During the past week, I have spoken to a couple of customers about their headsail choice. They came at it from completely opposite directions. While most racers will have 3 or 4 headsails that they switch out for specific wind speeds, most cruisers opt for a single roller furling sail they can use across a wide range of winds.
Both customers have mid-size cruising boats (38 to 42 feet) designed for large overlapping Genoas, both are cruising in similar cruising grounds and both are similar age.
Customer one (John) is looking to upgrade to newer sails, but loves his 110% Jib. He and his wife typically cruise alone or with non-sailing friends. The 110% jib is easy to tack, easy to get sheeted in with minimal grinding and easy to furl. They rarely sail if they need to use it partially furled (winds above 20 knots). When the winds are light, they underperform, but as he said, it just gives us time for another drink or a longer lunch.
Customer two (Sally) also currently has a 110% Jib but the boat was originally shipped with a 145% Genoa. She was trying to go up in size from his 110 to a 135% or maybe even a 145%. She says they rarely sail in more than 12-13 knots. But do want the ability to do some offshore sailing. So our discussion was on the 135%-145% genoa with a foam luff so it holds it shape better when partially furled. We were also going to add reef patches that strengthen the foot and leech at the typical reef points of 120% and 105%. In discussing the difference between the 135 and 145 we discussed that the foot would be approximately 2.5 feet longer. These means more sail to pull around on each tack, and more sheet to grind on after the tack. We also discussed performance difference and how the 145% would make the most difference when the wind drops below 10 knots.
There is no right answer. The two customers have different goals. John was looking for ease of sail handling for him and his wife and was willing to give up some performance. Sally was looking for better performance across a wide range of wind. What does make a difference is that both customers called to talk through the various options for their sails. Having a sounding board to discuss options was helpful to both customers in making the right decision for them.