What rig and sail inventory is standard on an Arcona 340?
I'm looking at an Arcona 340 advertised with a furling jib, mainsail and spinnaker. What was the standard rig and sail plan, and how can I check whether its inventory matches the original specification?
Answer
The Arcona 340 is a fractional-rigged sloop, and its February 2010 specification lists a 37.8 m² mainsail and a 29.4 m², 106% jib as the principal working sails. It also lists a 41 m² furling genoa and a 100 m² spinnaker, though these published sizes do not confirm which sails came with an individual boat.
Check the boat's documents
Start with the original equipment specification, sailmaker's invoices and inventory attached to the current sale agreement. These separate the designer's sail plan from the sails supplied and any replacements bought during the boat's life.
An Arcona used for club racing may have accumulated several headsails. A cruising owner may instead have replaced the original sails with a single furling headsail and a mainsail that is easier to handle.
Use the Arcona 340 specification dated 15 February 2010. Do not substitute figures from the later Arcona 345 because both boats are 10.40 m long. The 345's published sail areas and rig dimensions differ.
Published rig dimensions
The conventional arrangement has an aluminium mast and boom carrying one mainsail and one forestay headsail. The 340's published dimensions are:
- Mast height above the water: approximately 17.50 m.
- I: 14.70 m, the foretriangle height used in sail plan calculations.
- J: 3.70 m, the horizontal foretriangle base.
- P: 14.35 m, the mainsail luff measurement limit.
- E: 4.80 m, the mainsail foot measurement limit.
These reference dimensions are insufficient for ordering replacement sails. A sailmaker must also establish the actual tack and head positions, available hoist, mast track fittings, reef positions and headsail foil groove.
The published 17.50 m mast height does not guarantee bridge clearance. Masthead instruments, aerials, loading and water level affect the clearance required.
Confirm the mast maker, spreader arrangement, standing rigging specification and reefing equipment on the boat itself. Do not assume the later 345's detailed mast specification applies to every 340.
Published sail inventory
- Mainsail, 37.8 m²: the principal sail. Its useful condition depends on shape, stitching, slides and working reef points.
- 106% jib, 29.4 m²: the modestly overlapping working headsail. The percentage describes its luff perpendicular measurement relative to J, rather than its area compared with another sail.
- Furling genoa, 41 m²: a larger headsail listed in the specification. Check its cut, cloth and suitability for reefing before treating it as an all-weather replacement for the jib.
- Spinnaker, 100 m²: the published downwind sail size. Establish whether the sail aboard is a conventional symmetric spinnaker or a later asymmetric addition.