A Reference
Anyone reading this thread interested in some expert facts, rather than anecdotal views, may be interested in taking a peek at the June edition of "Sail" magazine in which the pros and cons of a number of rigs, including the B&R, are discussed. FWIW, if you were to compare the the mid-80's Pearson 28 to the Hunter 28.5, boats with similar displacement, sail area, and design, you would find that the B&R-rigged Hunter has about twice the number of uppers, lowers, intermediates, end fittings, and swages as the similarly performing Pearson. Mast section? About the same. Righting moment? Who cares, these are not boats one uses for a circumnavigation. The only real difference is that the Pearson owner can sail his boat downwind safely. He also doesn't have a rig that requires Einsteinian wisdom and skill to tune. As an owner of a B&R rigged Hunter 28.5, I have to say I love the boat and am quite happy with the way it performs. All boats are, of course, tradeoffs. I chose this boat (and its rig)knowing what those tradeoffs were. Had I been given the choice of the same boat with a conventional rig, I would have chosen that instead of the B&R. I've read a number of posts of other cruisers who stated the same thing.
Anyone reading this thread interested in some expert facts, rather than anecdotal views, may be interested in taking a peek at the June edition of "Sail" magazine in which the pros and cons of a number of rigs, including the B&R, are discussed. FWIW, if you were to compare the the mid-80's Pearson 28 to the Hunter 28.5, boats with similar displacement, sail area, and design, you would find that the B&R-rigged Hunter has about twice the number of uppers, lowers, intermediates, end fittings, and swages as the similarly performing Pearson. Mast section? About the same. Righting moment? Who cares, these are not boats one uses for a circumnavigation. The only real difference is that the Pearson owner can sail his boat downwind safely. He also doesn't have a rig that requires Einsteinian wisdom and skill to tune. As an owner of a B&R rigged Hunter 28.5, I have to say I love the boat and am quite happy with the way it performs. All boats are, of course, tradeoffs. I chose this boat (and its rig)knowing what those tradeoffs were. Had I been given the choice of the same boat with a conventional rig, I would have chosen that instead of the B&R. I've read a number of posts of other cruisers who stated the same thing.
