thanks for the replies.

rick: call me paranoid, but please let's at least entertain the idea of weight shift and do some rough calculations. i agree the boom idea is a bit crazy, but a sled or a two-tank-with-pump system as arto suggested are not.

arto: 400 kg. is that really how much weight would need to be shifted? or is that the weight you estimate for the things i listed (motor, fuel, batteries, water)??

harryproa.com is still down, so i can't look it up, but i recall aroha nominally weighing 800 kg unladen, and having a design payload of another 800 kg.

let's see here: a moorings 403 has a fresh water capacity of ~500L and fuel of ~130L. a similarly equipped harryproa would then have several hundred kilograms available to shift, but that weight would diminish on a long voyage. would be nice to be able to move the motor and batteries as well.

but still, how much weight must be shifted to compensate for the pitch moment of the sail lift? more or less than the combined weight of the motor, fuel, water, and batteries if placed on the aft beam? it'll vary with wind strength of course, but let's just say 20 knots. this must be a relatively simple calculation.

ben