Conference unifix::sailing

A sloop is a single masted boat, with a mainsail behind the mast, and a jib in
front of it. If the forestay ( to which the jib is attached ) goes to the
masthead, then it is a masthead sloop, if not it's fractional. If there are
two jib, one set inside the other, it is a cutter.

A Ketch has a smaller, second ( mizzen ) mast, set behind the main mast, setting
a sail behind it on a boom. A Yawl is a ketch where the mizzen mast is further
aft than the rudder post.

A Schooner is where there are two or more masts, and the front on is not larger
than the one behind it.

A daysailer would probably be a sloop, although I have seen yawls.

OK?

Chris

re .1:

A single-masted boat with two headsails is not necessarily a cutter -- 
it may be a double headsail sloop. Traditionally, a cutter has the mast 
nearly amidships, while a sloop has the mast further forward. Thus the 
mainsail of a cutter is smaller than that of a sloop and the headsails 
bigger (eg, our 100% working jib -- a high clewed yankee) is about the 
same size as a sloop's 130% genoa). 

A catboat is a single-masted boat with the mast in the bows and no jib.

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a long time since I learned
    this.
    
    	The rig common to a Sunfish is a Lateen rig
    
    	The rig which has been applied to windsurfers is a Marconi rig I
    believe.
    
    	The rig common to turn of the century schooners, with an upper
    spar not parallel to the boom (no triagle is formed), is a Gaff rig.
    
    	And with all these names I am clueless about the name for the
    typical contemporary triangle type rig that I sail so frequently.
    
    	All these rigs can be arranged sloops, ketches, yawls, schooners
    etc. But actually I can't picture a ketch or schooner rigged with 
    Lateen sails.
    
    Geoff 

    What about a Gunter rig ?

My experience with boats and boating is certainly far less than others.
However, I have also been interested in the classification of sailing rigs.

I have found a couple of general observations which may help you.  First,
sailing has been around for a very long time.  The result is a broad and
deep range of lore and nomenclature.  This varies by both region and historical
perspective.  In essence, take definitions with a grain of salt.  A certain
amount of ambiguity goes with the field (eg. the difference between a sloop
which can carry two jibs, and a cutter running with just one jib).

The best book on rigs for me has been Phil Bolger's, 100 SMALL BOAT RIGS,
published by International Marine, Camden Maine.  When I first saw it at the
book store in Mystic Seaport, I thought this was sort of a dumb book.  Still I
was intrigued.  I found the book to be surprisingly informative and fun to read,
while never being rigorous.

Without belaboring the subject, Bolger starts with variations of rigs for a
single masted boat, (ie. cat, sloop. cutter) and numerous rigs (eg. loose
footed, sprit, gaff, etc.).  He then talks about other fore aft rigs (eg. yawls,
ketches, schooners) and their variations like cat-yawls, periaugers, and
cat-schooners.  Towards the end of the book he spends some time on square
rigs, and unique sails (eg. rigid wind vane types, sail board etc.).

Here is my brief digest of various sailing rigs and my observations from the
south shore of Cape Cod.  Others may disagree, but these approximations work
just fine for my non purist's heart.  I would far rather be seasick and sailing
in the sound, than worrying about the proper name for something.

Cat:
        Single mast in the bow of the boat.  Most common rigs are gaff on the
        bigger cats, and lateen on things like Sunfish.

Sloop:
        Single mast typically located 1/3 back from the bow.  Most common rig
        is a single jib.  On broad reaches and runs, many sport beautiful
        spinnakers.  On mast headed, the jib goes to the top of the mast.  A
        7/8 th's fractional rig has a jib which goes 7/8 th's of the way up the
        mast.

Cutter:
        Single mast typically located in the middle of the boat.  This boat
        usually has two jibs, one inside the other.  Indications to me are that
        this may be the most versatile rig, though I have seen only a couple.
        Probably sloops win out due to marketing considerations.

Yawl:
        Two masts, the "mizzen" is small and quite far aft.  Technically the
        mizzen is aft of the rudder post.  In practice, if the mizzen is
        removed and the boat then looks like a sloop, she is a yawl.  Though
        my understanding is that this is one of the more useful rigs, I do not
        see many of them.  Most common ones are the Ted Brewer designed
        "Nimbles" which you can see for sale in boat shows.

Ketch:
        Two masts, the "mizzen" is one half to 2/3 the size of the main.  This
        is probably the slowest rig for a given amount of sail area. My guess
        is that about 10% of the bigger sail boats at the Cape have this rig.

Schooner:
        This boat typically has two masts, though more than three is rare. The
        first mast is the shortest. Most are gaff rigged, traditional styled
        boats.  Advances in materials,  especially spares and lines, have
        effectively made this rig obsolete.  Still many people, myself included,
        think that this rig is justified if only because of the beauty of these
        boats.  Big advantages are a large amount of sail carried in small
        pieces (easy to handle), and down low (minimal heeling).  Big
        disadvantages, least windward capability of fore aft rigged boats, the
        mizzen tends to blanket the mainsail on a run (read uncontrolled gibes).

Note 1990.4 asked about Gunter rigs.  I will attempt to describe the difference
between Bermudian, Gaff, Gunter, and Sprit sails.  These sails could theoretica
be set on any of the above rigs.  I have never seen a Gunter rig in use, and
sprit sails only on small boats.  Once again, if someone disagrees, I would
lean towards their opinion over someone who grew up on 14,000ft peaks.

Bermudian:
        This is also known as jib headed or Marconi. This is the most common
        sail seen today.  The peak of the sail is similar to a jib.  The sail
        itself is triangular.  The bottom of the sail may range from having a
        boom, to being loose footed.

Gaff:
        The sail is trapezoidal shaped.  There is a "gaff" running from the mast
        to the peak of the sail.  This is the "traditional" sail seen on
        schooners and cat boats.

Gunter:
        Sort of a cross between a Gaff and a Bermudian.  The spar runs parallel
        to the mast, unlike the typical gaff.  The sail shape is the same as
        for a Bermudian.  I suspect that a Gunter is inferior to a Bermudian
        in almost all aspects.

Sprit:
        Sprit sails are rectangular to trapezoidal in shape.  The peak is held
        aloft by a sprit.  The sprit is similar to a gaff.  It is a spare which
        runs from the peak of the sail to beyond the front of the mast.  It is
        then cinched towards the mast to provide tension on the sail.  Since the
        sprit crosses through the center of the sail, one tack is slightly
        better than the other.  There is often a sprit sail day sailer in the
        water at Mystic Seaport. This is the only place I have seen one sailing.

> I have never seen a Gunter rig in use

There is a very popular 11 foot dinghy class in the UK called the Mirror which 
sports a gunter rig. At least 100,000 have been built. They have bright red
sails and a spinnaker about the size of a small handkerchief.

The main advantage over a sloop is that the spars fit within the boat when
not in use.

I know all this because that's what I learned to sail in !

Chris.

    Hmm, the sprit rig sounds like the rig I've seen pictured on Optimists,
    a small dinghy often used for teching young children. Never seen one in 
    real life. 
    
    	I've seen a Gunter somewhere, now that you describe it, but never 
    knew what it was. 
    
    	Not to dispute your information that a Ketch is the slowest rig per
    sail area, but I find that information a little contradictory. The two
    fastest boats in the last Whitbread were both Ketches. Stienlager and
    F&P were constantly ahead of the sloops and won both on real time and 
    after handicap. Also several of the favorites in the present Globe
    Challenge are Ketches. I understand the Globe CHallenge logic to be
    that a Ketch offers more managable sail combinations and ultimately 
    greater amount of sail to be carried down wind. Still, about half the 
    boats are sloops and the ballance Yawls. 
    
    I'm fascinated by these races I'll probably never sail in
    	Geoff

Re -1

I don't believe an Optimist is a spirit rig - I don't think the spar goes forward
of the mast (must go and have a good look at one this weekend). 

And then there is of course the junk rig! I've seen a few about coast of south
England (not to mention Hong Kong!)

Linda

On a ketch, the mizzen is smaller than the main immediately before it.  It is
also less powerful, as is noted by handicap rules which count it at something
Well wouldn't you know it,

"Open my mouth, and someone will help me put my foot in it."

RE: Gunters
to unstep and easily store the spars is a definite advantage.  Besides, it
gets boring looking at nothing but Fiberglas (GRP) sloops.


RE: Ketches

Let's start by acknowledging that my favorite rig is a schooner, and that from
what I have read this is the only rig which is clearly obsolete.  Incidentally,
I have never sailed a schooner, so the first time may greatly change my
appreciation of its aesthetics.

My logic on the ketch goes something like this:

General rule of thumb is to have sails get progressively large as you go aft.
The leading sail helps smooth the flow of air on the lee side of the next sail.

On a ketch, the mizzen is smaller than the main immediately before it.  It is
also less powerful, as is noted by handicap rules which count it at something
like 50% as powerful per square foot as the main.  I can also see where the
main could easily backwind the mizzen.  Thus for a given amount of sail area,
the ketch is not as fast as say a sloop.

Whitbread sort of throws my logic into question.  So here is my rationalization.

First, these guys are racing and trying to carry as much sail as possible.  A
split rig, like a ketch, allows for more possible sail trims.

Second, I do not think there is any penalty for how much sail you carry, so
pile it on.

Third, they are sailing downwind and have plenty of wind to work with.  The
mizzen is now upwind of the main.  Besides, since they have more wind than they
know what to do with, perhaps inefficiencies are more than made up for in raw
sail area.

If you believe all of this, then I have some ocean front property to sell
you in Kansas.


Doug

    
    
    After having sailied literally 50 to 60 types of boats ranging
    from 20' to 80' my all time favoite is the Chieribini (sp) 48'
    Schooner... It moves like a bat out of hell.... It points
    wonderfully... it runs downwind like you've never seen... and
    it LOOKS WONDERFUL!!!  If I could select one boat and had to sail
    that one boat the rest of my life it would be the chieribini 48
    schooner....
    
    It has spolied me for life.
    
    Just think of a warm Windy day , on the ocean... with a FULL
    set of sail up including a huge fisherman.... 
    
    				well... life can't get better...
    
    						
    
    			One Biased opinion of schooners...
    						Georgia

    Hi Georgia,
    
    I agree...now the only problem left is affording one.
    
    Bill
    
    bty. Chieribini is not far from where I live and I have a friend who
    does wood work for them and he tells me thsy haven't sold a new boat
    for three years. Most of their income now comes from redecking etc.
    What a shame...

    ask your friend if they are willing to hold the note on a
    42' schooner?   I'm in the market and i'd LOVE to own one
    of those!!!!
    
    						georgia
    
    PS: but the bank HATES giving boat loans...

    <	And with all these names I am clueless about the name for the >
    <typical contemporary triangle type rig that I sail so frequently.>
    
    The rig you are referring to is named a Bermudan rig.
    
    Further to an ealier note on spritsails:
    
    A spritsail is a sail which is held aloft by a diagonal spar. This runs
    from the foot of the mast to the top corner of the leach (i.e. supports
    a square sail). Many people have heard of a Bowsprit - it is so named to
    distinguish from other sprits - i.e. is is fixed to the bow.
    
    If a square sail is supported entirely along its upper side, the spar is
    called a Yard if it is supported in the middle, or a Gaff of it is
    supported at one end and held aloft by a topping lift. If this spar is
    raised virtically so as to extend the length of the mast, it is called
    a Gunter.