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« Last post by Soggy Geek on December 08, 2019, 07:51:48 AM »
Hi David,
Welcome to the CSY Owners forum. Sorry nobody else has answered your question. So I will try...
The boats were originally designed for sailing in Caribbean "trade winds" conditions. In the Caribbean, depths are normally fairly deep, and the wind blows 10-20 knots almost all the time. In that situation, a deep draft short rig would be a great option. And that's how most of the boats were configured.
But Floridians planning to cruise the Bahamas wanted one that had a little shallower draft and more sail area than the ones built for the Caribbean. So these are shoal draft and (sometimes) tall mast. The Bahamas anchorages are typically shallower, and the difference between a 7 ft draft and 5 ft draft can be significant in the ICW, Florida, and the Bahamas.
If you plan to sail Florida, East Coast USA, and the Bahamas primarily, look for a shoal draft and ideally a tall mast version. If you plan to sail around the world, or in higher latitudes where the wind blows steadily, the deep draft regular mast would serve you better. However, either would work in either situation, just with a few drawbacks (you couldn't get into some places with a full draft keel).
To answer your specific question, it would not be practical to make a tall mast out of a regular mast boat. You would literally have to replace the entire rig (or do a lot of creative re-rigging) and the sails. A better option would be to put your money into a light air sail like a screecher, Code Zero, or asymmetrical spinnaker.
Let me tell you a little secret... unless you are racing, when the air gets light, most of us just turn the engine on. So having a not-tall rig is not that big a deal. Having a full draft for the ICW and the Bahamas might be, however.
Hope this helps with your decision.
Sherry
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