (in terms of hoisting and furling) but Phil (who has one) disagrees; I imagine the sail issue becomes less a problem with an electric winch and some kind of furling system. Another advantage is you don't have a single or split backstay cluttering up the stern of your boat. A major disadvantage is that you cannot fully sheet out the boom because of the swept back stays and shrouds, thus, downwind performance can be compromised. This problem can be alleviated by sailing a little off the wind, using a cruising chute, and a large roach mainsail that has more area to capture wind. People that like to be able to adjust the mast rake thru an adjustable backstay also criticisize the B&R rig for lacking this ability. All in all, I doubt these things really matter a whole lot to the typical cruiser. Witness the fact that many (most?) Hunters are purchased with in boom furling. These furling systems cannot handle the large battens required for large roach sails and therefore have more traditional cut sails. In this case, one of the B&R's main advantages (large roach sail) is eliminated. Hard for me to see the benefit of a B&R if you have in boom furling or you don't want a full batten, large roach sail.
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