Garry Hoyt, arguably one of the most creative designers alive today, has patented a new rig that combines the advantages of traditional gaff rigs and modern bermuda rigs. (Note: thumbnail pic widens the sail area; click through to full article for properly sized pictures).
Garry Hoyt's patented Offset Rig
The fundamental difference of this patented rig is that both the boom and the horizontal gaff are carried out to the side of the mast by a special offset arm. This provides a totally clean leading edge to the mainsail, free of the windage interference of the mast, which penalizes the performance of conventional mainsails.
This offset arm also allows the forward projection of both boom and gaff ahead of the mast, creating a balanced rig that enables easier trimming in the same way that a balanced rudder enables easier steering. The Offset Rig also delivers an important new safety feature by significantly softening the force of the jibe. The approximate 20% of the sail area that is carried ahead of the mast acts as a brake by slowing the swing of the sail across the boat during the jibe.
Garry Hoyt's Illustration of the Offset Rig
We may have to wait a while to see these in action; in the Q&A on the site, Garry mentions that he is reluctant to see it used by amateur retrofitters:
The HOR will work on any sailboat hull, but care must be taken to position the mast, boom and gaff so that the sail’s CE (center of effort) is correctly related to the CLR(center of lateral resistance). Also, the free standing mast of the HOR requires extra strengthening at the deck partners and mast step. For all these reasons, I am reluctant to encourage amateur installation at this stage because improper installation could penalize the concept. Therefore, I prefer to initially concentrate on new construction with the involvement of professional builders and designers.
I acquired a small sailboat a while back that I was told was a Garry Holt design. At the time, that meant absolutely nothing to me. It’s a tiny thing – it has a large center hull and two — more like wings than outriggers. It’s name is Plan B, if that means anything. Can you tell me anything about it, or should I send you a picture? Or will you be able to, even with a picture? I appreciate anything you can tell me. Sincerely, Lynn McMillen
I haven’t heard of the “Plan B” and Hoyt’s website just has larger boats he has designed along with two paddle boats. You could go to his website at http://www.garryhoyt.com and use the “Contact” link to send him a message. You can also post a picture of it in our Main Forum here on the website (it requires a separate registration, but is also free). There are a lot of people with more boat knowledge than me in the forums!