The term sailboat has a broad meaning generally including yachts (large sailboats) and smaller vessels of many configurations, which use wind as the primary means of propulsion. Some of the variations other than size are: hull configuration (monohull, catamaran, trimaran), keel type (full, fin, wing, centerboard etc.), purpose (sport, racing, cruising), number and configuration of masts, and the sail plan. |
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Sloop
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The most common sailboat is the sloop which features one mast and two sails, a mainsail and a foresail. This simple configuration is very efficient for sailing into the wind. The mainsail is attached to the mast and the boom, which is a spar capable of swinging across the boats, depending on the direction of the wind. Depending on the size and design of the foresail it can be called a jib, genoa, or spinnaker; it is possible but not common for a sloop to carry two foresails from the one forestay at one time (wing on wing). The forstay is a line or cable running from near the top of the mast to a point near the bow.
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Ketches are similar to a sloop, but there is a second shorter mast to the stern of the mainmast, but forward of the rudder post. The second mast is called the mizzen mast and the sail is called the mizzen sail. A ketch can also be cutter-rigged with two headsails.
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Yawl
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A yawl is similar to a ketch, with the mizzen mast shorter than the main mast but the mizzen mast is carried to the stern of the rudder post. Generally the mizzen on a yawl is smaller than the mizzen on a ketch, and is used more for balance than propulsion.
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Hulls
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Most sailboats have a monohull, but multi-hull catamarans and trimarans are popular. The multi-hull boats generally do not have keels or centerboards and achieve stability through the broad stance of the multiple hulls. Monohull boats generally rely on a keel or centerboard for horizontal stability, and generally are known as displacement hulls, as they do not plane above the water at speed. However, catamarans and trimarans plane easilly making them generally faster than monohulls.
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