I didn't say 'take the jib off' I said 'move that same sail area to the main'
Jake, if you and Wouter are correct, then answer this:
--Why are A-Cats unirig?
--Why, when the rules provide for the choice to divide the 18 square meter sail area however one likes, is the predominant sail plan choice for 18sqM, unirig?
--Why are the C-Cats unirig?
--Why are the 18HT boats unirig, with hi-aspect chute for downwind, (which incidentally seems to me to be the optimum sail plan, best of both?)
--ergo, why unirig?
I mean, you yourself said, "since having it all in the main is more efficient"
Why would that be? Unirigs get tanked on a reach, and it gets tanked downwind for sure. There must be SOME advantage...?
The question was: "someone has said that sailing a sloop rigged cat with only the main will allow it to point a little higher, (in this case a nacra 5.2 with center boards)". The question was not, "can I redesign my entire boat to point higher".
I explained why an A-cat doesn't have a jib...it's because the A-cat (the 18sq as well) is limited to
X sail area. When under such limits, it is more efficient to have it all in the main instead of building a smaller main to allow for some sail area in the jib. This may also be a factor of the lightweight boat that it demands efficiency more than it needs horsepower provided by a jib. A single sail is also much easier to handle when sailing solo.
In the case of this 5.2, which this thread is about, the boat will be slower upwind if you simply leave the jib off. The main is shaped wrong for it, the boat is not balanced for it, and it looses sail area and overall speed. Yes, it might be able to point slightly higher without the jib but, overall, it will be slower if you leave the jib off.
You're confusing this topic with a uni-platform vs. sloop. We're strictly talking about a sloop platform (i.e. thread title).
