Below is a video of a Lateen Rig on a large yacht going like a rocket – if traditional rigs seem to have poor performance it is because they have not been set up properly.
Here is our information on setting up, use and tweaking of Lug and Lateen rigs.
They start with their sails down and hoist at the gun. These boats really go as the video below shows.
It was filmed in Dubai, so I suspect that it probably doesn’t qualify as a low cost rig – but it is still traditional including in aspect ratio.
It blasts along very seriously for some time until a large piece of boat is pulled off by the sheet and things turn dramatic.
Here is a more normal turn of events.
I know I tend to bang on a bit about how traditional and low cost rigs can have really great performance if properly set up.
Here is some of my info – the sprit rig stuff is pretty basic to most dinghy racers, but some might find some aspects of the lug stuff useful.
Lug rig setup
Sprit rig setup