I'd say that all boats weren't rigged this way because there are so many disadvantages, and runners really aren't that bad either.
Some negatives of aft raked spars are - The boom swings to centerline in light conditions, destroying sail drive; masts so steeply raked tend to develop a bow forward as the middle of the mast falls down (aft) with gravity(no joke, look around!); masts raked so far aft harm windward performance and lessens overall sail area for a given mast legnth; masts raked so far aft are a pain to climb and work on, and step; masts raked so far aft are no so pretty to some ; i am sure there are more.
You want to see really steeply raked masts check out our Pride of Balitmore II.
thats now 4 cents....
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Brian Duff
BVI Yacht Sales, Tortola
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