Staysail rigging

[Magnum]

I haven't posted a question for a while so here goes

Sailing boat around 50-60 feet, sloop rig with option for staysail. North 3DL moulded sails. Genoa is on an electric furler. Side tracks are fairly short so genoa can only be roller-reefed a few turns.

Staysail could be permanently rigged using a manual furler or rigged on a removable stay using a rather nice but pricey Karver KFH furling-lock and continuous line manual furler.

Pros of fixed stay - always ready, staysail can be roller reefed.
Cons - weight of stay and sail always present, running backstays always rigged.

Pros of removable stay - only rigged when needed, less weight aloft and foredeck less cluttered when not rigged, easier tacking of genoa, storm jib could be deployed using same system.
Cons - rigging in rough conditions not easy, staysail cannot be roller reefed.

Have I got that right? Any other comments gratefully received as always

 

[Dockhead]

These two scenarios are not quite comparable.

A removeable inner forestay is just the trick for a storm jib which you would only rig for when you want to put away the genoa altogether.

A permanent stay is for when you want to sail like a cutter -- use the staysail in combination with the main headsail. Besides the storm jib type situations. This will not work so well if the boat was not designed for it in the first place -- the main headsail ought to be high cut (like a yankee jib) to make tacking easier and to leave some wind at deck level for the staysail. Cutters were traditionally rigged with the mast further aft than sloops, but I am not knowledgeable enough to tell you whether that is any more relevant.

You do not need running backs rigged all the time with a permanently rigged inner forestay. Just when you use the staysail.

I am in my second year of sailing a cutter rigged boat after a lifetime of sloops. I can tell you a few things about my experience (YMMV):

1. tacking the yankee jib around the inner forestay is no problem at all.
2. the staysail adds drive in a surprisingly wide variety of situations
3. the flexibility of sail plan is extremely useful

but

4. rigging and unrigging and tacking the running backstays is a bit of a PITA.

 

[Dockhead]

Oh, I forgot

5. more headsails gives you more ways to balance out weather helm.

 

[Dockhead]

And:

* deck clutter not an issue on 50+ foot boat

* lost ability to reef of hanked-on storm jib is NOT a problem. You never need to reef your staysail/storm jib -- that is the beauty of it -- whether or not it has roller furling. It has much less area with a much lower center of effort, and the great advantage of it is that it is always unfurled and with ideal shape in any wind. So you can go to windward (somewhat, at least) even in gale conditions.