Modern mass production cutter rig boats

Vancouver 34 is a cutter, rig designed to illiminate running back stays.

My 2003 immaculate Vancouver 34C will be coming up for sale in the autumn.
 
From the very informed replies to the OP's question it is clear that modern sailing boats can be configured to eliminate running backstays or check stays.

Surely the best of both worlds, especially if the self tacking staysail option is used. Easy to handle versatile rig for a small crew.
 
pmagowan said:
A 'standard' cutter rig will have running back stays IMO. Modern designs try to do away with these for convenience and so they either take the staysail stay high on the mast to avoid bowing the mast or they do complicated things with the shrouds and spreaders. Either will resolve the problem but have problems of their own.
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My ebbtide has diamond stays to transfer the horizontal load on the mast where the inner forestay attaches. Simple and without problems, though I've considered adding some dyneema so additional running backstays are possible should things get really nasty, hard to say if that would be necessary.
As for the rig, offshore it's great, when the wind pipes up with staysail and heavily reefed main you get all the sail area down low and towards the centre of the boat. Plus not having to worry about the forestay or the roller reefing furling line parting is an added bonus.
 
As mentioned Island Packets are (almost all) cutter rigged and I wouldn't say the numbers are insignificant they've built about 2,300 which is a big number for a boat of that type (yes yes I know Bav & Ben build 100x that many but outside that...). Our IP370 cutter rig is really handy for a couple sailing, the stays'l is self-tacking and in a blow or up a narrow channel or river short tacking is a breeze, so to speak. No running stays and all the sails are self-fuurling. Bit pricey though, depends on your budget.
 
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