Phils Rig School continued...

I love the idea of masts on stumps, with the boom attached to the stump.  I am really suprised these aren't more common on newer designs. 

Of course, the mast and rig shouldn't be designed in isolation from the hull.  The weight, stability, planability etc etc of the hull will all influence the rig that drives it.  Aussie skiffs, A Class cats and Moths have some of the most highly developed rigs in the world, but all are very different.

It also depends on whether the mast height and sail area is free (e.g. designing a new SMOD) or restricted (e.g. the NS14).

I suspect that one of the main reasons why you don't see it more and only really see stumped masts on development boats, is that it would be pretty-much impossible to make a "glue-it-together hull and deck mould" boat with a stump. It only really works when you're building one-off style.

So again as is often the case, a lot of design decisions are based on commercials. It's easier and cheaper to glue two mouldings together and keel-step or deck-step the mast.