Submitted on October 12, 2005 by Omer Ongut

Question: Thanks for the opportunity to ask this question. We are seeing more and more self tacking jibs lately compared to huge overlapping genoas of yesterday. While there is a very big handling advantage especially for shorthanded crews, what are the performance losses between the two?

In other words given the same sail area on the same boat what would be the difference if one of them had 120% jib, while the other had a bigger main but a self tacking 100% jib?

Omer Ongut

Answer: Dear Omer,

In comparing different rigs of the same sail area, keep in mind that headsail area is generally more efficient per square foot than mainsail area. Also there are many other factors that would bear on how the trade-off you suggest would effect performance.
I can tell you that in light air upwind sailing, overlapping genoas seem to provide speed and pointing ability that no other single factor can. In this condition, I would sacrifice main area to have some genoa overlap. But......in most other conditions the non-overlapping jib and larger main offer many advantages, such as:

• Smaller jibs are much easier to handle.
• They can be sheeted at both narrower and wider angles than a genoa. That increases versatility.
• The big main has a huge range of shapes and power settings due to mast bend and traveller controls.
• The lack of headsail overlap allows the main to be eased more without luffing (more forward force, less side force.)

So, in general......if light air upwind performance is important to you, then bigger headsail may be better. Otherwise a smaller jib and bigger main are probably the way to go. The trade-off really depends on the specific boat and your sailing requirements.

Good luck!
Steve Reed

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