For anyone viewing this in the future the distance on our Catalina 27 normal height rig from the apex of the hatch to the bottom of the sail cover on the boom was just about 24" even. So while we could have stood off the boat above the hatch, ultimately we decided the visibility was impinged too much by stowing amidships. Therefore expect to hear from me starting a spindrift 10n or 11n this summer or winter.