The cloth on my primary ~130% genoa is getting weak. I have an older ~130% that is still pretty sturdy, but it's shape isn't the best and I can only tack in about 100 degrees. So I need to get a new jib and am considering going to a non-overlapping. My sailmaker recommends a ~95% hyrdanet with radial head, and vertical battens. He doesn't think I will give up much in sailing performance, and it would be a lot easier to handle. Most of our sailing is just two of us aboard, and we don't do any serious racing.

I see a lot of Js and other relatively newer boats with non-overlapping head sails. My main concern is I have a slightly heavier boat (Nordic 40, ~20K Lbs) which needs some horsepower. On the other hand the rig is tall and the fore triangle is reasonably good sized.

John Harries (Morgan's Cloud) recommends high-cut non-overlapping jibs, but he has a roller-furling staysail which gives him a lot of flexibility. I have a stay sail too but it is hank on and more for heavy weather offshore than something I would readily use while coastal cruising.

Curious if any of you with moderate displacement boats have gone to a non-overlapping jib and how you have liked it. I have to take some measurements to make sure my tracks can support it, as it would lead inside the upper shrouds (I am fortunate in that my uppers and lowers are all in a plane abeam of the mast). But gong to a sail that is easier to handle, especially for my wife, has a lot of appeal.

Thanks,
Max