One-masted sailing boats
In this category, there are only two types of boats.
The Sloop is the most common sailboat, the one found on most boats. It can have either a head rig or a split rig. To differentiate between them, you just have to look at the point of attachment of the forestay on the mast. Learn to recognize a sloop .
- Leading Rigging The forestay is attached to the top of the mast. The mainsail and jib are hoisted to the same height.
- Split Rigging The forestay is fixed at about ¾ of the height of the mast. The mainsail is generally higher than the jib.
The Cat-boat is a sailboat with a mast located on the front. It has only one sail, the mainsail.
The cutter is a one-masted sailboat with several jibs. Here is how to recognize it .
Two-masted sailing ships
Modern sailboats are rarely built with two masts, except for the large luxury sailboats built in recent years.
The Brick has two masts of different sizes. The aft mainmast and the foremast, which is smaller. Its sails are square. It is one of the most widespread square sail rigs of the 18 e century.
The German sailing ship Roald Amundsen
The Ketch has masts of different sizes. Unlike the brig, the forward mast is the highest. The aft mast is in front of the rudder stock.
Joshua, one of the most famous kecth
The Yawl is very similar to the ketch. Only the position of the mizzen mast (the most aft) distinguishes them. On the yawl, it is behind the rudder stock.
The Schooner designates a classic rig with two or more masts (up to 7 masts). The foremast - called the foremast - is shorter than the mainmast. The masts carry auric or triangular sails.
The Why, the schooner of Under The Pole © Gaël Lagariggue - Under The Pole
And the others..
There are sailboats with many more masts, such as three-masts or four-masts, but which are no longer used on modern sailboats. You can therefore discover this type of rig on old sailing ships or replicas.
The Belem
If you want to know more about the number of masts of the sailboats or to differentiate between a three-masted bark and a three-masted square-rigged ship .
