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Sailboat rig types: sloop, cutter, ketch, yawl, schooner, cat.

Naval architects designate sailboat rig types by number and location of masts. The six designations are sloop, cutter, cat, ketch, yawl, and schooner. Although in defining and describing these six rigs I may use terminology associated with the sail plan, the rig type has nothing to do with the number of sails, their arrangement or location. Such terms that have no bearing on the rig type include headsail names such as jib, genoa, yankee; furling systems such as in-mast or in-boom; and sail parts such as foot, clew, tack, leach, and roach. Rig questions are one of the primary areas of interest among newcomers to sailing and studying the benefits of each type is a good way to learn about sailing. I will deal with the rigs from most popular to least.

Sloop The simplest and most popular rig today is the sloop. A sloop is defined as a yacht whose mast is somewhere between stations 3 and 4 in the 10 station model of a yacht. This definition places the mast with two thirds of the vessel aft and one third forward. The sloop is dominant on small and medium sized yachts and with the shift from large foretriangles (J-dimension in design parlance) to larger mains a solid majority on larger yachts as well. Simple sloop rigs with a single headsail point the highest because of the tighter maximum sheeting angle and therefore have the best windward performance of the rig types. They are the choice for one-design racing fleets and America’s cup challenges. The forestay can attached either at the masthead or some fraction below. These two types of sloops are described respectively as masthead or fractionally rigged. Fractionally rigged sloops where the forestay attaches below the top of the mast allow racers to easily control head and main sail shapes by tightening up the backstay and bending the mast.

Cutter A cutter has one mast like the sloop, and people rightfully confuse the two. A cutter is defined as a yachts whose mast is aft of station 4. Ascertaining whether the mast is aft or forward of station 4 (what if it is at station 4?) is difficult unless you have the design specifications. And even a mast located forward of station 4 with a long bowsprit may be more reasonably referred to as a cutter. The true different is the size of the foretriangle. As such while it might annoy Bob Perry and Jeff_h, most people just give up and call sloops with jibstays cutters. This arrangement is best for reaching or when heavy weather dictates a reefed main. In moderate or light air sailing, forget the inner staysail; it will just backwind the jib and reduce your pointing height.

Ketch The ketch rig is our first that has two masts. The main is usually stepped in location of a sloop rig, and some manufactures have used the same deck mold for both rig types. The mizzen, as the slightly shorter and further aft spar is called, makes the resulting sail plan incredibly flexible. A ketch rig comes into her own on reaching or downwind courses. In heavy weather owners love to sail under jib and jigger (jib and mizzen). Upwind the ketch suffers from backwinding of the mizzen by the main. You can add additional headsails to make a cutter-ketch.

Yawl The yawl is similar to the ketch rig and has the same trade-offs with respect to upwind and downwind performance. She features two masts just like on a ketch with the mizzen having less air draft and being further aft. In contrast and much like with the sloop vs. cutter definition, the yawl mizzen’s has much smaller sail plan. During the CCA era, naval architects defined yawl as having the mast forward or aft of the rudderpost, but in today’s world of hull shapes (much like with the sloop/cutter) that definition does not work. The true different is the height of the mizzen in proportion to the main mast. The yawl arrangement is a lovely, classic look that is rarely if ever seen on modern production yachts.

Schooner The schooner while totally unpractical has a romantic charm. Such a yacht features two masts of which the foremost is shorter than the mizzen (opposite of a ketch rig). This change has wide affects on performance and sail plan flexibility. The two masts provide a base to fly unusual canvas such as a mule (a triangular sail which spans between the two spars filling the space aft of the foremast’s mainsail). The helm is tricky to balance because apparent wind difference between the sails, and there is considerable backwinding upwind. Downwind you can put up quite a bit of canvas and build up speed.

Cat The cat rig is a single spar design like the sloop and cutter, but the mast location is definately forward of station 3 and maybe even station. You see this rig on small racing dinghies, lasers and the like. It is the simplest of rigs with no headsails and sometimes without even a boom but has little versatility. Freedom and Nonesuch yachts are famous for this rig type. A cat ketch variation with a mizzen mast is an underused rig which provides the sailplan flexibility a single masted cat boat lacks. These are great fun to sail.

Conclusion Sloop, cutter, ketch, yawl, schooner, and cat are the six rig types seen on yachts. The former three are widely more common than the latter three. Each one has unique strengths and weaknesses. The sloop is the best performing upwind while the cat is the simplest form. Getting to know the look and feel of these rig types will help you determine kind of sailing you enjoy most.

5 Replies to “Sailboat Rig Types: Sloop, Cutter, Ketch, Yawl, Schooner, Cat”

Thanks for this information. I’m doing my research on what type of sailboat I will eventually buy and was confused as to all the different configurations! This helped quite a bit.

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Being from the south, my distinction between a ketch and a yawl: if that mizzen falls over on a ketch, the boat will catch it; if it falls over on a yawl, it’s bye bye y’all.

I thought a Yawl had to have the mizzen mast behind the rudder and a ketch had the mizzen forward of the rudder.

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My Cruiser Life Magazine

Cutter Rigged Sailboats [GUIDE] Advantages, Sailing, Options & Features

Cutter rigs are often more prevalent in boating magazines and theory than they are in your marina. Most cruising sailboats are Bermuda rigged sloops with just one permanently attached headsail. So, are two headsails better than one? Or, are they double the trouble?

History of Cutters

What is a Cutter Rig?

Cutter features, cutter rig options, sailing a cutter rigged sailboat, 5 popular manufacturers making cutter rigs, it takes two to tango, cutter rigged sailboat faqs.

History of Cutters

Cutters became popular in the early 18th century. These traditional cutters were decked (instead of open) and featured multiple headsails. Smugglers used cutters to smuggle goods, and the coast guard used cutters to try to catch the smugglers.

Various navies also used the cutter rig. Navy cutters featured excellent maneuverability and were better at sailing to windward than square-rigged ships.

Navies used cutters for coastal patrol, collecting customs duties, and “cutting out” raids. These “cutting out” operations consisted of a boarding attack. Fast, maneuverable cutters could stealthily approach an enemy vessel and board it. This type of attack was common in the late 18th century.

US Coast Guard ships, now powerful, fast, engine-driven, steel vessels, are still called cutters today as a nod to their past.

A cutter rig sailboat has two headsails instead of just one. The jib is located forward and is either attached to a bowsprit or the bow. The inner sail is called the staysail and is attached to an inner forestay.

Traditional cutters were built for speed. Today, cutter rigged sailboats are popular with ocean-crossing sailors, cruisers, and sailors looking for an easy to manage, versatile rig for all conditions.

It’s important to distinguish cutters from other types of boats with a single mast. Cutters regularly fly two headsails on nearly every point of sail. Many sloops are equipped to fly different-sized headsails, but it is unusual or unnecessary for them to fly more than one at a time.

Solent Rig vs Cutter Rig

A solent rig is traditionally called a slutter–a little bit sloop and a little bit cutter. This configuration features two large headsails mounted close together. The solent rig is good if you do a lot of downwind sailing. You can pole out both headsails and go wing-on-wing, with one headsail on the starboard side and one on the port side.

If you are on any other point of sail, you can only use one solent rig headsail at a time. If you use the inner sail, the wind flow is disrupted by the furled forward sail. And, if you use the forward sail, you’ll have to furl it to tack because there’s not enough space between the forestays.

The solent rig is a way to add more sail options to a standard sloop. Most solent stays are not required rigging to keep the mast up, so owners remove them when not in use to make tacking the primary headsail easier.

Advantages of a Cutter Rig

There are a lot of reasons to like a cutter. A cutter rigged boat has redundant rigging and spreads the sail load across its rigging. And a cutter rig offers increased sail options–it offers increased sail area in light winds and easy and efficient ways to decrease sail area in heavy weather.

In heavy weather, a cutter will drop or furl her larger headsail – usually a yankee or a genoa. That leaves just the smaller inner staysail. This arrangement is superior to the standard sloop, which sails in high winds by reefing her headsail. The staysail, however, lowers the center of effort on the sail plan and maintains draft over the reefed mainsail. That makes the boat more stable, maintains performance, and reduces stresses on the rig.

If you imagine the sailor going to sea and needing to reef, it’s easy to see how many more choices they have than the sloop sailor. While each sailor can reef their mainsail, a cutter skipper has full control over both headsails as well.

Because a cutter rig spreads the load across two headsails, it’s easier to manage. There might be more sails, but each sail is smaller and has smaller loads on it. That makes cutters the preferred option for sailing offshore when short-handed, as are more cruising couples.

Lastly, it has to be added that there’s something appealing about the traditional looks of a cutter.

Disadvantages of a Cutter Rig

While there are many benefits of a cutter, there are drawbacks and disadvantages too.

Sailors will have more lines to manage and more processes to think through. More sails mean more halyards and sheets. And when it comes to maintenance and upkeep, a cutter will have more standing and running rigging to replace, along with one more sail.

Cutters are also harder to tack. You’ll be dealing with two headsails instead of just one. Many designs deal with this problem by making the staysail self-tacking. This has fallen out of favor, but it’s a great advantage if you find yourself short-tacking up or down rivers.

Regardless of whether you need to tack both headsails or not, getting the larger sail to tack through the slot and around the inner forestay is sometimes a challenge. Many skippers find themselves furling the headsail, at least partially, to complete the tack.

Cutters need extra foretriangle room, which can mean adding a bowsprit, moving the mast back, or both.

Cutter Rig Position

Looking at a cutter rigged sailboat diagram, you might see a bowsprit depicted. Often, cutters fly their yankee from a bowsprit. Bowsprits allow boat designers to increase the fore triangle’s size without making the mast taller. Other cutters don’t use a bowsprit and mount the yankee sail on the bow.

A cutter sailboat might seem like more work. After all, there are two sails to trim and manage. In addition, you’ll have to perform maintenance on two sails and purchase and maintain double the hardware.

However, the two headsail arrangement can be easier to manage when the sails are under load. Instead of having one jib or genoa to trim, the weight and pressure are spread across two sails.

Mast Location

Today’s modern boat designers often focus on providing living space in the cabin. Designers often move the mast forward to create a larger, more open saloon. When the mast is forward, there’s less space to mount two headsails. A cutter sailboat needs a decent foretriangle area.

A cutter rigged sailboat is also more expensive for boat builders. The deck must be strong enough to handle the inner forestay’s loads. Between the additional building costs, saloon design issues, and customers’ concern over increased complexity, boat builders often favor a single headsail.

Easier on the Boat and Crew

Since the loads are distributed between two smaller sails instead of being handled by one large genoa. This means there’s less pressure on attachments points and hardware, and therefore less wear and tear. In addition, because there are separate attachment points on the deck for each sail, the load is distributed across the deck instead of focused on one spot.

Because each headsail is smaller, the sails are easier to winch in, so the crew will find it easier to manage the sails.

There’s nothing cookie-cutter about a sailing cutter. From the cut of the jib to the configuration of the staysail, each cutter sailboat is unique.

Yankee, Jib, or Genoa

Traditional cutters have a yankee cut headsail along with a staysail. The yankee is high-cut and usually has no overlap. The high cut improves visibility, and a yankee has less twist than a typical jib. By sloop standards, it looks very small, but on a cutter it works in unison with the staysail.

A jib is a regular headsail that does not overlap the mast, while a genoa is a big jib that does overlaps. The amount of overlap is measured in percentage, so a 100-percent working jib fills the foretriangle perfectly. Other options include the 135 and 155-percent genoas, which are popular for sailors in light winds.

The problem with using a big jib or genoa with a staysail is that there will often be a close overlap between the two headsails. If flown together, the air over the staysail interferes with the air over the outer sail, making each one slightly less efficient. In these cases, it’s often better to drop the staysail and leave it for when the wind pipes up.

Roller Furler, Club, or Hank-On Sails

Sailors have many options to manage and store their cutter’s sails. Sailors can mix and match the options that work for them.

Roller Furler vs Hank-on Sails

You can have both sails on roller furlers, both hanked on, or a mix of the two.

Buying and maintaining two roller furlers is expensive, but it makes the sails easy to manage. You can easily unfurl, reef, and furl both headsails from the cockpit without having to work on the deck.

Hank-on sails are fool-proof and offer less expense and maintenance. You can use a hank-on staysail, either loose-footed or club-footed, depending on your needs. Hank-on sails make sail changes easy and they never jam or come unfurled unexpectedly.

The most common setup on most cutters is to have the larger yankee or jib on a furler, and the smaller and more manageable staysail hanked on.

Club-footed Staysail

A club-footed staysail is attached to a self-tacking boom. Since there is only one control sheet to handle, there’s a lot less work to do to tack from the cockpit. It tacks just like another mainsail. You can tack the yankee while the club-footed staysail self-tacks.

Island Packets and many other cutters feature this arrangement, which makes tacking easy.

However, a club-footed staysail takes up space on the foredeck–it’s always in the way. It’s harder to get to your windlass and ground tackle. In addition, it’s harder to store your dinghy on the foredeck under the staysail boom. The boom also presents a risk to anyone on the foredeck, since it can swing during tacks and jibes and is even lower to the deck than the mainsail boom.

Loose-footed Staysail

Keeping a loose-footed staysail on a furler clears space on the deck. Without the boom, you can more easily move around the foredeck, and you’ll have more space when you are managing the anchor. In addition, you can more easily store your dinghy on the foredeck.

However, the staysail loses its self-tacking ability. You’ll now have to have staysail tracks for the sheet’s turning blocks and another set of sheet winches in the cockpit. When it comes time to tack the boat, you’ll have two headsails with four sheets and four winches to handle. Most owners choose to furl the outer headsail before the tack. Then, they can perform the maneuver using the staysail alone.

The good news is that most offshore boats are not tacking very often. If you’re on a multi-day passage, chances are you’ll only tack once or twice on the whole trip.

Downwind and Light Air Sails

There are a number of light air sails that will help your cutter perform better when the wind is light. Popular options include the code zero, gennaker, and asymmetrical spinnaker.

Adding one of these sails to your inventory can make it a dream sailing machine. A code zero can be flown in light air. Since the cutter is already well equipped for sailing in heavy air, a light air sail really gives you the ability to tackle anything.

Sloop Rig, Ketch, and Yawl

While some describe a cutter as a cutter-rigged sloop or a sloop cutter, a modern sloop has one mast and one permanent headsail.

But you’ll also find the cutter rig used on a ketch or a yawl. A cutter ketch or yawl offers a cruising sailor increased sail area and choices by adding the mizzen mast and sail behind.

Sailing a cutter rigged boat is not that different from sailing a traditional sloop. Sailors will have to pay close attention to trim and tacking.

Sailing a Cutter Rig to Windward

A cutter usually can’t point as high as a sloop when sailing to windward. The yankee hinders the staysail’s airflow, and the staysail starts to stall.

Tacking a Sailboat Cutter

If you need to short tack up a narrow channel, and both your sails are loose-footed, you can roll up one of the headsails and just use one headsail to tack. Many staysails have a boom and are self-tacking. This means you can tack the yankee, and the staysail will take care of itself.

Reefing a Cutter

A cutter sailboat has more options to easily get the right amount of sail. You can add a reef to your mainsail, then furl or reef the yankee a little, and then add another reef to the mainsail. As the wind increases, you can take the yankee in all together, and sail with a double-reefed mainsail and the staysail. Finally, you can add the third reef to the mainsail. Some staysails can be reefed, too.

A cutter rig offers many options during heavy weather. For example, you may end up taking the mainsail down altogether and leaving the staysail up. Or, you might choose to replace the staysail with a tiny storm sail.

Adding a storm jib on a sail cutter is much easier than a standard sloop. On a sloop, you’d have to remove the large genoa from the bow and then add the storm sail. This operation places the skipper in a challenging situation, which can be avoided on a cutter.

On a cutter, you can remove the staysail and add the storm jib to the inner forestay. Working a little aft of the bow will give you increased stability while managing the staysail’s smaller load.

While many modern sailboats are sloop-rigged, cutter-seeking sailors still have options.

Rustler Yachts

While many new yachts have ditched the sturdy offshore cutter rig in favor of greater simplicity, Rustler is making a name for themselves by bringing it back. It’s still one of the best options for offshore sailing, and it’s great to see a modern yacht company using the rig to its full potential.

The Rustler doesn’t need a bowsprit to accommodate its cutter rig. The Rustler is set up for single-handed and offshore cruising with all lines managed from the cockpit. Their smaller boats are rigged as easier-to-sail sloops for coastal hops, while the larger 42, 44, and 57 are rigged as true cutters with staysails and yankees.

Cabo Rico Cutters

Cabo Rico built cutters between 34 and 56 feet long. They aren’t currently in production but often come up on the used boat market. They are beautiful, semi-custom yachts that turn heads where ever they go. Of all the cutters the company built, the William Crealock-designed Cabo Rico 38 was the most long-lived, with about 200 hulls built. The second most popular design was the 34. The company also built a 42, 45, 47, and 56—but only a handful of each of these custom beauties ever left the factory. Most of the larger Cabo Ricos were designed by Chuck Paine.

Cabo Ricos have bowsprits, and the staysail is usually club-footed, although owners may have modified this. Cabo Ricos are known for their solid construction, beautiful teak interiors, and offshore capabilities.

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Pacific Seacraft

Pacific Seacraft features a full line of cutters. Pacific Seacraft boats are known for their construction, durability, and overall quality.

Just a few of the best-known cutters built by Pacific Seacraft include the following.

Pacific Seacraft/Crealock 34
Pacific Seacraft/Crealock 37
Pacific Seacraft 40

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Island Packet Yachts

Island Packet boats are probably the most popular cutter design available today. Designer and company founder Bob Johnson created beautiful cutter-rigged full-keel boats with shallow drafts that were very popular around Florida, the Bahamas, and the east coast of the US.

Island Packets are known for their comfortable, spacious layouts. Older models could be ordered from the factory as either sloop or cutter-rigged. The result is that you see a mix of the two, as well as plenty of cutters that have removed their staysails to make a quasi-sloop.

Island Packet is still in business today, but now favors solent-rigged sloops with twin headsails.

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Hess-Designed Cutters

Lyle Hess designed several famous cutter-rigged boats, including the Falmouth Cutter 22 and the Bristol Channel Cutter 28. These gorgeous boats are smaller than most cruising boats but are a joy to sail. Lyle Hess’ designs were popularized by sailing legends Lin and Larry Pardey, who sailed their small wood-built cutters Serraffyn and Taleisin around the world multiple times.

These beautiful cutters have a timeless look like no other boats. They have inspired many other designs, too. You’ll find them built from both wood or fiberglass, but a variety of builders and yards have made them over the years.

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Cutter rigged boats offer cruising sailors a flexible sail plan that’s perfect for offshore sailing. Sailors can adjust the amount of sail according to the current wind conditions. Traditional cutters were known for being fast and agile, and today’s cutters carry on the tradition with pride.

What is a cutter rigged yacht?

A cutter rigged yacht features two headsails. One headsail, usually a high-cut yankee, is all the way forward, either on a bowsprit or the bow. The staysail is smaller and attached to an inner forestay.

What is the advantage of a cutter rig?

A cutter rig offers cruising sailors more flexibility. They can easily increase and decrease the sail area and choose the optimum combination for the sailing conditions. While there are more lines and sails to handle, each sail is smaller and therefore easier to manage.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

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Sailboat Reviews

Cape Dory 30

Our pick of these boats is a cutter-rigged late model with full-width galley and pedestal steering..

When the Cape Dory 30 entered production in 1976, it was the largest boat in the expanding line of the Taunton, Massachusetts boatbuilder. In 1986, when production ceased, over 350 Cape Dory 30s had been built, and what had been the largest boat in the company’s fleet was one of the smallest.

In 1986, Cape Dory introduced the Cape Dory 30 Mk II, an entirely different boat, designed in-house (rather than by Carl Alberg), longer on the waterline, 1 1/2′ wider, and with a far roomier and more modern interior.

The old Cape Dory 30 was designed as a ketch, with cutter or sloop rigs optional. In the middle of the production run, the more efficient cutter rig replaced the ketch as standard. The ketch remained an option.

The Cape Dory line always consisted of traditional- looking, long-keel cruising boats, and their appeal has been strongest on the East Coast, particularly in New England, a well-known hotbed of sailing reactionaries.

Sailing Performance

No one buys a Cape Dory looking for a flashy speedster. The original ketch rig has a lot of windage, and relatively small, inefficient sails. The rig does, however, give the boat a distinctly “shippy” traditional appearance.

A PHRF rating of about 220 shows the ketch to be a slow boat. By way of contrast, the old original C&C 25 carries about the same rating. The cutter-rigged Cape Dory 30 is about 15 seconds per mile faster.

The Cape Dory 30 was originally equipped with worm gear steering. This type of gear is powerful, foolproof, and requires no steering pedestal in the cockpit. The wheel will also hold the rudder in position without a brake. The disadvantage is that there is almost no rudder feedback, so that it’s hard to tell when the boat is properly balanced. Worm gear steering will not make you a better sailor.

The worm gear steerer is especially compatible with the original ketch rig. Since the mizzen is stepped in the middle of the cockpit, it’s nice to get the steering wheel back aft where it won’t take up any usable space. The top of the steering gear box also serves as a good helmsman’s seat.

With the cutter rig, it became feasible to put a more conventional pedestal steerer in the boat. However, moving the steerer further forward meant that the old steering box—now a storage locker—was too far away from the wheel to be used as a seat.

In practice, you usually sit to the side of the wheel with a pedestal steerer, not behind it. But this re- quires a wheel that is big enough to let you get far enough outboard to see sail trim. Most helmsmen will only sit directly behind the wheel when the boat is under power and they can see straight ahead, with no sails in the way.

The big steering wheel that’s the easiest to use with pedestal steering almost requires a T-shaped cockpit for easy maneuverability. The Cape Dory 30 stuck with the straight bench cockpit seats, and used a fairly small destroyer wheel. Although you don’t need the leverage of a big wheel on this boat, it will make steering less tiring, and there is room between the seats to fit a larger-diameter wheel. It would make it necessary to climb over the seats to go forward, however.

Most owners report that the boat—with either rig—is easy to balance under sail. The percentage reporting difficulty in balancing the boat complain of excessive weather helm on a close reach.

Hard steering when reaching is a common complaint on boats with attached rudders and a lot of rake to the rudderpost. The Cape Dory 30 does have a relatively efficient Constellation-type rudder, even if it is located about 2′ further forward than it would be with a comparable fin keel and spade rudder underbody.

Weather helm when reaching is frequently caused by overtrimming the main. On a boat without a vang, the boom tends to lift quickly as the sheet is eased, and the top of the sail twists off and begins to luff. Thinking they’ve eased the sheet too much, many sailors will at that point overtrim the main, shifting the draft of the sail aft and creating weather helm. Under those conditions, the proper thing to do with the Cape Dory 30 is use mainsheet tension to create a fair leech, then ease the traveler down to keep the whole sail working.

On both rigs, the mainsail is controlled by a traveler over the main companionway.

With the ketch rig, the mast is stepped further forward than the cutter, and the mainsheet attaches to the boom about two-thirds of the way aft, giving reasonable leverage. With the cutter, the mast location means that the mainsheet attaches almost exactly at the boom midpoint, reducing leverage and making the sail somewhat harder to trim.

In either case the traveler location at the forward end of the companionway is out of the way, but it makes installing a cockpit dodger more difficult.

The cutter’s main boom is at a reasonable height, but the taller helmsman should still watch his head when tacking.

With the advent of modern headsail reefing systems, the cutter rig is really superfluous on this boat. The small gap between the forestay and headstay makes it difficult to tack a big genoa, yet you really need a big genoa if this fairly heavy boat is to be properly powered in light air. The double head rig is fine in breezes over 15 knots, but in lighter air it’s much slower than a good number one genoa.

According to owners, the boat’s only sailing weakness is light air. With a lot of wetted surface and an inefficient foretriangle, the boat is simply not going to be fast in very light air. All in all, though, owners say the boat is faster than they expected it to be in all conditions.

With a 40% ballast/displacement ratio, the Cape Dory 30 is reasonably stiff despite the very narrow beam. You can get stability with a lot of ballast down low, or with a lot of beam. The Cape Dory 30 gets it from a lot of ballast, placed low in the hull.

With less weight aloft, the cutter should be slightly stiffer than the ketch.

Both the ketch and cutter rig use simple, untapered aluminum masts, stepped on deck. With a stiff section and double lower shrouds, these rigs are fairly foolproof.

Unlike many builders, Cape Dory put diesel engines in every inboard-powered sailboat they built after 1975. You won’t find an Atomic 4 here.

What you will find, unfortunately, is an engine installation and selection that is somewhat less than ideal.

Because this is a narrow boat with slack bilges, it wasn’t possible to get the engine far enough down in the bilge to be out of the way in a normal installation. Instead, the engine is mounted under the cockpit, using a V-drive. The engine is kept out of the way, but out of sight in this case means poor access for servicing. Getting to the alternator belts for adjustment, for example, requires crawlingunder the cockpit through a locker.

The original engine was a single-cylinder Yanmar diesel rated at 12 hp. This engine is too small for the boat, and single-cylinder engines are notorious for their vibration.

Starting with 1977 models, the Yanmar diesel was replaced with a Volvo MD7A, rated at 13 hp. The Volvo engine has more displacement, and has two cylinders. Nevertheless, some owners still complain that the boat is underpowered with the Volvo diesel.

Despite the long keel, the Cape Dory is reasonably maneuverable under power. The exception is handling in reverse, which according to many owners varies from unpredictable to impossible. This is not a characteristic unique to this boat; it is a fault of most long-keel boats with attached rudders. You learn to act as if reverse were nothing more than a set of brakes—not very good ones, at that.

Other than its location, the engine installation itself is pretty good, with dual fuel filters, 1″ bronze shaft, and oil drip pan under the engine. The fuel tank capacity of 20 gallons should give well over 200 miles range under power with any of the engines.

During the 1983 model year, a switch was made to a two-cylinder Universal diesel. We would definitely prefer a boat with either the Volvo or Universal engine over the original small Yanmar.

Construction

The Cape Dory 30 is solidly built, although there is nothing particularly innovative or unusual about the construction. The hull is a solid fiberglass laminate, the deck is balsa cored. No owners in our survey mention problems with either hull or deck construction.

A number of owners have reservations about the hull-to-deck joint, which is not through-bolted. Other owners mention that there are washers but no backing plates on deck hardware such as lifeline stanchions. Although none report problems either with deck hardware or the hull-to-deck joint, their concerns are valid. Backing plates on deck hardware help distribute loads, and reduce the chance of stress cracks around fittings. Likewise, a through-bolted hull-to-deck connection offers a foolproof mechanical backup should the polyester putty bond between the hull and deck fail. Bolts won’t stop leaks, but a through-bolted joint won’t come apart until the surrounding glass fails.

As in most boats this size, the lifeline stanchions are only 24″ high. This is too low for any real security—the lifelines strike most people just about at knee height, the right height for tripping. There are some bolts through the hull-to-deck joint, since both the lifeline stanchions and chainplates fasten through the inward-turning hull flange. We would, however, prefer to see closely-spaced bolts throughout the length of the joint.

Chainplates are cast bronze lugs bolted through the hull and deck flange. As long as the hull and deck are adequately reinforced—and they are, in this case—this type of installation is fine.

We’ve seen the same general type of chainplates on 40′ boats with Lloyds certificates, so they can’t be all bad.

All Cape Dory boats came with deck hardware— cleats, winch islands, bow fittings, seacocks and chainplates—by Spartan, a sister company to Cape

Dory. This is good stuff that will last the life of the boat and then some. The only disadvantages are that it is heavy, being bronze, and is not very well finished.

Going from burnished to polished finish just about doubles the price of a piece of hardware— polishing is very labor intensive—and on most Cape Dory 30s you’ll find burnished hardware. It’s rugged, though.

There’s a fair amount of exterior teak on these boats, including cockpit coamings, toerails, hatch trim, and eyebrow trim around the cabin on later models. This gives the boat a yachty appearance, but it does increase maintenance.

You could get the Cape Dory 30 in any color you wanted, as long as it was Cape Dory white with a nicely-contrasting tan deck. Several owners report discoloration of the colored portion of the non-skid decks. The non-skid itself is quite functional.

Early boats in this series have an unusual water tankage arrangement. One tank is plumbed to the head sink, the other to the galley.

Since you use a lot more water in the galley than in the head, that tank runs out first. Many owners have replumbed these tanks so that you can use the entire water supply.

Some early boats also have the water tank fills located below, which may be fine for keeping salt water out of the tanks, but can make for a fire drill when trying to fill them without making a mess. On later boats there is a 30-gallon water tank under each main cabin settee, and the system is correctly plumbed.

There are proper seacocks on all fittings below the waterline.

The deck-stepped rigs in both the cutter and ketch are well engineered, as no owners in our survey report any deck deflection or stress cracking in that area.

Unlike a lot of 30-footers, the Cape Dory 30 was designed as a small seagoing boat. For example, it has a reasonable bridge deck, although it is lower than the main cockpit seats and the cockpit coamings.There is also a sea hood over the main companionway hatch.

The main companionway is an unusual design. The vertical part of the companionway is fairly narrow and straight sided—good features in terms of seaworthiness. The sliding hatch and its opening are wider, letting more light and air below.

Relatively few owners in our survey report gelcoat blistering. The only glasswork complaints were gelcoat crazing in an early model, and discoloration of the gelcoat in the hull liner, cabin overhead, and non-skid areas in the deck.

Compared to newer 30-footers, the Cape Dory 30 is cramped below. The boat is more than a foot narrower than the typical cruiser/racer built today, and about 2′ shorter on the waterline. There’s no way around it: this is a small boat.

Within these limitations, the interior layout is pretty good. There are V-berths forward, with a dropin insert to form a double. The forward berths are narrow at the foot.

Ventilation in the forward cabin is provided by two opening ports plus an overhead Bomar aluminum- framed hatch. There are drawers and lockers beneath the berths.

The head compartment utilizes the full width of the boat, the way it should on a boat this narrow. Outboard of the toilet is a hanging locker. Opposite the toilet there is a dresser with sink.

A grate in the head sole for a shower was standard equipment, but the pressure water necessary to use it was an option. If you’re going to spend more than a weekend on a boat, a shower is almost mandatory.

Inexplicably, the head sink and shower drain into the bilge. This is unacceptable. Because of the boat’s low freeboard, the head sink is too low to be plumbed directly overboard if you expect it to drain on port tack. The best solution, although it is somewhat awkward, would be to install a closed sump tank in the bilge. It could be emptied overboard by either a manual or an electric pump. You wouldn’t want your bathroom sink and shower to drain into your basement, would you?

Two opening ports plus a cowl vent in a Dorade box provide ventilation in the head. If it were our boat, we’d also install a small venting hatch or another Dorade box over the head, even though the standard arrangement is better than you find on many larger boats.

The main cabin has settees which double as berths along either side. There are narrow shelves above and outboard of each settee.

Since the water tanks take up most of the volume below the main cabin settees, there is little storage space available in the main cabin.

As in most boats this size, the main cabin table folds down from the forward main bulkhead. It will seat four, although in a somewhat cramped fashion.

In the original layout, the galley aft runs the full width of the boat. On the port side there is a pressurized, two-burner gimbaled alcohol stove with oven.

If you want to stay with alcohol cooking fuel, we recommend switching to a non-pressurized stove such as the Origo. Despite the fact that alcohol fires can be extinguished with water, pressurized alcohol stoves can be dangerous because most people underestimate the volatility of the fuel.

The sinks are aft of the stove, and are somewhat difficult to reach because the slope of the bilge intrudes into the space where you would normally stand.

Opposite the stove there is a good galley dresser containing an icebox, storage bin, and drawers. The icebox drains into the bilge. This is a poor arrangement, since organic matter from the icebox will inevitably contaminate the bilge, even if it is pumped daily. The icebox could either be pumped into the galley sink, or into the sump you install for the head sink and shower.

With this layout, you use the top of the icebox as a navigation table. The lack of a good place to do chart work is a common failing in older designs of this size.

Late in the production run, the interior layout was “modernized” by adding a quarterberth and small chart table. The arrangement takes up a lot of the space that was formerly used for the galley. You get another berth—which you don’t need—at the cook’s expense. We don’t think this layout is an improvement, despite the fact that the navigator gets his or her own workspace.

Headroom on centerline in the main cabin is just over 6′, with slightly less further forward.

Main cabin ventilation is good, with four opening ports—excellent bronze Spartan ports—and an overhead Bomar hatch. We’d add a pair of cowl vents in Dorade boxes on either side of the ventilation hatch. The space is there, and the job is pretty simple. Although the galley has reasonable storage, there is little storage space in the rest of the boat. This makes the boat unsuitable as a long-term cruising boat, unless you want to do a fair amount of modification to the interior.

Joinerwork and finishing detail throughout are of good production boat quality. Since a lot of teak is used for interior woodwork, the boat is quite dark below.

You could brighten this up a lot by finishing the interior with gloss varnish, rather than the standard satin oil finish.

Conclusions

With her narrow beam and short waterline, the Cape Dory 30 is a lot smaller than newer boats of this length and displacement. The boat will have a strong appeal to the traditionalist who places a high value on appearance.

The boats are well constructed, suited for serious coastal cruising, and perhaps for limited offshore sailing.

Cape Dory boats were quite expensive, but they hold their value well. When production began in 1976, the Cape Dory 30 had a base price of about $29,000. By the time production ceased a decade later, the price had almost doubled—but so had the price of just about everything.

Although some might prefer the “shippiness” of the ketch rig, the cutter is both faster and more practical. Some boats were built as sloops, and this would be the best rig of all. Inevitably, the Cape Dory 30 will be compared to the Alberg 30. The Cape Dory 30 is longer on the waterline, wider, heavier, and has a roomier interior. The Cape Dory 30 cutter is slightly faster than the sloop-rigged Alberg 30.

Our choice in a Cape Dory 30 would be a latemodel cutter with full-width galley, Edson pedestal, and the Volvo or Universal diesel. For the money, you get a well-designed traditional boat that is a good coastal cruiser for a couple or a small family. We don’t think the boat is big enough for four adults for anything more than weekend sailing.

If you want the looks of an older boat but the construction details and diesel engine found in newer boats, the Cape Dory 30 is a good choice.

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What Is a Ketch Sailboat?

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

August 30, 2022

‍ Ketch sailboats are a common sight in some areas, and they have numerous handling benefits. But what is a ketch, and how does it differ?

A ketch is a two-mast sailboat similar to a yawl. The mainmast is shorter than a sloop, and the mizzenmast aft is shorter than the mainmast. A ketch usually has a triangular mizzen sail and a triangular or square headsail.

In this article, we’ll cover the general characteristics of a ketch and how to distinguish it from other two-masted sailboats. Additionally, we’ll go over the benefits of the ketch rig and how it compares to the similar yawl rig. We’ll also overview the most common types of ketch sailboats on the water today.

We sourced the information used in this article from sailboat identification guides and rig design diagrams.

Table of contents

‍ General Description of a Ketch Sailboat

A ketch is a two-masted sailboat with a tall mizzenmast mast aft of the mainmast. A key characteristic of Ketch sailboats is that their mizzenmast is shorter than the mainmast.

The mainmast itself is typical and resembles a sloop mast. A ketch has a mainsail and one or more headsails on the mainmast, along with a single mizzen on the mizzenmast.

A ketch can easily be mistaken for a yawl, as these vessels have similar sail arrangements. Ketch sailboats can have square or triangular rigs, depending on the age and specific design of the boat.

A gaff headsail is usually accompanied by a triangular mizzen on a ketch, similar to a schooner.

Ketch Sailboat History

The ketch is a relatively old part of the sailing world. Based on the classic yawl design, the ketch was used extensively for workboats on the New England coast at the height of the sailing era.

Ketch sailboats were robust and easy to handle. They also tracked a naturally straight course due to their mizzen, which was used as a primitive form of self-steering. This was helpful for small fishing boats, as the crew didn’t need to attend to the rudder quite so often.

Ketch sailboats continued working the New England coast well into the era of steam. In the mid to late-1800s, ketch-rigged workboats were still a common sight in coastal areas.

Today, they persist as recreational and cruising sailboats, as their tough and stable rigs are still a practical option for boatbuilders.

Types of Ketch Sailboats

There are many types of ketch sailboats on the water. The ketch is not the most common kind of sailboat, but there are enough of them around to notice once in a while. Ketch sailboats were once utility boats, but they’ve been strictly used for recreational and cruising boats for the last 100 years or so.

The most common kind of ketch is the simple cruising ketch. These sailboats are typically made of fiberglass and resemble other cruising sailboats in almost every way.

Their interior accommodations are the same as a comparably-sized sloop, though cockpit space is limited due to the presence of a mizzenmast and rigging.

The ketch rig is a popular choice for motorsailers, especially heavy-displacement versions. The ketch is a stable design with quite a bit of power due to its additional mast, which allows the mainsail and boom footprint to be slightly smaller. The ketch is also highly controllable, which is great for closed-cockpit sailboats.

The ketch rig is also popular on classic sailboats. Specifically, the gaff-rigged ketch is a common sight in some classic boat circles—particularly on the East Coast of the United States. Wooden ketch-rigged boats were outfitted with both traditional square and modern triangular rigs.

There are a few smaller open-cockpit ketch sailboats around, and these are popular for cruising deeper water—but not far from shore. Open cruising ketch sailboats are usually less than 20 feet long and can be found most often around Chesapeake Bay.

Cutter Ketch Rig

A cutter ketch is simply a ketch rig with additional headsails. Because the mast is in the same position as a sloop, the ketch is easy to rig with additional forward sails. A typical cruising ketch can use a wide variety of headsails, including a spinnaker.

Ketch Vs Yawl

The ketch rig is very similar to the yawl, which also has a tall mainmast and an additional mizzenmast and mizzen aft. The yawl is a much older boat that originated in England or Scotland around the 17th century.

The yawl rig usually has a shorter mizzenmast that’s positioned further aft, as the mizzen boom usually extends beyond the stern of the boat. A ketch mizzen is positioned forward, usually a bit larger and more comparable to the size of the mainsail.

Yawl and ketch rigs are both quite stable. A ketch usually has a bit more power due to its larger mizzen, though the yawl is generally considered to be easier for a single person or a short-handed crew to handle.

Ketch Rig Benefits

There are numerous benefits to the ketch rig, especially when compared to tall Marconi/Bermuda rigs. The primary benefit is that, despite the additional mast and rigging, a ketch is exceptionally easy to handle.

A ketch spreads out its sail area between the headsail, mainsail, and mizzen. The additional mast and sail allow the mainmast to be shortened, which naturally makes the boat easier to control single-handed.

Ketch rigs offer additional precision, as you can adjust three sails independently to optimize performance for any given wind condition. The mizzen is in close proximity to the cockpit, and due to its small size, it’s easy to control.

Ketch rigs can also self-steer to some extent. The mizzen works the same way that a stabilizing sail on a fishing drift boat does and keeps the boat tracking on a straight course with or without constant rudder input from the crew.

The ketch rig also offers a level of redundancy that traditional single-masted sailboats don’t have. This is particularly attractive to long-range cruisers. A ketch has a shorter mainmast, which allows boatbuilders to use stronger materials and maintain the same weight.

A ketch can continue sailing if you lose a mainstay or suffer dismasting, as there’s an additional mast aft that probably won’t also go down. This extra level of safety is useful when conditions are rough, and it also gives you peace of mind when out on the open ocean.

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Ketch Schooner Yawl Cutter

Dipping / lugsail

The modem Dutch boeier (below) has changed little from the designs which could be seen in the Netherlands in the 17th century.The gaff mainsail, from which the rig derives its name, is four-sided and set from a movable spar, or gaff, as it is known.

Dutch boeier

Marconi rig

The Marconi mainsail, from which the rig derives its name, superseded the gaff rig in the early years of the 20th century. It is a triangular sail set on a tall mast.

Cutter (J class)

Staysail schooner

Staysail schooners have sails set forward on stays. A mainsail is sometimes set on the main mast (below).

Three-masted staysail schooner

still true today. The Arabian dhows, a typical example, were probably once the fastest small trading vessels in the world, and are still used.

In the West, different waters, cargoes and financial considerations necessitated different designs. Economic factors, for instance, demanded that crews were limited: the rig of a Thames barge, a boat which is bigger than most dhows, was designed to be handled by a crew of only two. Long journeys across oceans were most easily conducted in large vessels and the vast amount of canvas which was required to drive them had to be broken down into manageable units. Some of the enormous cargo vessels, which were built at the turn of the century, carried as many as seven masts. The variety of rigs which evolved in Europe and North America to meet all the different needs were numerous.

Rig variations

Square- rigged ships , particularly suited to sailing downwind, traversed the oceans by exploiting the steady trade winds. In European and other coastal waters, where winds are more variable, square sails were combined with fore-and-aft rigs. These latter rigs, which set the sails lengthways along the boat, were more suited to windward sailing. Barques and barquentines, brigs and brigantines, snows, schooners, ketches and yawls plied the coastlines. Each exploited its special advantages, whether of speed, ease of handling, cargo-carrying capacity, or of maneuverability in narrow channels.

In other parts of the world, different solutions were found. The Chinese lugsail, for example (popularly known in the West as the "junk" rig) is efficient both when sailing to windward and when sailing free, and can be easily reefed and managed by a small crew. Because the sail is made up in sections and stiffened by bamboos, it is also easily and cheaply repaired. Although this simple but efficient rig was never adopted on working boats in other parts of the world, designers have begun recently to recognize its advantages and the junk rig is being adapted for use on some modern boats.

In most parts of the world, the old work boats are no longer employed. The big square-riggers, as well as the smaller coastal vessels, were largely usurped by steam-powered craft in the early years of this century. Those which survived, the cutter, ketch, yawl and schooner, did so because their size and rig made them particularly suitable for recreational sailing. Many early cruising boats were old converted pilot cutters or fishing smacks and most present day yachts with their fore-and-aft rigs are adaptations of those types. All fore-and-aft rigs consist of a main mast with a headsail set in front of it and a mainsail set behind. Each rig varies a little from the others. The cutter, for example, has one mast with two or more headsails and a gaff or Marconi mainsail. The sloop rig (now probably the most popular in the Western world) has a single headsail and a mainsail. Ketches and yawls carry an additional mast, known as a mizzen mast, stepped in the after part of the boat. In a ketch, the mizzen is stepped forward of the rudder post and on a yawl it is stepped behind it.

Right, the 1991 Admiral's Cup fleet at the start of one of its inshore races.

Inset, top, a gaff ketch, with all its sails set, reaches in a light breeze.

Inset, middle, a staysail schooner with a gaff mainsail, sets an array of staysails and headsails.

Inset, bottom, a modem cruising boat, rigged as a junk schooner.

Continue reading here: Hinged Mast Step

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Readers' Questions

What is a ketch sailboat?

A ketch sailboat is a type of sailing vessel characterized by having two masts. The larger mast, called the mainmast, is located closer to the center of the boat, while the smaller mast, known as the mizzenmast, is positioned towards the rear. The mizzenmast is usually set behind the rudder, which distinguishes a ketch from a yawl. Ketches typically have two or more foresails, with the mainsail attached to the mainmast and the mizzen sail attached to the mizzenmast. Ketches are popular among sailors for their versatility, as they offer a wide range of sail combinations and balance, making them relatively easy to handle.

Do staysail schooners not sail well?

Yes, staysail schooners can sail very well. They are a type of sailboat characterized by having two or more masts, with the foremost mast being the shortest, and a large jib or staysail set between the masts. Staysail schooners are very maneuverable and make excellent cruising vessels due to their good balance and stable hull shape.

How to sail a gaff rig boat?

Prepare the boat to set sail: Before attempting to sail, make sure all the rigging is in place and that the sails are lowered and the boat is securely moored. Raise the mainsail: Hoist the mainsail up the mast, leading the halyard over the gaff and securing it to the mast. Adjust the sails: Adjust the mainsail to the desired trim using the outhaul, topping lift and other controls. Also adjust the jib or mizzen as required to balance the sail plan. Collect the lines: Make sure all the lines are collected neatly, in order to avoid any tangles or snags. Release the boat: Release the mooring lines, cleating them off to the side. Start sailing: Begin sailing by heading the boat into the wind and allowing the sails to fill with air. Make sure to adjust the sails as necessary to get the best possible performance. Tack and gybe: Use the tiller to adjust the boat's course as needed, to tack or gybe. As you reach the new heading, sheet in the main and jib to balance the sail plan. Manage the gaff: When tacking and gybing in a gaff-rigged boat, the gaff must be handled carefully. Make sure it is properly secured and its position monitored to ensure it doesn't slam against the mast or interfere with the sail plan. During maneuvers, the gaff may need to be released and moved to the opposite side of the boat.

Can a yawl be steam powered?

No, yawls are traditionally sail-powered vessels.

Can a ketch be converted to a sloop easily?

Yes, a ketch can be converted to a sloop relatively easily. The main difference between a ketch and a sloop is the mast arrangement, so a ketch can be converted to a sloop by replacing the two masts with a single mast. This will require some rigging work, but it is possible to do without too much difficulty.

Can a yawl be converted to a schooner?

Yes, a yawl can be converted to a schooner by removing its mizzenmast and substituting the smaller schooner foremast, as well as adding a bowsprit. This conversion will require the assistance of a boat builder or professional rigger.

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What’s in a Rig? The Cutter Rig

By: Pat Reynolds Sailboat Rigs , Sailboats

What’s in a Rig Series #2

A variation on the last installment of What’s in a Rig (the sloop) is the Cutter Rig. Although it has gone through some changes through the course of history, the modern cutter rig is generally a set-up with two headsails. The forward sail is called the yankee and the one slightly behind it is the staysail.

Cutter rigs are a choice a cruising sailor might opt for more offshore work. Since longer passages usually means encountering heavier weather, the cutter rig can be the perfect choice to have a ready-to-go balanced sailplan when the wind picks up. They are not quite as easy to tack as sloops, but since cruisers go for days without tacking, the ability to quickly furl the yankee and have a small staysail up in a stiff breeze is worth the sacrifice.

Cutter rig fans also enjoy the balance it provides. A small staysail set farther back on the boat and a reefed main is a very solid arrangement on a windy day and for cruisers who want to be comfortable in 25-knots, this is important. Also, a staysail makes heaving-to easier – this is a task far more utilized by the cruising sailor.

So, there you have it – the cutter rig is a set-up preferred by sailors on a voyage. They have disadvantages in how they tack but strengths in how they behave in open-ocean conditions.

What's in a Rig Series:

2024-03-28-online-class-how-to-select-an-offshore-cruising-boat-main-800×800

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Guide to Understanding Sail Rig Types (with Pictures)

There are a lot of different sail rig types and it can be difficult to remember what's what. So I've come up with a system. Let me explain it in this article.

What are the different types of sail rig? The sail rig is determined by the number of masts and the layout and shape of sails. Most modern ships are fore-and-aft rigged, while old ships are square-rigged. Rigs with one mast are sloops and cutters. Ketches, yawls, brigs, and schooners have two masts. Barques have three masts. Rigs can contain up to seven masts.

'Yeah, that's a gaff brig, and that a Bermuda cutter' - If you don't know what this means (neither did I) and want to know what to call a two-masted ship with a square-rigged mainsail, this article is definitely for you.

Sailboat in front of NYC with Bermuda mainsail and Jib

The Ultimate Guide to Sail Types and Rigs (with Pictures)

First of all, what is a sail rig? A sail rig is the way in which the sails are attached to the mast(s). In other words, it's the setup or configuration of the sailboat. The rig consists of the sail and mast hardware. The sail rig and sail type are both part of the sail plan. We usually use the sail rig type to refer to the type of boat.

Let's start by taking a look at the most commonly used modern sail rigs. Don't worry if you don't exactly understand what's going on. At the end of this article, you'll understand everything about rig types.

Diagram of most common rig types (Bermuda sloop, gaff cutter, gaff ketch, gaf schooner, full rigged ship)

The sail rig and sail plan are often used interchangeably. When we talk of the sail rig we usually mean the sail plan . Although they are not quite the same. A sail plan is the set of drawings by the naval architect that shows the different combinations of sails and how they are set up for different weather conditions. For example a light air sail plan, storm sail plan, and the working sail plan (which is used most of the time).

So let's take a look at the three things that make up the sail plan.

The 3 things that make up the sail plan

I want to do a quick recap of my previous article. A sail plan is made up of:

Mast configuration - refers to the number of masts and where they are placed
Sail type - refers to the sail shape and functionality
Rig type - refers to the way these sails are set up on your boat

I'll explore the most common rig types in detail later in this post. I've also added pictures to learn to recognize them more easily. ( Click here to skip to the section with pictures ).

How to recognize the sail plan?

So how do you know what kind of boat you're dealing with? If you want to determine what the rig type of a boat is, you need to look at these three things:

Check the number of masts, and how they are set up.
You look at the type of sails used (the shape of the sails, how many there are, and what functionality they have).
And you have to determine the rig type, which means the way the sails are set up.

Below I'll explain each of these factors in more detail.

The most common rig types on sailboats

To give you an idea of the most-used sail rigs, I'll quickly summarize some sail plans below and mention the three things that make up their sail plan.

Bermuda sloop - one mast, one mainsail, one headsail, fore-and-aft rigged
Gaff cutter - one mast, one mainsail, two staysails, fore-and-aft rigged
Gaff schooner - two-masted (foremast), two mainsails, staysails, fore-and-aft rigged
Gaff ketch - two-masted (mizzen), two mainsails, staysails, fore-and-aft rigged
Full-rigged ship or tall ship - three or more masts, mainsail on each mast, staysails, square-rigged

The first word is the shape and rigging of the mainsail. So this is the way the sail is attached to the mast. I'll go into this later on. The second word refers to the mast setup and amount of sails used.

Most sailboats are Bermuda sloops. Gaff-rigged sails are mostly found on older, classic boats. Square-rigged sails are generally not used anymore.

But first I want to discuss the three factors that make up the sail plan in more detail.

Ways to rig sails

There are basically two ways to rig sails:

From side to side, called Square-rigged sails - the classic pirate sails
From front to back, called Fore-and-aft rigged sails - the modern sail rig

Almost all boats are fore-and-aft rigged nowadays.

Square sails are good for running downwind, but they're pretty useless when you're on an upwind tack. These sails were used on Viking longships, for example. Their boats were quicker downwind than the boats with fore-and-aft rigged sails, but they didn't handle as well.

The Arabs first used fore-and-aft rigged sails, making them quicker in difficult wind conditions.

Quick recap from part 1: the reason most boats are fore-and-aft rigged today is the increased maneuverability of this configuration. A square-rigged ship is only good for downwind runs, but a fore-and-aft rigged ship can sail close to the wind, using the lift to move forward.

The way the sails are attached to the mast determines the shape of the sail. The square-rigged sails are always attached the same way to the mast. The fore-and-aft rig, however, has a lot of variations.

The three main sail rigs are:

Bermuda rig - most used - has a three-sided (triangular) mainsail
Gaff rig - has a four-sided mainsail, the head of the mainsail is guided by a gaff
Lateen rig - has a three-sided (triangular) mainsail on a long yard

The Bermuda is the most used, the gaff is a bit old-fashioned, and the lateen rig is outdated (about a thousand years). Lateen rigs were used by the Moors. The Bermuda rig is actually based on the Lateen rig (the Dutch got inspired by the Moors).

Diagram of lateen, gaff, and bermuda rig

Other rig types that are not very common anymore are:

Junk rig - has horizontal battens to control the sail
Settee rig - Lateen with the front corner cut off
Crabclaw rig

Mast configuration

Okay, we know the shape of the mainsail. Now it's time to take a look at the mast configuration. The first thing is the number of masts:

one-masted boats
two-masted boats
three-masted boats
four masts or up
full or ship-rigged boats - also called 'ships' or 'tall ships'

I've briefly mentioned the one and two mast configurations in part 1 of this article. In this part, I'll also go over the three-masted configurations, and the tall ships as well.

A boat with one mast has a straightforward configuration because there's just one mast. You can choose to carry more sails or less, but that's about it.

A boat with two masts or more gets interesting. When you add a mast, it means you have to decide where to put the extra mast: in front, or in back of the mainmast. You can also choose whether or not the extra mast will carry an extra mainsail. The placement and size of the extra mast are important in determining what kind of boat we're dealing with. So you start by locating the largest mast, which is always the mainmast.

From front to back: the first mast is called the foremast. The middle mast is called the mainmast. And the rear mast is called the mizzenmast.

Diagram of different mast names (foremast, mainmast, mizzenmast)

What is the mizzenmast? The mizzenmast is the aft-most (rear) mast on a sailboat with three or more masts or the mast behind the mainmast on a boat with two masts. The mizzenmast carries the mizzen sail. On a two-masted boat, the mizzenmast is always (slightly) smaller than the mainmast. What is the purpose of the mizzen sail? The mizzen sail provides more sail area and flexibility in sail plan. It can be used as a big wind rudder, helping the sailor to have more control over the stern of the ship. It pushes the stern away from the wind and forces the bow in the opposite way. This may help to bring the bow into the wind when at anchor.

I always look at the number of masts first, because this is the easiest to spot. So to make this stuff more easy to understand, I've divided up the rig types based on the number of masts below.

Why would you want more masts and sail anyways?

Good question. The biggest advantage of two masts compared to one (let's say a ketch compared to a sloop), is that it allows you to use multiple smaller sails to get the same sail area. It also allows for shorter masts.

This means you reduce the stress on the rigging and the masts, which makes the ketch rig safer and less prone to wear and tear. It also doesn't capsize as quickly. So there are a couple of real advantages of a ketch rig over a sloop rig.

In the case of one mast, we look at the number of sails it carries.

Boats with one mast can have either one sail, two sails, or three or more sails.

Most single-masted boats are sloops, which means one mast with two sails (mainsail + headsail). The extra sail increases maneuverability. The mainsail gives you control over the stern, while the headsail gives you control over the bow.

Sailor tip: you steer a boat using its sails, not using its rudder.

The one-masted rigs are:

Cat - one mast, one sail
Sloop - one mast, two sails
Cutter - one mast, three or more sails

Diagram of one-masted rigs (bermuda cat, bermuda sloop, gaff cutter)

The cat is the simplest sail plan and has one mast with one sail. It's easy to handle alone, so it's very popular as a fishing boat. Most (very) small sailboats are catboats, like the Sunfish, and many Laser varieties. But it has a limited sail area and doesn't give you the control and options you have with more sails.

The most common sail plan is the sloop. It has one mast and two sails: the main and headsail. Most sloops have a Bermuda mainsail. It's one of the best racing rigs because it's able to sail very close to the wind (also called 'weatherly'). It's one of the fastest rig types for upwind sailing.

It's a simple sail plan that allows for high performance, and you can sail it short-handed. That's why most sailboats you see today are (Bermuda) sloops.

This rig is also called the Marconi rig, and it was developed by a Dutch Bermudian (or a Bermudian Dutchman) - someone from Holland who lived on Bermuda.

A cutter has three or more sails. Usually, the sail plan looks a lot like the sloop, but it has three headsails instead of one. Naval cutters can carry up to 6 sails.

Cutters have larger sail area, so they are better in light air. The partition of the sail area into more smaller sails give you more control in heavier winds as well. Cutters are considered better for bluewater sailing than sloops (although sloops will do fine also). But the additional sails just give you a bit more to play with.

Two-masted boats can have an extra mast in front or behind the mainmast. If the extra mast is behind (aft of) the mainmast, it's called a mizzenmast . If it's in front of the mainmast, it's called a foremast .

If you look at a boat with two masts and it has a foremast, it's most likely either a schooner or a brig. It's easy to recognize a foremast: the foremast is smaller than the aft mast.

If the aft mast is smaller than the front mast, it is a sail plan with a mizzenmast. That means the extra mast has been placed at the back of the boat. In this case, the front mast isn't the foremast, but the mainmast. Boats with two masts that have a mizzenmast are most likely a yawl or ketch.

The two-masted rigs are:

Lugger - two masts (mizzen), with lugsail (a cross between gaff rig and lateen rig) on both masts
Yawl - two masts (mizzen), fore-and-aft rigged on both masts. Main mast is much taller than mizzen. Mizzen without a mainsail.
Ketch - two masts (mizzen), fore-and-aft rigged on both masts. Main mast with only slightly smaller mizzen. Mizzen has mainsail.
Schooner - two masts (foremast), generally gaff rig on both masts. Main mast with only slightly smaller foremast. Sometimes build with three masts, up to seven in the age of sail.
Bilander - two masts (foremast). Has a lateen-rigged mainsail and square-rigged sails on the foremast and topsails.
Brig - two masts (foremast), partially square-rigged. The main mast carries small lateen-rigged sail.

Diagram of two-masted rigs (gaff yawl, gaff ketch, gaff schooner, and brig)

The yawl has two masts that are fore-and-aft rigged and a mizzenmast. The mizzenmast is much shorter than the mainmast, and it doesn't carry a mainsail. The mizzenmast is located aft of the rudder and is mainly used to increase helm balance.

A ketch has two masts that are fore-and-aft rigged. The extra mast is a mizzenmast. It's nearly as tall as the mainmast and carries a mainsail. Usually, the mainsails of the ketch are gaff-rigged, but there are Bermuda-rigged ketches too. The mizzenmast is located in front of the rudder instead of aft, as on the yawl.

The function of the ketch's mizzen sail is different from that of the yawl. It's actually used to drive the boat forward, and the mizzen sail, together with the headsail, are sufficient to sail the ketch. The mizzen sail on a yawl can't really drive the boat forward.

Schooners have two masts that are fore-and-aft rigged. The extra mast is a foremast which is generally smaller than the mainmast, but it does carry a mainsail. Schooners are also built with a lot more masts, up to seven (not anymore). The schooner's mainsails are generally gaff-rigged.

The schooner is easy to sail but not very fast. It handles easier than a sloop, except for upwind, and it's only because of better technology that sloops are now more popular than the schooner.

The brig has two masts. The foremast is always square-rigged. The mainmast can be square-rigged or is partially square-rigged. Some brigs carry a lateen mainsail on the mainmast, with square-rigged topsails.

Some variations on the brig are:

Brigantine - two masts (foremast), partially square-rigged. Mainmast carries no square-rigged mainsail.

Hermaphrodite brig - also called half brig or schooner brig. Has two masts (foremast), partially square-rigged. Mainmast carries a gaff rig mainsail and topsail, making it half schooner.

Three-masted boats are mostly barques or schooners. Sometimes sail plans with two masts are used with more masts.

The three-masted rigs are:

Barque - three masts, fore, and mainmast are square-rigged, the mizzenmast is usually gaff-rigged. All masts carry mainsail.
Barquentine - three masts, foremast is square-rigged, the main and mizzenmast are fore-and-aft rigged. Also called the schooner barque.
Polacca - three masts, foremast is square-rigged, the main and mizzenmast are lateen-rigged.
Xebec - three masts, all masts are lateen-rigged.

Diagram of three-masted rigs (barque, full rigged ship)

A barque has three or four masts. The fore and mainmast are square-rigged, and the mizzen fore-and-aft, usually gaff-rigged. Carries a mainsail on each mast, but the mainsail shape differs per mast (square or gaff). Barques were built with up to five masts. Four-masted barques were quite common.

Barques were a good alternative to full-rigged ships because they require a lot fewer sailors. But they were also slower. Very popular rig for ocean crossings, so a great rig for merchants who travel long distances and don't want 30 - 50 sailors to run their ship.

Barquentine

The barquentine usually has three masts. The foremast is square-rigged and the main and mizzenmast fore-and-aft. The rear masts are usually gaff-rigged.

Faster than a barque or a schooner, but the performance is worse than both.

The polacca or polacre rig has three masts with a square-rigged foremast. The main and mizzenmast are lateen-rigged. Beautiful boat to see. Polacca literally means 'Polish' (it's Italian). It was a popular rig type in the Mediterranean in the 17th century. It looks like the xebec, which has three lateen-rigged masts.

Fun fact: polaccas were used by a Dutch sailor-turned-Turkish-pirate (called Murat Reis).

The xebec is a Mediterranean trading ship with three masts. All masts are lateen-rigged. I couldn't find any surviving xebecs, only models and paintings. So I guess this rig is outdated a long time.

A boat with three or more masts that all carry square-rigged sails is called a ship, a tall ship, or a full-rigged ship. So it's at this point that we start calling boats 'ships'. It has nothing to do with size but with the type of rigging.

More sails mean less stress on all of them. These ships use a lot of sails to distribute the forces, which reduces the stress on the rigging and the masts. Square sails mean double the sail area in comparison to triangular sails.

They are quite fast for their size, and they could outrun most sloops and schooners (schooners were relatively a lot heavier). The reason is that tall ships could be a lot longer than sloops, giving them a lot of extra hull speed. Sloops couldn't be as large because there weren't strong enough materials available. Try making a single triangular sail with a sail area of over 500 sq. ft. from linen.

So a lot of smaller sails made sense. You could have a large ship with a good maximum hull speed, without your sails ripping apart with every gust of wind.

But you need A LOT of sailors to sail a tall ship: about 30 sailors in total to ie. reef down sails and operate the ship. That's really a lot.

Tall ships are used nowadays for racing, with the popular tall ship races traveling the world. Every four years I go and check them out when they are at Harlingen (which is very close to where I live).

Check out the amazing ships in this video of the tall ship races last year near my hometown. (The event was organized by friends of mine).

What is the difference between a schooner and a sloop? A schooner has two masts, whereas the sloop only has one. The schooner carries more sails, with a mainsail on both masts. Also, sloops are usually Bermuda-rigged, whereas schooners are usually gaff-rigged. Most schooners also carry one or two additional headsails, in contrast to the single jib of the sloop.

What do you call a two-masted sailboat? A two-masted sailboat is most likely a yawl, ketch, schooner, or brig. To determine which one it is you have to locate the mainmast (the tallest). At the rear: schooner or brig. In front: yawl or ketch. Brigs have a square-rigged foremast, schooners don't. Ketches carry a mainsail on the rear mast; yawls don't.

What is a sloop rig? A sloop rig is a sailboat with one mast and two sails: a mainsail and headsail. It's a simple sail plan that handles well and offers good upwind performance. The sloop rig can be sailed shorthanded and is able to sail very close to the wind, making it very popular. Most recreational sailboats use a sloop rig.

What is the difference between a ketch and a yawl? The most important difference between a ketch and a yawl are the position and height of the mizzenmast. The mizzenmast on a yawl is located aft of the rudder, is shorter than the mainmast and doesn't carry a mainsail. On a ketch, it's nearly as long as the mainmast and carries a mainsail.

Pinterest image for Guide to Understanding Sail Rig Types (with Pictures)

There are a wonderful lots of DIY changeability shows on the cable airwaves these days.

Rick the rigger

There are SO many errors on this site it really should be taken down.

First major mistake is to say you are no longer afraid of the sea.

One that truly gets up my nose is the term ‘fully’ rigged ship. It’s a FULL rigged ship!! Your mast names are the wrong way round and just because there may be 3 it doesn’t automatically mean the one in the middle is the main.

I could go on and totally destroy your over inflated but fragile ego but I won’t. All I will say is go learn a lot more before posting.

Shawn Buckles

Thanks for your feedback. If you like to point out anything more specific, please let me know and I will update the articles. I’ve changed fully-rigged to full-rigged ship - which is a typo on my part. I try to be as concise as I can, but, obviously, we all make mistakes every now and then. The great thing about the internet is that we can learn from each other and update our knowledge together.

If you want to write yourself and share your knowledge, please consider applying as a writer for my blog by clicking on the top banner.

Thanks, Shawn

Well, I feel that I’ve learned a bit from this. The information is clear and well laid out. Is it accurate? I can’t see anything at odds with the little I knew before, except that I understood a xebec has a square rigged centre mainmast, such as the Pelican ( https://www.adventureundersail.com/ )

Hi, Shawn, You forgot (failed) to mention another type of rig? The oldest type of rig known and still functions today JUNK RIG!

Why are so many of the comments here negative. I think it is wonderful to share knowledge and learn together. I knew a little about the subject (I’m an Aubrey-Maturin fan!) but still found this clarified some things for me. I can’t comment therefore on the accuracy of the article, but it seems clear to me that the spirit of the author is positive. We owe you some more bonhomme I suggest Shawn.

As they say in the Navy: “BZ” - for a good article.

Been reading S.M. Stirling and wanted to understand the ship types he references. Thank you, very helpful.

This site is an awesome starting point for anyone who would like to get an overview of the subject. I am gratefull to Shawn for sharing - Thanks & Kudos to you! If the negative reviewers want to get a deeper technical knowledge that is accurate to the n-th then go study the appropriate material. Contribute rather than destroy another’s good work. Well done Shawn. Great job!

Good stuff Shawn - very helpful. As a novice, it’s too confusing to figure out in bits and pieces. Thanks for laying it out.

First of all I have to say that Rick ‘the rigger’ is obviously the one with the “over inflated but fragile ego” and I laughed when you suggested he share his knowledge on your blog, well played!

As for the content it’s great, hope to read more soon!

Alec Lowenthal

Shawn, I have a painting of a Spanish vessel, two masted, with. Lateen sails on both masts and a jib. The mainsail is ahead of the main mast (fore) and the other is aft of the mizzen mast. Would this be what you call lugger rig? I have not seen a similar picture. Thanks, Alec.

Thank you for your article I found easy to read and understand, and more importantly remember, which emphasises the well written.. Pity about the negative comments, but love your proactive responses!

This vessel, “SEBASTIAN” out of Garrucha, Almería, España, was painted by Gustave Gillman in 1899.

Sorry, picture not accepted!

Thank you for a very informative article. I sail a bit and am always looking for more knowledge. I like the way you put forth your info and I feel if you can’t say anything positive, then that person should have their own blog or keep their opinions to their-self. I will be looking for more from you. I salute your way of dealing with negative comments.

Thank you for a great intro to sailing boats! I searched different sailboats because I use old sails tp make bags and wanted to learn the difference. Way more than I ever expected. Thanks for all the work put in to teach the rest of us.

Your description of a cutter is lacking, and your illustrations of “cutters” are actually cutter-rigged sloops. On a true cutter, the mast is moved further aft (with more than 40% of the ship forward of the mast). A sloop uses tension in the backstay to tension the luff of the foresail. The cutter can’t do this.

Also, a bermuda-rigged ketch will have a line running from the top of the mainmast to the top of the mizzenmast.

wow great guide to rig types! thanks

Interesting guide, however I am confused about the description of the brig. You say the main mast on a brig can have a lateen sail, but in your picture it looks like a gaff sail to me. How is it a lateen sail?

Hi Shawn, thank you for taking the time to share this information. It is clear and very helpful. I am new to sailing and thinking of buying my own blue water yacht. The information you have supplied is very useful. I still am seeking more information on performance and safety. Please keep up the good work. Best Regards

mickey fanelli

I’m starting to repair a model sailboat used in the lake I have three masts that have long been broken off and the sails need replacement. So my question is there a special relationship between the three masts I do have reminents of where the masts should go. they all broke off the boat along with the sails I can figure out where they go because of the old glue marks but it makes no sense. or does it really matter on a model thank you mickey

Cool, total novice here. I have learnt a lot. Thanks for sharing - the diagrams along with the text make it really easy to understand, especially for a beginner who hasn’t even stepped on a sailing boat.

Daryl Beatt

Thank you. Cleared up quite a few things for me. For example, I was familiar with the names “Xebecs” and “Polaccas” from recent reading about the Barbary War. I had gathered that the two Barbary types were better suited to sailing in the Med, but perhaps they were less able to be adaptable to military uses,(but one might assume that would be ok if one plans to board and fight, as opposed to fight a running gun duel). Specifically, the strangely one sided August 1, 1801 battle between the USS Enterprise under Lt. John Sterett and the Polacca cruiser Tripoli under Admiral Rais Mahomet Rous. On paper both ships seemed nearly equal in size, guns and crew, but pictures of the battle are confusing. While the Enterprise is usually rendered as the familiar schooner, the polacca Tripoli has been pictured in radically different ways. Thus the Wikipedia picture by Hoff in 1878 used to illustrate the Battle shows a Brig design for Tripoli, indicating 77 years later, polaccas were no longer common.

Lee Christiansen

I am curious as to what you would call a modern race boat with a fractional jib,not equipped for full masthead hoist? Thanks Lee

Thanks Guy: The information and pictures really eliminate a lot of the mystery of the terminology and the meanings. Also appreciate the insight of the handling idiosyncrasies “hand” (staff) requirements to manage a vessel for one that has not been on the water much. I long to spend significant time afloat, but have concern about the ability to handle a vessel due to advancing age. The Significant Other prefers to sit (in AC comfort)and be entertained by parties of cruise line employees. Thanks again for the information.

Gordon Smith

Your discussion made no mention of the galleon, a vessel with either square-rigged Fore and Main masts and a shorter lateen-rigged Mizzen, or, on larger galleons, square-rigged Fore and Main masts, with a lateen-rigged Mizzen and a lateen-rigged Bonaventure mast, both shorter than either the Fore or Main masts. Also, it was not uncommon for a galleon to hoist a square-rigged bowsprit topsail in addition to the usual square-rigged spritsail.

Emma Delaney

As a hobbyist, I was hesitant to invest in expensive CAD software, but CADHOBBY IntelliCAD has proven to be a cost-effective alternative that delivers the same quality and performance.

https://www.cadhobby.com/

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Sailboat Guide

1974 Duncan Marine Cutter Ketch

Description

Seller's Description

1974 Duncan Marine 45 foot Cutter-Ketch sailboat Bequia Chief -Named for the island in St Vincent and the Grenadines This is a true Blue-Water cruising sailboat designed by Naval Architect William Garden and built in Taipan Taiwan. This boat is built very heavy and very tough to navigate and see you through heavy weather! This is an older heavily built cruiser with modern equipment. This boat has some serious character! Old school sailing with a Pirate or Captain Ron feel! With beautiful woodwork throughout and a huge aft cabin for ultimate in comfort. Built by craftsmen. The Bequia Chief is a very sturdy boat to get you where you want to go safely. Can be your home on the water or the ultimate Pandemic Escape Vehicle for those looking to get away from civilization and explore, travel to other places or just relax. This is the boat for you.

Equipment: Engine/Power -Westerbeke W80 Diesel Engine -Westerbeke Gear Box -5 Gallon Isotherm Water Heater Vetus Bow-Thruster Fischer Panda Diesel 8kw Generator

Dingy: -Boston Whaler 11.5 Foot Dingy with oars -Nissan 9.8 HP Outboard (gas)

Safety: -PFDs x 8 -Floating Cushions x 4 -EPIRB -Fire Extinguishers -Throw Ring -Emergency Strobe Light -DISTESS Buttons on radio

Galley: -Microwave/Convection oven combo unit -LPG Stove that tilts for cooking at sea -Chest Freezer -Isothem Fridge/Freeze -LED Under and In Cabinet lighting -Hot Water heater (Engine and Shore power) -Ample Storage -LPG Leak Detection System

Nav Station: -AM/FM/SAT/Bluetooth Stereo with BOSE Speakers and selector box -Portable WEST Marine VHF Radio -ICOM IC-M424 VHF Radio -ICOM Class B MA-500TR AIS Transponder -Victron Solar Controller -Victron Inverter/Chargers x 2 -Garmin Chart Plotter and Radar (In cockpit) -SONAR Forward Facing (No boats have this!)( In cockpit)

Tanks 2 x 100 Gallon Diesel Fuel tanks 2 x 110 Gallon Fresh Water Tanks 2 x 40 Gallon Holding Tanks

Heads: New Aft Cabin Electric Head with all NEW hoses and plumbing New Forward manual Head with all NEW Hoses and plumbing Both heads have showers and bilge sump pumps

Equipment List: -Watermaker -Dingy Davits with remote controlled lighting (To find boat and dock dingy in the dark) -16K Air Conditioning/Heater in Salon -6K Air Conditioning/Heater in Aft Cabin -4 Solar Panels with Controller (Bluetooth Capable Monitoring) -ALL NEW custom Mattresses and cushions throughout boat -New Salon bench and Table -New Cockpit Table -Autopilot -LED Lighting throughout boat -Boat has 3 berths -Aft cabin has queen size berth -Salon has full size pullout berth -Forward cabin has single berth -Electric Windlass with 2 anchors and large locker with chain rode. -TV in Salon - 2 new 2000 Gallon Per Hour Bilge pumps and float switches -Set of fins and goggles -Many paper charts -Washer/Dryer Combo -Foldout table and benches in Aft cabin -Emergency Tiller -New Fresh Water pump - 5 x 12 volt Caframo fans with lights throughout boat -Assorted Spare Parts- Lots -Deck Side Fuel Cans -Dock box with many extras (fenders, lines, cables, etc)

Boat has Foresail, Cutter, Main, Mizzen, and Spinnaker sails and are in good condition. The deck is teak but has some soft spots that will require some repair. They ae temporarily caulked. Boat needs a few little projects done and a bottom job in the next season. With these done you will have a rock solid blue water cruiser! The Chief has regular hull cleanings. A copy of a recent survey is available. Make your dreams come true today!

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
LOA: Length overall in feet
Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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Buying a Sailboat: Sloop vs. Ketch

Consider many different questions when deciding what kind of sailboat is best for you. If you are looking for a cruising sailboat, depending on your preferred size range, you may be choosing between a sloop and a ketch. These are the two most common types of cruising sailboats . Each offers certain advantages.

massmatt/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

A sloop is generally the most common type of sailboat rig. A sloop has a single mast and usually only two sails: the mainsail and a headsail, such as a jib or a genoa. A sloop may also use a racing or cruising spinnaker.

Sloops come in all sizes, from 8-foot dinghies to maxi boats over a hundred feet long. A sloop uses what is called a Bermuda or Marconi rig. This is the tall, thin, triangular mainsail that's commonly seen on the waters of popular boating areas.

The sloop rig generally is simpler to use and cheaper to build than a ketch rig. Because of the wind and sail dynamics involved, a sloop is almost always faster than other rigs in boats of comparable size, especially when sailing windward.

Jukka/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

A ketch is a common rig for cruising sailboats. It has two masts: a traditional mainmast as on a sloop, plus a smaller mast in the rear of the boat. This is called the mizzenmast. Technically, the mizzenmast must be mounted forward of the boat’s rudderpost to be a ketch. If the mizzen is mounted further aft, behind the rudder post, it is considered a yawl. The mizzenmast is typically smaller on a yawl than on a ketch, but otherwise, these rigs are similar.

A ketch, therefore, uses three primary sails: the mainsail and headsail, as on a sloop, plus the mizzen sail aft. A ketch may also use a spinnaker.

The three sails do not necessarily mean that the sail area on a ketch is larger than on a sloop of the same size, however. Sail area is usually planned by boat designers based on the boat's size, displacement (weight), hull shape and configuration, not on the number of masts or sails. This means that the mainsail and headsail of a ketch are generally smaller than on a sloop, but the mizzen sail roughly makes up the difference.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Sloops vs. Ketches

Gellinger/Pixabay/CC0 Creative Commons

Sloops and ketches each have their own benefits, but also disadvantages. When deciding what type of boat to buy, consider these differences.

Advantages of a Sloop

A sloop is generally faster and sails closer to the wind.
Sloops have fewer sails than ketches to buy and maintain.
With a sloop, there is less standing and running rigging with one mast, which means there is less to manage and maintain overall.
As the most popular contemporary boat, sloops are available in a wide variety.

Disadvantages of a Sloop

Sloop sails are generally larger and heavier, requiring more strength for handling, hoisting, and trimming, particularly on a larger boat.
Sloops have fewer options to reduce sail area in stronger winds. Sloops offer only reefing or furling of the sails.

Advantages of a Ketch

Ketches have smaller sails. These sails are more easily managed and hoisted on a larger boat, which is why ketches are preferred by many older sailors.
Using only two sails at a time provides multiple options for managing different sailing conditions, such as strong winds.

Disadvantages of a Ketch

Ketch rigs generally do not sail as fast or as close to the wind as a sloop sailboat.
Ketches have more standing rigging (shrouds and stays) and running rigging (halyards and sheets) to manage and maintain.
The mizzenmast in ketches takes up space in the stern.
There are fewer ketches available on the market. Ketches are more popular as an older boat.

Most ketches are intended as cruising boats that are easy to handle and comfortable for cruising. Many sloops, even sketch sloops, are designed for greater speed and racing. Many ketches, therefore, are different from sloops in ways other than just the masts and sails. Designed as cruisers, many ketches are heavier, more stable in sea conditions, and more commodious down below. On the other hand, contemporary builders produce few ketches, so there are a greater variety of sloops available as new boats.

As in other decisions when shopping for a sailboat, the preferable rig depends mostly on your preferred uses of the boat. The same is true when comparing fixed keel and centerboard sailboats.

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1986 Weselmann Classic Cutter Ketch Sail Boat For Sale
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COMMENTS

Ketch boats for sale
Ketch sailing vessels pricing. Ketch sailing vessels for sale on YachtWorld are offered at a variety of prices from $13,850 on the relatively lower-priced, classic models all the way up to $9,303,586 for the more lavish boat models. Find Ketch boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of boats to ...
Sailboat Rig Types: Sloop, Cutter, Ketch, Yawl, Schooner, Cat
In heavy weather owners love to sail under jib and jigger (jib and mizzen). Upwind the ketch suffers from backwinding of the mizzen by the main. You can add additional headsails to make a cutter-ketch. Yawl Rigged Hughes 48. Yawl The yawl is similar to the ketch rig and has the same trade-offs with respect to upwind and downwind performance.
Cutter boats for sale
On average, they have a sail area of 810 square feet, but some yachts go as high as 2,249 square feet. Listed hull types include monohull, displacement, deep vee and other. Built by a wide variety of yacht builders, there are currently 495 cutter yachts for sale on YachtWorld, with 38 new vessels for sale, and 457 used and custom yachts listed.
Cutter boats for sale
Find Sail Cutter boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of boats to choose from.
Cutter Rigged Sailboats [GUIDE] Advantages, Sailing, Options & Features
A cutter ketch or yawl offers a cruising sailor increased sail area and choices by adding the mizzen mast and sail behind. Sailing a Cutter Rigged Sailboat Sailing a cutter rigged boat is not that different from sailing a traditional sloop.
Pros and cons of cutter-rigged ketch?
A ketch by design gives a variety of sail options for a broad range of wind conditions. My Allied Princess II (deeper keel & Bow Sprite) is fitted with a removable 100% inner fore-stay. It has a large pelican-hook to connect under tension. This has proven to be useful in higher wind ranges.
Cape Dory 30
The old Cape Dory 30 was designed as a ketch, with cutter or sloop rigs optional. In the middle of the production run, the more efficient cutter rig replaced the ketch as standard. ... A PHRF rating of about 220 shows the ketch to be a slow boat. By way of contrast, the old original C&C 25 carries about the same rating. The cutter-rigged Cape ...
Cutter/Ketch
Rigs: Cutter/Ketch. Developed by Ron Vossler, based on the design of the Kendall 32 and Westsail 32. Available as hull or hull & deck kits, with interior custom finished. The Windjammer 34 used the same rigging and sail plan as the Westsail 32 but kept the flush deck of the Kendalls.
Different Types of Sailboat Rigs: Bermuda (Sloop), Ketch, Cutter, and
A ketch rig can have either a sloop (one head sail) or a cutter (two head sail) setup. So, again, sail variation is enhanced even farther with a ketch rig. While having all these extra sails creates a bit more havoc in figuring out which line goes to what sail - hoisting, managing, and storing the sails becomes much easier compared to a Bermuda ...
Ketch
Swan 65 ketch flying a spinnaker Fisher30 motorsailer ketch. A ketch is a two-masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast ... While sometimes seen in print, it is incorrect to refer to this rig by the modern malaprop of a cutter ketch. In New England in the 1600s, the ketch was a small coastal working watercraft.
What's in a Rig? The Ketch
The Ketch. What's in a Rig Series #4. Ketch rigs hold a special place in many a cruising sailor's heart. There's something dignified and majestic about them. They are two masted rigs with a main mast and a (smaller) mizzenmast - they carry a jib just like a sloop. Generally, ketches will be in the 40-plus foot range.
What Is a Ketch Sailboat?
A ketch is a two-masted sailboat with a tall mizzenmast mast aft of the mainmast. A key characteristic of Ketch sailboats is that their mizzenmast is shorter than the mainmast. The mainmast itself is typical and resembles a sloop mast. A ketch has a mainsail and one or more headsails on the mainmast, along with a single mizzen on the mizzenmast.
The World's Best Sailboat for Ocean Cruising
• The Shannon 43/46 offers a choice of rig: cutter, ketch, or custom Shannon "Scutter" or "Sketch". • The Shannon 43/46 offers excellent ocean sailing capability, good speed in light air and exceptional seaworthiness. • The Shannon 43/46 has a length/displacement ratio of 250, and a sail area/displacement ratio of 18.6.
Ketch Schooner Yawl Cutter
A ketch sailboat is a type of sailing vessel characterized by having two masts. The larger mast, called the mainmast, is located closer to the center of the boat, while the smaller mast, known as the mizzenmast, is positioned towards the rear. The mizzenmast is usually set behind the rudder, which distinguishes a ketch from a yawl.
4 Most Common Sailboat Rigs
Sloop, Cutter, Ketch, and Yawl are the 4 most common types of sailboats. This video discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each.NOTE: There is an erro...
What's in a Rig? The Cutter Rig
The Cutter Rig. By: Pat Reynolds Sailboat Rigs, Sailboats. What's in a Rig Series #2. A variation on the last installment of What's in a Rig (the sloop) is the Cutter Rig. Although it has gone through some changes through the course of history, the modern cutter rig is generally a set-up with two headsails. The forward sail is called the ...
Guide to Understanding Sail Rig Types (with Pictures)
Gaff ketch - two-masted (mizzen), two mainsails, staysails, fore-and-aft rigged. Full-rigged ship or tall ship - three or more masts, mainsail on each mast, staysails, square-rigged. The first word is the shape and rigging of the mainsail. So this is the way the sail is attached to the mast.
1974 Duncan Marine Cutter Ketch
Seller's Description. 1974 Duncan Marine 45 foot Cutter-Ketch sailboat Bequia Chief -Named for the island in St Vincent and the Grenadines This is a true Blue-Water cruising sailboat designed by Naval Architect William Garden and built in Taipan Taiwan. This boat is built very heavy and very tough to navigate and see you through heavy weather!
2008 Bristol Channel Cutter 28 Cruiser for sale
Description. 2008 Bristol Channel Cutter 28. This immaculate 2008 Bristol Channel Cutter Ketch, 'Blackbird', is in excellent condition, is incredibly well-maintained and is a one-of-a-kind gem! She has a very well designed Pilothouse, designed by Paul Merrick, with Interior Wheel Steering and excellent visibility, a Fully Cushioned Cockpit ...
The Cutter Sailplan
Many people choose a cutter as a cruising rig because it is the most "practical.". A cutter rig is the cheapest to erect, he easiest to securely stay, and when designed with a moderate aspect ratio, a self-tending boomed staysail, and a jib, a cutter is the handiest and probably most efficient in more different situations than the other rigs.
Choosing a Sloop or Ketch Sailboat
Advantages of a Sloop. A sloop is generally faster and sails closer to the wind. Sloops have fewer sails than ketches to buy and maintain. With a sloop, there is less standing and running rigging with one mast, which means there is less to manage and maintain overall. As the most popular contemporary boat, sloops are available in a wide variety.
Ketch Sailboats for sale
These sailboats have a minimum total sail area of 818 square feet, a maximum total sail area of 1,370 square feet and an average of 997 square feet. Boat Trader currently has 67 ketch sailboats for sale, including 2 new vessels and 65 used and custom yachts listed by both individual owners and professional boat dealers mainly in United States.
SHANNON 38
Available as cutter or ketch. Keel/cb version also available. DRAFT: BU: 4.25'/BD: 7.5' Ketch sail area reported as 751 sqft. ... 1997), states that a boat with a BN of less than 1.3 will be slow in light winds. A boat with a BN of 1.6 or greater is a boat that will be reefed often in offshore cruising. Derek Harvey, "Multihulls for Cruising ...