Greg wrote:
Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, but didn't find anything after searching for a while. Is there any general consensus as to what the largest amount of junk rig sail are that can be "reasonably" single handed in most offshore situations. I MAY consider working backwards from this in choosing a boat size. It's just going to be a rough starting point but every journey must start somewhere.
There used to be a consensus in the bermudan sailing sphere that 500 sq ft was a "reasonable" maximum for any individual sail. This is not necessarily true with junk rig, but is a good starting point for your cogitations.
However, much depends on size, strength and fitness. I would consider myself as an average male in those terms, and have sailed a great many offshore miles. Up until the age of 70, I was able to handle a single sail of 550 sq ft on a 35ft boat, so long as it was of a user-friendly type. I think that means choosing a high aspect ratio, so that the yard and battens remain short and therefore light, and so that loads on the various hauling lines remain relatively low. Happily, this sail area happens to be about right to power what I would consider to be the maximum size of boat that a single hander needs (as opposed to wants or dreams about). A 30ft - 32ft boat of a conventional, mainstream type and of moderate displacement will be quite large enough for all offshore single handed sailing and for accommodation needs, even for a large, strong, fit young man who could in theory handle a larger sail.
A phrase that remains relevant, even with the easier handling that a junk rig provides, is "don't be over-boated". That is, don't get carried away and get a larger boat than is strictly necessary. Small Is Beautiful, Less Is More! My SIBLIM design, at rather less than 30ft, has turned out to be quite a good fit for a smallish woman and a largish man, both of whom have a history of being able to live comfortably in a small space with minimal possessions.