Pearson 40 Owners Association 

The Best P-40 Sail Inventory and Rig (Revised June 2006)

I think everyone has his or her own opinion regarding the "best" cruising sail inventory and rig. My "perfect" Pearson 40 cruising setup includes only 6 sails and converts the P-40 sloop rig to double roller furling cutter. I have made the leap to a double (headstay and staysail stay) roller furling rig.

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1. Main - 8.3 oz with a two-ply head and leech. Two rows of reefs, both very deep (9 and 18 feet up the luff respectively). They are like a #1.5 and a # 3 reef.

2 and 3. Roller furling Staysail/Storm jib and storm trysail - very heavy duty - bulletproof -  the storm jib is set on a roller furling inner forestay and the trysail sets on a separate track beside the main luff track.

4. 100% yankee (high clew) - 9.3 oz, foam luff, roller reefable, high clew is for visibility and to keep the foot out of the waves.

5. Asymmetric spinnaker - full size (180%) - tri-radial – no pole. I happened to have a .75 oz from my old boat so I am using that but I would recommend 1.5 oz - with a "snuffer" or "Chutescoop"

6. A flat-cut tri-radial "Code 0" or as Doyle calls them "UPS". I have this sail and have tried it out a few times and it is incredible. This is the sail that replaces my old 135% genoa. - it is 2.2 oz, and is roller FURLable (not REEFable, FURLable only) and be set free standing on its own luff rope using the spinnaker halyard. It will be taken down when not in use. These new Code 0 sails can nearly go upwind (somewhere around 45-50 degrees of apparent wind angle in light air) and work well up to about 120 degrees apparent wind angle. They can handle about 8 to 9 knots apparent wind at 45 degrees apparent wind
angle and about 18 to 21 knots apparent at 120 degrees apparent wind. I think these Code 0 sails will remarkably improve the performance of most cruising boats.

Here is my logic on the headsails (It only applies to long range cruising, not day sailing or coastal cruising. This assumes you are trying to get somewhere and not just playing around):  The P-40 is fairly easily overpowered with a large headsail.  When I originally bought "Passion" I used my 135% headsail but it spent a lot of time partially reefed (which is bad for the sail). I switched down to the old 100% jib that came with the boat (now replaced with a new 100% high clewed yankee) and found that the P-40 sailed nearly as fast as with the 135% in most conditions. Whenever the wind got over 8 or 9 knots of apparent wind, the 100% was close to the 135%. Under that velocity or when the wind started to move way aft were the only times the 135% was appreciably faster.  Even the 135% becomes pretty ineffective when the wind went aft.  This meant that the REEFable 100% jib filled nearly all my needs; for wind strengths up to about 35-40 knots apparent where the storm jib comes in, and down to about 9 knots apparent where I needed a lighter and larger headsail. If you believe as I do that normally a long distance cruiser will not spend time beating dead to windward in light air but instead will turn on the motor, then the 135% is only very valuable when off the wind in light air. This is the Code 0's forte.  The Code 0 also can sail very close to the wind in light air, thereby giving you power and speed in light air. This means you can set a 100% yankee and leave it on the furling system all the time and when you need light air or off the wind performance, the Code 0 fills in.

Like anything, there are compromises. The Code 0 requires more work because you have to set it but in my mind, this is offset by the reduced wear-and-tear on the yankee which does not need to be reefed as much or as often. Regardless of what you have been told, partially rolling a headsail damages the sail. Roller reefing a headsail puts loads on places in the sail where there is no reinforcing and that is not good.

So that's my "perfect" cruising sail inventory and rig.

Chip