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Yacht Dreaming

Ketch Sailing Techniques: Mastering the Art of Sailing a Ketch Yacht

Understanding Ketch Sailing Basics

Sailing a ketch yacht is a unique experience that requires a high level of skill and expertise. A ketch is a type of sailboat that has two masts, with a smaller mast located at the stern. The smaller mast is known as the mizzenmast, and it is usually smaller than the main mast.

Ketch sailing is a popular activity among avid sailors, as it offers a range of benefits, including improved stability, increased speed, and excellent maneuverability. To master the art of ketch sailing, you need to understand some of the basics of ketch sailing. Here are some essential tips to get you started:

Tips for Sailing a Ketch Yacht

Understand the wind direction and adjust your sails accordingly. Ketch sailing involves adjusting your sails to the wind direction to maximize your speed and maneuverability. This requires a keen understanding of wind direction and the ability to make quick adjustments to your sails.

Keep an eye on the weather conditions. Sailing a ketch yacht requires you to be aware of the weather conditions at all times. If the weather is too rough, it can be dangerous to sail, so it’s essential to keep an eye on any changes in the weather and adjust your sails accordingly.

Practice your maneuvering skills. Maneuvering a ketch yacht can be challenging, so it’s essential to practice your skills regularly. This includes docking, anchoring, and navigating in tight spaces.

The Art of Ketch Sailing

Ketch sailing is both an art and a science. It requires a high level of skill, experience, and expertise. To sail a ketch yacht successfully, you need to understand the principles of sail trim, navigation, and weather forecasting.

Principles of Sail Trim

Sail trim is one of the most critical aspects of ketch sailing. It involves adjusting the sails to maximize your speed and performance. Proper sail trim is essential to maintain optimal boat balance, which helps to improve stability and speed.

Here are some tips to help you master the art of sail trim:

• Adjust your sails based on the wind direction.
• Use telltales to monitor your sail trim.
• Use the traveler to adjust the position of the boom.

Navigation Techniques

Navigation is another crucial aspect of ketch sailing. It involves using charts, compasses, and other instruments to navigate safely through the water. To sail a ketch yacht successfully, you must understand the basics of navigation.

Here are some essential navigation techniques to help you get started:

• Use charts and maps to plan your route.
• Use a compass to navigate and maintain your heading.
• Use your GPS to monitor your progress and location.

Weather Forecasting

Weather forecasting is an essential skill for any sailor, and it’s especially important for ketch sailors. Understanding the weather can help you avoid dangerous conditions and make the most of favorable winds.

Here are some tips for understanding weather forecasting:

• Monitor the weather forecast regularly.
• Look for signs of changing weather conditions.
• Learn how to read cloud formations and barometric pressure.

Advanced Ketch Sailing Techniques

Once you master the basics of ketch sailing, you can begin to explore more advanced techniques. These techniques can help you improve your speed, performance, and maneuverability.

Advanced Sail Trim Techniques

Advanced sail trim techniques involve adjusting your sails to optimize your speed and performance. These techniques require a high level of skill and experience and can be challenging to master.

Some advanced sail trim techniques include:

• Using the boom vang to control sail shape.
• Adjusting the draft of your sails.
• Using a spinnaker or gennaker to improve your downwind performance.

Advanced Navigation Techniques

Advanced navigation techniques can help you navigate more challenging conditions and explore new areas. These techniques require a deep understanding of navigation principles and a high level of skill.

Some advanced navigation techniques include:

• Using electronic navigation systems.
• Using radar to navigate in fog or low visibility.
• Navigating in challenging conditions, such as heavy seas or strong currents.

Advanced Maneuvering Techniques

Advanced maneuvering techniques can help you navigate in tight spaces and improve your overall sailing skills. These techniques require a high level of skill and experience and can be challenging to master.

Some advanced maneuvering techniques include:

• Using a bow thruster to improve your maneuverability.
• Docking in challenging conditions, such as high winds or strong currents.
• Anchoring in challenging conditions, such as deep water or rocky bottoms.

Sailing a ketch yacht can be a rewarding and challenging experience. It requires a high level of skill, experience, and expertise. To master the art of ketch sailing, you need to understand the basics of sail trim, navigation, and weather forecasting. As you gain more experience, you can begin to explore more advanced techniques, such as advanced sail trim, navigation, and maneuvering techniques.

Sailing a ketch yacht is an art that takes time and practice to perfect. But with dedication and hard work, you can become a skilled and accomplished ketch sailor. So, set sail, explore new waters, and enjoy the thrill of ketch sailing!

Downwind Sailing Techniques: Mastering the Art of Sailing with the Wind

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Ketch sailing: Jib and jigger

• Philippa Park
• July 14, 2015

This week our blogger Jonty Pearce recounts the benefits of ketch sailing

Jonty Pearce

Carol and I are both admirers of the ketch rig. Some Yachting Monthly readers may have seen my article on the rig (Six reasons to sail a ketch, May 2014) so I won’t repeat all I wrote then apart from briefly mentioning some of the basic advantages of ketches – their sail plan options, heavy weather versatility, ability to set a riding sail at anchor, use of the mizzen boom as an outboard crane, and the handiness of the mizzen mast as a handhold and mount for kit such as a radar or wind generator.

Much as we enjoy the prettiness and practical aspects of our ketch, the ability to sail ‘jib and jigger’ outweighs all other benefits. For those lazy days when we can’t be bothered with the mainsail or when the wind is higher than for comfort we love to sail with just a foresail and mizzen sail. It does away with the big heavy flappy mainsail attached to a heavy boom crashing from side to side and leaves us with a beautifully balanced sail plan that we can easily control without leaving the cockpit. OK, there is no countering the argument that sailing without a mainsail leaves the boat underpowered in lighter winds, or that the loss of the slot effect between the genoa and the main lessens Aurial’s pointing ability, but for days of high wind or when we just want to drift the absence of the mainsail outweighs the disadvantages.

All too often we have found ourselves on passage when the forecast underestimated the local wind strength, or when we have decided to battle on through adverse conditions with a deadline to meet. When it comes to needing to reef we start by taking in a couple of rolls in the genoa before pulling down the first and then second reef slabs in the main, with progressive reduction of the genoa to match. With further wind increases, we put in the third deep reef in the main or more likely drop it altogether, leaving us sailing jib and jigger under foresail and mizzen alone.

Eventually we might put a reef in the mizzen and change the genoa to a stormsail, but usually the foam luff in our new genoa keeps the reefed sail flat enough to avoid the trip forwards on a bouncing foredeck to rig the inner forestay. Thus dressed and beautifully balanced we can make over 7 knots in a force 6 or 7 with a light helm and little fuss. And because our mainsail reefs at the mast, the accessibility of the mizzen just behind the cockpit means that we never need to go out on deck. Much of the stress of high wind sailing is averted – less heel, no fighting weather helm at the wheel, and making the coffee becomes a pleasure.

On our first sail of the season we were in a relaxed mood and the wind was fitful. I had woken with a bad back, so we ended up drifting up Milford Haven in a variable wind with just the genoa and mizzen. The sun shone, Carol helmed, and I sat back against the cushions while we coasted along. In such lazy moods without the option of the mizzen we would probably have ended up motoring – instead we were free to listen to the wildlife along the shore and had time to sink into the peace of the lovely countryside. Yes, we do relish the joys of ketch sailing!

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What’s in a Rig? The Ketch

By: Pat Reynolds Sailboat Rigs , Sailboats

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. The reasoning for this is that before sailing hardware and gizmotology (yes, we invented a word) was as advanced as it is now, designers were looking for ways to carry a good amount of sail, but make it manageable at the same time. This configuration served that purpose and while doing so also gave sailors quite a few options for various weather conditions and situations.

Ketch rig sailors speak of the balance that can be achieved with adjusting the various sails in a multitude of ways. There’s a more nuanced control that is achievable through the assortment of trimming permutations. Some take pride in the ability to lock the helm and steer the boat using just the relationship of the multiple sails.

Like cutter rigs, ketch advocates also sing praises for its characteristics in heavier winds. Many will break down the mainsail and go with the mizzen and foresail combo, which can make for a balanced and comfortable ride in more blustery conditions. Factor in reefing and there are a lot of options to depower and find the perfect amount of canvas to fly.

Many fans of the ketch will speak of the mizzenmast as a trusty old friend. It can help stabilize the boat under power, even act like a poor man’s bow thruster at times (a very poor man by the way). And for cruisers, it can also be utilized for more industrious purposes like using it as a crane to pick up a dinghy or some other heavy something or other. You’ll also see many wind generators, antennas and other stuff mounted on mizzenmasts because of their natural excellent positioning for such things.

So the ketch is a definitely a great choice for short-handed cruisers. It has many practical benefits and let’s face it – a pretty ketch, fully rigged and sailing peacefully on a beam-reach, heading somewhere better than where it was…that’s a defining image of what sailboat cruising is. Photo Pat Reynolds.

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Tales (not just) from the high seas

Why A Ketch Is The Best Offshore Sailboat

In a cruising world dominated by catamarans and light-displacement boats the ketch rig seems almost antiquated among the YouTube generation. But if you’re serious about off-shore sailing, the ketch rig has proven its worth time and time again, even by today’s standards.

For balance, performance, handling and comfort, a ketch is difficult to beat.

Out here in the cruising world, ketches are a popular alternative to other rigs because those smaller sails are easier to manage. This makes it easier for couples, liveaboards and older sailors. For short-handed sailing across long distances while facing rough waters and heavier winds, the small sails on a ketch are easy to handle. Ketches are also a good set-up for families because you can sail a larger boat without having to handle considerably larger sails.

KETCH 101 A ketch has two masts: a traditional mainmast, just like a sloop, and a second mast at the rear of the boat, called a mizzen mast. For it to be a ketch, the mizzen is mounted forward of the rudder-post. If it’s mounted behind, it’s called a yawl.

SAILS The main sails used on a ketch are the headsail, the mainsail and the mizzen sail, so one more than a sloop. But of course any number of additional sails may be used. Esper has a stay sail, which makes her a cutter-rigged ketch. Light-wind sails may also be used.

• Yankee Starting at the head, ketches are most likely to have a yankee. This is a high-cut headsail and is normally 100% (the clew only comes back as far as the mast). The two main advantages of this are that it may be used in heavier weather without reefing, thus keeping the sail shape, and the high foot allows the seas to break without it dragging through the water.
• Staysail If the ketch is rigged with a staysail, this is mounted on the inner forestay and creates a slot between the headsail and the mainsail to provide extra lift. This is known as a cutter rig (both ketches and sloops can be cutter rigged).
• Mainsail The main mast will be shorter than a traditional sloop but it’s normally stepped in the same location, which is why boat manufacturers can offer both sail plans from the same mold.
• Mizzen The sail that makes the difference. A smaller version of the mainmast which provides a whole host of advantages (see below).
• Mizzen Staysail A light-wind sail that is taken from the top of the mizzen and down to the centre of the boat, forward of the cockpit. Paired with a cruising chute or other light-wind sails at the front of the boat, it provides extra speed and stability in light airs.

NOT ALWAYS MORE SAIL AREA Having an extra sail doesn’t always mean you have a larger sail plan. The sail plan of the boat is designed around other factors like displacement and hull shape. In most cases the individual sails of a ketch will be smaller than that of a sloop, but made up for by the additional mizzen sail.

“A mono is good if you want to head into higher latitudes. A cat is good if you like having space. We live on the edge in Wellington NZ and it’s interesting to see how few cats come south. I have a sloop, but I’d love a ketch.” -Robin Marshall, YouTube Sailing Channels Facebook group .

• Easy to manage The biggest advantage is the smaller sails, making them easier to manage especially in heavy weather.
• Single-handed Contrary to popular belief, single-handed sailing is a lot easier, especially in heavy weather because of the smaller, easier to manage sails.
• More versatile sail plans With up to four sails versus the two on a sloop, you have multiple options for managing different sailing conditions.
• Better power balance It’s not unusual to be able to quickly balance the boat and set the sails to allow the boat to sail itself without auto-pilot. Once set, it’s easy to trim the mizzen from the cockpit. The mizzen is a great way to quickly steer the boat and offers an advantage should you lose steering. The mizzen helps distribute the power throughout the boat, rather than it being at the middle and forward of the mast
• Better heavy weather performance Because the mizzen offers better control of the stern, the boat is more balanced, especially in heavy weather, and therefore a more comfortable ride.
• Easier Reefing With smaller sails, reefing down is a lot easier and can be done in any order depending upon the wind. It’s often the first sail we get out and the last to put away.
• Downwind performance The mizzen and the main work well together when running down wind. In our videos, you may have seen us pole out the yankee and mizzen only.
• Reduction in stress Basic physics will tell you that the larger the rigging and mast, the more stress you’re introducing. Shorter masts equal less stress and therefore less wear. This can translate into less wear on your rigging.
• Heaving to Heaving-to with the mizzen and staysail is easier to manage and provides great stability.
• Spare sail The mizzen ultimately provides you with a spare sail. Should you lose your main you have a ready-made contingency.
• Centre cockpit Ketches are almost always centre-cockpit, providing a smoother ride as well as added safety.
• Stability whilst anchoring and at anchor We frequently keep the mizzen up when anchoring. Leaving the mizzen out as a riding sail can help keep the boat into wind. We don’t do this often, because it means putting additional wear and tear on the sail but it has been useful.
• Crane You can use the mizzen boom as a crane. We used to keep our small dinghy on the back of the boat and the mizzen was perfect for craning out of the water. It can also be used to winch someone from the water.

“Four sails over two offer a great advantage in terms of sail plan.”

DISADVANTAGES

• Sailing to windward On paper ketch rigs generally do not sail as fast or as close to the wind as a sloop sailboat. In practice we have never had a problem going to windward, in part due to the cutter staysail, and would argue this issue is only of concern to racing sailors.
• Heavier An extra mast and rigging makes the boat heavier. Ketches will be slower than their sloop counterparts. However, you’ll be reefing later as the wind picks up so you can really ramp up a ketch rig.
• Maintenance and cost A ketch has two masts so double the rigging maintenance and replacement costs.
• Triatic If you have a triatic stay, like Esper does, this is potentially a disaster if one of the masts comes down – it’ll take the other with it.
• Space on deck One of the biggest practical disadvantages is that the mizzen mast takes up space in the stern. We know sailors who have removed the mizzen mast in order to free up space. We would never recommend this. The sail plan has been designed specifically for your boat and removing the mizzen will upset the boat’s balance. You’ll also lose out on the many advantages mentioned above.
• Older boats It’s quite rare to find new ketches under 50ft, which means affordable second-hand blue-water ketches are more likely to be older. This also makes them harder to find.
• Wind vane On paper the mizzen sail can disturb any wind vane mounted on the back of the boat. But we used our Wind Pilot extensively with the mizzen out all the way from Turkey to Malaysia.
• Shadows on Solar The mizzen boom can cast shadows on solar panels mounted at the back of the boat, reducing their efficiency.

CONCLUSION The disadvantages are minimal for the average off-shore cruiser. For us comfort is more important than that extra 0.3kn when going up wind, but that doesn’t stop us from constantly sail trimming to get the most out of Esper’s performance.

As always, thanks for supporting us and allowing us to share our adventure with you.

Peace, fair winds and stay safe

Liz, Jamie and Millie xxx

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9 thoughts on “Why A Ketch Is The Best Offshore Sailboat”

How did you rig your Yankee and staysail? Are they roller furling and if so how did you rig them? Did you need to add a pendant?

They are roller furling, Corey. We added a pendant to the bottom of the yankee because we were getting halyard wrap, which has solved the issue

Thanks for that excellent analysis Liz and Jamie. How do you find the mast furling mainsail and Mizzen? Does it get caught? Presumably you don’t have battens. We’re thinking of moving up in size from a sloop to a ketch. Your information was timely and helpful! Cheers Ruth and Michael

The boat came with in-mast furling, which was on Jamie’s ‘don’t want’ list (just as a ketch was)! Compromises, eh? 😉 We love the in-mast, it works and hasn’t stuck (so far) on either mast except once or twice when the halyard was set wrong in the early days. So pleased the video was of use, we stand by everything we say and if had all the money in the world would always choose a ketch. Peace and fair winds!

Interesting! Thanks for sharing!

I love the idea of the ketch for a couple to sail, especially the extra options with the mizzen. However you’re correct that around 40 ft you’re typically looking at older boats. There are 2 for sale in my neck of the woods and they’re both 40 years old. “I’m old, not obsolete”. Cheers Stuart

Too right – “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain Some of the oldest boats are double-masters, but it’s difficult to get one under 50′ these days, I agree. People are scared of them, I guess? We’ll have a word with Oyster!

Yes – and No!

(1) For those of us that cannot afford a 50 foot + ketch intrusion into the aft cabin is a major issue – given that a centre cockpit is by far the best layout for cruising. (2) Several of the advantages you sight are related to the cutter rig – which are also relevant to a cutter rigged sloop. In particular when close hauled and downwind where a simple goosewing is easy to run with. I would never rig a mizzen for running where there are gusty conditions as it will tend to slew.

Given that the wind is always on the nose, in terms of performance, cost, ease of handling and solar efficiency, it’s a centre-cockpit cutter-rigged sloop every time!

Kindest regards from sunny (and virus-free) N Cyprus.

Yes, we’d never have any kind of boat without a cutter rig, it’s brilliant anywhere let alone for long passages. We love our cutter-rig ketch, the mizzen is the first sail out and the last to go away. We often use the mizzen without the main and to be honest, I can’t imagine sailing without one these days. I think a centre-cockpit, cutter-rigged sloop would be a close second. 😉

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CRUISING SAILBOAT RIGS: Ketches, Yawls, and Schooners

I like to use the term “split rig” to refer to any sailplan on a boat where sail area is divided between two (or more) masts, rather than crowded all on to one mast, as with a sloop or cutter. On ketches and yawls, as I’m sure you know, the taller mainmast is forward and the shorter mizzenmast is aft. What distinguishes a yawl from a ketch is more a matter of debate, but I’m firmly in the camp that believes that a yawl has her mizzenmast abaft her rudder. Mizzens on yawls also tend be rather short. On a ketch the mizzen is forward of the rudder and is usually significantly taller. In a classic schooner rig, the taller mainmast is aft and the shorter foremast is forward. On some schooners, however, the masts may be the same height.

For many years it was axiomatic that a split rig must be best for a cruising boat, as it divides the sail plan into smaller, more easily managed components. This was certainly true on older, more traditional boats in the days before modern winches, most particularly on gaff-rigged boats, where the added weight of a heavy gaff and the extra peak halyard made hoisting sails that much harder. For some reason, however, this conceit survived much longer than it should have. As late as the 1970s, and even into the early 1980s, many believed a ketch rig was best for cruising and such rigs were sometimes seen on boats as small as 30 feet. As late as the early 1990s, ketch rigs were also favored on large maxi ocean racers.

Peter Blake’s Steinlager 2 , which won the Whitbread Race in 1990

These days split rigs are much less popular, particularly on boats less than about 50 feet in length, for a number of reasons. First, any rig with two masts is heavier, more complex, and more expensive to create and maintain. Second, split rigs are generally not as closewinded as sloop rigs, primarily because turbulent “dirty” air flowing off the back of the forward sail decreases the efficiency of the aft sail. Third, innovations such as self-tailing winches, power winches, and roller-furling gear have made handling large sails in a sloop rig much easier. Fourth, modern hull and deck designs tend not to favor mizzenmasts. Rudders are now usually positioned right aft, so it is not possible to put the mizzen behind the helm, as on a yawl, and many boat buyers now favor open cockpit spaces and don’t like having a mizzenmast just forward of the helm, as on most ketches.

Split rigs do, however, have some important advantages and still have a few adherents. Ketches are certainly the most popular. A ketch sails very well on a reach, as at this wind angle it is possible to spread maximum canvas on both masts. A key strength here is the mizzen staysail, a loose-luffed midship reaching sail hoisted on the mizzenmast, tacked down somewhere just abaft the mainmast, and sheeted to the leeward rail aft or to the end of the mizzenboom. A mizzen staysail adds a lot of power to a rig and is a great cruising sail. You can usually launch and recover it right from the cockpit and can sometimes fly it with the wind a bit forward of the beam. Large ketches also sometimes fly full mizzen spinnakers, which add loads of power to a sailplan. The masts in this case need some distance between them, which also improves windward performance since the mizzensail then flies in cleaner air.

A cruising ketch flying a mizzen staysail. These of course can also be flown on yawls

Steve Dashew’s 78-foot ketch Beowulf , a large modern cruising ketch designed to be handled by a couple. Note the separation between the masts. Steve often flew an asymmetric mizzen spinnaker when sailing off the wind

Another advantage to having two masts is that if you lose one, you still have another one to keep sailing with. Some conservative bluewater sailors always favor ketches for just this reason. For this to work the rig must not have a triatic stay, which is a length of the standing rigging running between the tops of the masts. A triatic stay supports the mizzenmast in normal circumstances, but brings it down if the mainmast falls, and vice versa. A ketch’s mizzenmast is also a fine place to mount radomes, wind generators, and other paraphernalia favored by cruisers, although a mizzenboom also hampers (though does not prohibit) the use of a self-steering windvane installed on the stern of a boat.

Another example of a modern cruising ketch, drawn by designer Eric Sponberg. Note the triatic stay between the masts

Yawls, meanwhile, are increasingly rare these days. They were very popular for a time under the old CCA racing rule, because the rule didn’t count the extra sail area in a yawl’s mizzensail and mizzen staysail. Designers have pretty much ignored the rig since then, though it is still seen on some older boats and a few small daysailers. Personally, the yawl is my favorite split rig, both because I think it is very attractive, but also because it does have some nice practical advantages.

Profile drawing of an Alberg 37 with a yawl rig. Call me crazy, but I think that’s a really good-looking sailplan!

Most particularly, the mainsail on a yawl is often not any smaller than it would be on a sloop of similar size. Handling the main is therefore not any easier, but there is also no real decrease in windward sailing ability. The mizzen is normally small enough that its receiving foul air from the main is not significant, and the main meanwhile is large enough to drive the boat well on its own. Indeed, you often see yawls beating smartly to weather with their mizzens furled. On most ketches, by comparison, the mizzen is much larger and the main proportionately smaller, so that power is lost driving to windward unless the masts are well separated. On any reach the yawl’s mizzen and mizzen staysail again add power to the rig, though not as much proportionately as on a ketch.

One nice thing about a yawl’s mizzen is that it is far enough aft to really push the stern around. The mizzen can be used, in effect, as an air rudder to balance and even steer a boat while sailing. In close quarters, you can back a yawl’s mizzen at strategic moments to help turn a boat quickly or slow it down. It makes a great riding sail and can be used to keep a boat from sailing around on its anchor or mooring. It is also easy to balance against a headsail, so you can sail a boat in strong winds under “jib and jigger alone,” as the expression goes, with the mainsail furled.

This is my old Alberg 35 yawl Crazy Horse at anchor in the Cape Verdes with her mizzen up to keep her from sailing around on her rode

The third child in this family of rigs, the venerable schooner, is certainly now the most neglected by modern yacht designers. During their heyday in the 19th century schooners were used primarily as cargo and fishing boats and were closewinded compared to square-rigged vessels. By today’s standards, however, they are ungainly on the wind. As we discussed in an earlier post on the history of yacht design , they did briefly dominate ocean racing in the early 20th century, but were soon eclipsed by more closewinded sloops and yawls and are now entirely anachronistic. Their major drawback, aside from poor windward performance, is that their mainsails are often quite large and can be difficult to handle.

A traditional gaff-rigged working schooner under full working sail. That’s a lot of canvas to play with!

Yet the schooner is not extinct and probably never will be. There is an active cult of schooner aficionados who maintain gaff-rigged 19th-century working schooners and early 20th-century schooner yachts as though they were holy relics. Every once in a while, too, a brand-new schooner gets built. Most of these mimic traditional designs, though there are also much more contemporary examples.

An example of a contemporary cruising schooner. Here the mainsail is much reduced in size, which makes it easier to handle. All the other sails–the main staysail between the mast, the forestaysail, and the genoa–are on roller-furlers

Profile drawing of a more traditional schooner rig. This example has a Marconi mainsail, but a gaff-rigged foresail. Note also the fisherman sail hoisted above the foresail

Personally I’ve always believed the best schooner rig is that of a staysail schooner, so named because the working sail flown between the masts is a jib-shaped staysail bent onto a diagonal stay that runs from the foot of the foremast to an elevated spot on the mainmast. Normally this is called the main staysail, assuming there is another forestaysail forward of the foremast. Staysail schooners tend to be a bit more closewinded than straight schooners with foresails on their foremasts, as the main staysail can easily be trimmed to create a nice slot for the mainsail behind it. It’s also very easy to improvise with. As I discovered many years ago when crossing the Atlantic on an old staysail schooner with decrepit sails, it is possible to fly used headsails from other boats as staysails. Also, staysails can easily be fitted with modern roller-furlers.

Staysail schooner sailing to windward with a fisherman up

This staysail schooner is sailing on a broad reach with a gollywobbler hoisted in place of her main staysail. Judging from the huge hole she’s dug in the water, she must be moving at hull speed plus

Schooners of all types are extremely powerful when sailing on a reach since there is so much extra area between the masts in which large quadrilateral midship sails can be flown. The smaller member of this species, the fisherman, is often flown as a working sail and is seen on both regular and staysail schooners. The much larger and more powerful gollywobbler (probably the best name ever for a sail, IMHO) is normally flown only on staysail schooners (which is another reason to favor this version of the rig).

Speaking as an old schooner hand, I can tell you it’s always a very fine day on the water when you can get a gollywobbler flying!

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ELVSTROM BLUE WATER RUNNER: Modern Interpretation of Downwind Twin Headsails

CRUISING SAILBOAT RIGS: Converting a Sloop to a Slutter

That’s a nice roundup–and nice pictures! I think even with modern technology ketches deserve a look-in for larger boats. It’s much easier to drop a sail than reef it and a ketch will do very well with just main and mizzen (which most yawls won’t). My former ketch was a pleasure to sail with its big nylon drifter/jib and huge mizzen staysail–the two biggest sails on the boat. No main, no mizzen, no booms to crash about, just two light sails, easy to set and easy to stow.

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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.

On this page:

More info on sail rig types, mast configurations and rig types, rigs with one mast, rigs with two masts, rigs with three masts, related questions.

This article is part 2 of my series on sails and rig types. Part 1 is all about the different types of sails. If you want to know everything there is to know about sails once and for all, I really recommend you read it. It gives a good overview of sail types and is easy to understand.

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.

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).

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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?

Table of Contents

• 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. 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hold Fast Sailing (@sparrowsailing)

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

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeffersön Asbury (@skipper.jeff)

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.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Professional photographer (@gary.felton)

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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Can One Person Sail a Ketch?

Last Updated by

Jacob Collier

August 30, 2022

‍ If you want to test your endurance and perform feats of adventure, sailing on a ketch single handedly is a great idea. But can one person sail a ketch?

A ketch has two masts and a sail area divided into multiple sails, which means it’s easier to manage and is a great vessel for single-handed sailing. This rig offers more versatility and it can handle heavy winds well, which is why it is quite popular.

The ketch is a very effective and advantageous rig for bigger vessels that have a size of 40ft or more. However, before you decide to go on a solo cruise on it, it is important that you understand the factors at play when sailing a ketch.

As a person who has been sailing solo for over 20 years, I can guide on what single-handedly sailing a ketch is like based on my own experiences. This way, you can figure out whether solo ketch sailing is for you or not.

Table of contents

‍ What is a Ketch?

A ketch is a two-masted sailboat that has a large mainmast and a shorter mizzenmast. Both of these masts have a mainsail. The mizzenmast is very useful for solo sailing and I have put it to all sorts of creative uses to sail my ketch.

Overall, a ketch is widely recognized as one of the best types of sailboats for long-distance solo cruising. There are many reasons why that is so and we will go through them one by one below. However, some of its biggest reasons are that it is incredibly comfortable to handle, operate, maneuver, and ride in. This increased comfort is due to the extra mizzen sail which offers an improved power balance.

What Kind of People Can Ride a Ketch?

The ketch is a particularly great sailboat for long distance cruising, particularly if you are expecting rough waters and heavy winds and are short-handed. Hence it is a great vessel for solo adventurers, couples who want to sail the world together, and even a liveaboard family, since you can sail a larger boat without needing extra crew members to handle the craft.

Why is a Ketch an Excellent Rig for Solo Sailing?

As we mentioned above, the extra mast of the ketch is what makes sailing it so easy, even if you are just one person. Let us take a look at what benefits a ketch offers a lone sailor.

Perform Well in Downwind Conditions

Most modern sailboats use the Bermuda rig or the Marconi rig which have the mainsail and jib sail that get in each other’s way in downwind conditions. The ketch’s sail configuration results in fewer such problems, however. The mainsail and the mizzensail work seamlessly and efficiently together, except when sailing very close to the wind. Even then, the Bermuda rig and the ketch rig can go neck and neck in such conditions. In fact, unless you are a racer, a ketch is an excellent alternative to the Bermuda rig.

Have Easily-Manageable Smaller Sails

The ketch is an excellent single-handed rig, particularly if you are manning a large vessel with a size 40 feet and above. Using smaller but a larger number of sails allow you to have a bigger sail area, but one which can still be managed by a single person.

In addition, smaller sails are easy to handle during heavier winds.Splitting the sail area allows you greater control of the ketch, even if it is a skeleton crew or just one person.

Multiple Sails Offer More Control

Because of the two masts, the ketch rig can accommodate three primary sails instead of only two. The greater number of sails offers all kinds of benefits, which we will discuss later on the guide; however, the most important one is that it offers you more control. The mizzensail also results in improved control over the stern.

In addition, you also get a lot of different trimming options for all sailing control, allowing you better control of each point of sail and in any wind condition.

Have Versatile Sail Plans

The extra sail offers you a variety of sail plan options. Sailors have the benefit of a broader operating range. In case of light winds, you have the option of putting up more sails. In rougher winds, however, you will need to take down more sails as well.

You can reef in various versatile conditions and even take down the mainsail if you want to.

Have An Extra Sail

This extra sail offers a huge number of benefits for sole sailors. For example, if your mainsail is in need of maintenance, you can just take it down without even needing to stop — the mizzensail will allow you control of the stern and will maintain your speed.

The ketch can sail on all points of wind, whether its main is down, mizzen is down, or jib is down. A spare sail can come in handy in a lot of wind conditions.

Deliver More Balanced Sailing

Ketches offers several upsides that you do not get with the modern Bermuda sloop vessel. It's mizzensail balances the jib. This means you can leave the mainsail down without it affecting the control and speed of the boat.

I have found this type of sail plan to be very balanced and it has allowed me to self-steer on a temporary basis, if somehow the autopilot on your boat breaks down temporarily.

Excellent Sail Plan in Rough Winds

Due to its more balanced sail plans, ketches offer a more comfortable ride in heavy winds, which is why many sailors prefer to take it out in rough weather. By taking down the mainsail and sailing with just the mizzensail and the jib, a ketch instantly becomes storm-ready while offering a lot of control than even replacing the mainsail with the single stormsail on a Bermuda offering.

Less Rigging Stress

When you reduce the size of the sails, you do not put as much stress on the rigging as larger sails do. In addition, it also gives you the option of using shorter masts, making them more stable and stronger. The difference in mast length is not that big; however, the forces acting on the mast are directly proportional to its length and grow exponentially the larger the mast is. So a slightly shorter mast can make a big difference.

This also reduces the stress of the rigging, which can lead to less wear and tear and lower maintenance costs. This is a big upside when compared to the Bermuda rig since it experiences more stress on the rigging.

Mizzenmast As An Air Rudder

The mizzenmast can be extremely helpful when it comes to mooring and other types of navigation. Many people who operate ketches use the mizzenmast as a type of wind rudder, which can be very useful when you want to sail with extra control. If you learn to use the mizzenmast well, it means you have an extra rudder, which allows you superior control over the stern and can help you maneuver your rig in tight spaces.

Riding Sail at Anchor

Another use for the mizzensail is that it can be used as a riding sail at anchor. However, I do not highly recommend that you do this often since your sail will wear down much more quickly because of higher exposure to the UV rays. I just wanted you to know that it can be done in case of emergencies when you want to keep your boat’s bow into the wind.

More Comfort But Less Speed

As you can see, there are lots of reasons why a ketch is a winner if you are sailing out alone in heavier winds. If you prioritize comfort while sailing, the mizzensail offers a lot of benefits, including improved balance as well as a variety of sail trimming options that give you a smooth ride in most sailing conditions.

However, all of this comes with the small price of slightly slower speed. The ketch is a slower vessel than a Bermuda rig. However, when sailing downwind, the ketch will more than satisfy you as its larger sail area will give it a great momentum, comparable to a Bermuda rig.

Very Fast in Right Conditions

The ketch may be a bit slower overall as compared to a Marconi rig. However, when sailing under the right conditions, it too can become incredibly fast, particularly if it is a large boat that has a well-balanced sail plan.

If you are able to use the larger sail area well and find an optimal point of sail, the ketch can go really, really fast.

Offers Easy Reefing

Because there are more sails, most of which are smaller, you can have an easier time reefing. There is less stress on the sails and it allows you to reef down in phases, one sail after the other. This results in comfortable reefing without your ketch losing too much speed.

Another thing that I have experience with is that you can also quickly drop your mainsail in heavier winds, which can instantly make you storm-proof, without disrupting your course and reducing your momentum.

So these are the reasons why a ketch is a great vessel for people who want to travel solo but also want to be prepared for all sorts of weather. Now let us take a look at some of the limitations and considerations you need to factor in to find out whether a ketch should be your preferred vessel.

Things to Consider When Sailing a Ketch Single-Handedly

Keep in mind that no matter how smooth your sailing, you will be just one person manning the ketch. Here are some things that you need to expect and prepare for when going out on a solo adventure on a ketch.

Cockpit Layout

If you are just one person sailing a ketch, the layout of the ketch is doubly important. Since you will need to do most of the navigation from the helm, it is important that your vessel has a chartplotter on deck which can make this easier. Particularly, when you are out in coastal waters, you will need to keep a proper lookout, which means less amount of time down below at the chart table.

It is important that you know your ketch well enough to operate. It is a good idea to take a refresher course on the key components of your main system before you set sail.

An autopilot can give you much needed rest if you are sailing a ketch single handedly. The autopilot is great under power as it will enable the engine to keep the batteries topped up. However, if you have not trimmed correctly for the neutral helm under sail, the autopilot will draw much more power as it needs to work hard and can quickly drain your batteries.

For this reason, it is important that you get a visible battery monitor on deck. Some autopilots also use a remote control device that you can wear that can help you alter course.

Physical Fitness

Single-handedly operating a ketch — or any boat for that matter — requires a certain level of physical fitness. Keep in mind that you will need to perform every maneuver alone for which you need energy. In addition, every maneuver will take longer and will be more arduous on a solo sail, so you want high endurance.

It can also be very easy to become dehydrated when sailing so keep a bottle of water with you and a few dry foods, like crackers to keep your energy levels up.

If you are feeling tired when you start to sail, it may trigger seasickness in you. So it is a good idea to take it easy at the start of your journey. Go only a short distance and anchor up for some hours to get some rest until you get your sea legs. These small things can make a huge difference between a wonderful solo journey on a ketch and a terrible one.

It is a good idea to get in the habit of working out a few months before you decide to sail a ketch single-handedly.

Solo Safety

It is important to take a cautious approach when sailing alone, because you will be the sole person responsible for your safety. Make sure you have everything you need at hand. It can be easy for rope and rigging to pile up when there is no other pair of hands to help you. Make sure you keep your boat tidy so that you don’t end up tangling in them, tripping, and injuring yourself — or worse going overboard.

If you do go overboard, it can become even more serious since there will be no one to help you out of the water. That is why it is important to always wear a life jacket that can help you float. It is also a good idea to wear a tether that will keep you connected to a boat. To get back onboard, you should also hang a safety ladder on the side.

Although these are simple considerations, they can make a big impact on your solo sailing journey. I hope this guide helped provide some insight to help you make the final decision of whether a ketch is a good option for you. With proper understanding of your vessel and equipment, single-handedly sailing a ketch can be a very interesting experience for people who want to explore the waters with only themselves for company. 

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Born into a family of sailing enthusiasts, words like “ballast” and “jibing” were often a part of dinner conversations. These days Jacob sails a Hallberg-Rassy 44, having covered almost 6000 NM. While he’s made several voyages, his favorite one is the trip from California to Hawaii as it was his first fully independent voyage.

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Rig for ketch rigged sailboat

It was time for us to start an overhaul on the rig for our ketch rigged sailboat.  As it is ketch-rigged we have two masts; one bigger main mast and a smaller one, called a mizzen mast. The mizzen mast is positioned in the cockpit and is much smaller than the main mast. The main mast is keel-stepped, which it means it goes through the deck.

We started with the main mast, which is made out of aluminum and has one pair of spreaders. First up was to loosen all straps that held the stays and shrouds together. We went over the shrouds and stays, took a close look at all the wires and they all looked good. We organized them to figure out what they all are. 

The main mast are held in position with:

• 2  upper shrouds (starboard and port)
• 4 lower shrouds (bow; starboard and port, stern; starboard and port)
• 1 headstay, with a furling system
• 1 cutter stay
• 2 backstays (starboard and port)
• 1 top stays that goes from the top of the main mast to the top of the mizzen mast. 

We did the same procedure for the halyards, and those we could remove we did so that we could bring them home and clean them and take a closer look at them. 

On the main mast we have the following halyards:

• Main halyard
• Head halyard
• Cutter stay halyard
• Spinnaker/gennaker halyard

Then we cleaned the mast to get rid of all old dirt it had collected over the years.

Another thing we went over is the electronics on the mast, on the main mast we have:

• 1 combined navigation light in the top of the mast (combined light for sailing (red-green-white) and anchoring (white))
• VHF-antenna on the top of the mast
• Windex with light
• 1 navigation light, masthead light (white) half-way up the mast for driving under power
• 2 deck lights, one on each spreader

We had bought a new top navigation light (the old one was broken) and a new windex. Right now we have incandescent bulbs in all our light on the masts, which we will change to LED bulbs in order to get lower electricity consumption. The reason we bought a new top navigation light with incandescent bulbs instead of LED was the price. A top navigation light with LED bulbs cost more than three times as much as the one with incandescent bulbs. So instead we will just buy new LED-bulbs and replace the old ones.

Other things we have on the main mast:

• Topping lift
• Mast ladder
• Flag line (for courtesy flags and Q-flag)

Mizzen mast

We also took a look at our mizzen mast. It has been placed in the marina and first up was to get it down. This mast is much smaller and lighter than our main mast so it was pretty easy getting it into position. The mizzen mast is also made out of aluminum and has swept spreaders.

On the mizzen mast we also begun with the shrouds and  stays. Fortunately they looked good as well except for a small damage on the jumper stay. But as it is located on the top of the mast and therefore isn’t exposed for very much force it will hopefully be good enough.  On the mizzen mast we have the following shrouds and stays:

• 2 Upper shrouds (starboard and port)
• 4 Lower shrouds (bow; starboard and port, stern (starboard and port)
• 1 jumper stay
• 1 top stay (between main mast and mizzen mast)

The top stay between the main mast and mizzen mast isn’t used to keep the masts in position as they both stand by themselves.

We removed the halyards we could so that we can clean them. On the mizzen mast we have the following halyards:

• Halyard for mizzen sail
• Halyard for mizzen stay sail

We also have some electronics on the mizzen mast and they are the following:

• Horn (right now compressor-driven, we will probably change to an electrical instead)

Some of the cables on the mizzenmast had dried out and needs to be replaced. Other things we have on the mizzen mast is:

Of course we also have a wish list of instruments we want to have in the masts, some of them more important than others:

• Antenna for AIS-transponder
• Antenna for GNSS
• Wind instrument
• Electrical horn

Next up will be a post about cleaning our halyards and then the mast stepping. The first sail is not so far away now…

NEWS UPDATE: We have bought a new boat, a Wasa 530. Read more about it on this page:  The Boat – Anne-Mon II .

Our new sailboat is in need of some upgrades and renovations as it has been standing for 10+ years. We will post all the boatwork we do on Anne-Mon II on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/SailingAnneMon .

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• Sailboat Reviews

Herreshoff Cat Ketch 31

This handsome little cruiser sails like a dream, but owners report problems ranging from the foam-cored deck to deck hardware without backing plates..

The short-lived Cat Ketch Corporation built some unique cruising auxiliaries. They were all called Herreshoffs after their designer, Halsey Herreshoff. Built between about 1982 and 1986, they grew out of the collaboration between the companys founder, third generation boatbuilder John Newton, and Herreshoff (who likewise was the third generation in his family to enter the same profession.) Newton had been building Grand Banks trawlers in Hong Kong; Herreshoff had already designed a number of production boats. Newton had set up a Cayman Island-based corporation to build in Honduras and was looking for boats that were simple yet rewarding to sail-no winches, no headsails! He favored capabilities over amenities, simplicity over advanced technology. When it came to price he wanted to be more than competitive in the American market.

The design brief he presented to Herreshoff included:

an underbody as fast as a quarter tonner a large, open interior traditional lines above the water a split sail plan to reduce sail loads a rig that allows quick reefing to 30% of full sail area

Despite the fact that its hard to find a sailboat of any kind that ISNT faster than a 1970s vintage quarter tonner, the guidelines Newton laid down were, in large measure, met. The boats, even today, are handsome, commodious and simple to sail. A retired naval architect told us he bought a boat a year for years until he met the H-31. She is everything I ever wanted. She is IT for me. Ive found the boat of my dreams, he said.

About 100 H-31s were built, Herreshoff recalled. The company also produced an H-27, H-38 and an H-45, but the H-31 outsold them all.

We had plans for even bigger boats, said Herreshoff, but they never got built.

Originally, the boats (including almost half of the H-31s) were cold-molded of mahogany plies with wooden spars. The rest were made of fiberglass cored with Airex. (On some, the house and deck had Klegecell coring to resist heat deformation.). Almost all of the fiberglass boats had fiberglass/carbon fiber spars.

After moving from one coast of Honduras to the other and finally shipping its molds to Texas for a brief last stand with the Richard Black-designed Sparhawk 36 and an H-28, the Cat Ketch Corporation went out of business. That was about 10 years ago, and the boats are a bit hard to find. Herreshoff is the last, best link with these boats. He has, in fact, received several as donations to the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol where he refurbishes and sells them.

At first glance, the boats appear somewhat under-rigged and we feared wed find their accommodations dated and Spartan. After recently delivering an H-31 from Bristol, Rhode Island to north of Cape Cod, however, we have to admit we were wrong on both counts.

The Design Early in the 70s, Halsey Herreshoff designed the hull for the Freedom 40, the boat that Garry Hoyt conceived and marketed, and which was largely responsible for the resurgent interest in cat ketches. There is a learning curve, even for a Herreshoff, in developing a relatively untried hull form, and comparing the Freedom 40 to the boats done for Cat Ketch is one way of tracing that progression.

Both the Freedom 40 and the H-31 have hollow bows. Characteristic of Herreshoff boats all of the way back to Captain Nat, a hollow bow lets the forefoot be fine for a sharp entry angle, while above the waterline the forebody swells abruptly to gain volume enough to dampen pitching. The flaring shape of the forequarters not only provides reserve buoyancy (which helps deal with the weight of the spar stepped well forward), it also helps control spray and makes it easier for the boat to punch through chop. And it looks great. The H-31 has more of a hollow bow than the Freedom 40.

A centerboarder, the Freedom 40 needed a high ballast/displacement ratio and generous beam for her length to give her stability. The H-31, thanks to the righting moment gained by hanging 3,350 pounds of external lead on her keel, can enjoy a slimmer sailing shape. The Freedom 40s displacement/length (D/L) ratio is an admirable 208, but the H-31 weighs in with a sprightlier 175.

Halsey Herreshoff is unclear about dates or specifics, but he confirms what printed sail plans show, that the total working sail area of his H-31 grew from an original 403 sq. ft. to a subsequent 466 sq. ft. At the same time, the displacement shrunk from 8,640 pounds to 7,560 pounds. Adding sail and reducing weight are legitimate ways to improve performance. In its original configuration (small sail plan/high displacement) the H-31s sail area/displacement ratio (SA/D) was an unremarkable 15.5, well below even the Freedom 40s 16.7. Given the changes (bigger sail plan/lighter displacement) the boats SA/D jumps to 19. It would be logical if these changes reflected the move from cold-molding to cored fiberglass construction, but both sets of figures refer to construction: fiberglass/Airex core. What is clear, however, is that there are differing generations of H-31 design and generic design information doesn’t necessarily fit them all.

The boat has a long waterline (28′) and gains additional sailing length from a rudder that protrudes nearly a foot aft of the transom. More critical to her sailing performance, however, is her clean underbody sculpted from sectional shapes that afford the maximum in displacement for the minimum in wetted surface. While Halsey didnt begin with a half-model whittled and fondled into shape the way that Captain Nat used to, he might as well have. It doesn’t have to take three generations to come up with lines as fair and balanced as the H-31s, but its hard to imagine her simplicity and rightness popping into being overnight.

If there were no draft limitation I would have wanted a deeper fin, the designer said, but by giving her a draft of just 4 feet and by offering lift/drag characteristics that are optimal in the under 7-knot speed range, the long fin that Herreshoff chose makes good sense.

Herreshoff said, The skeg is there primarily to improve tracking, and she sails well, tracking straighter and pointing better than Id dared to hope.

The Rig The cat ketch is an ancient and honorable rig. Captain Cook saw canoes and proas rigged with two sails, clawlike in shape. The garvies of Barnegat Bay typically had twin sprit sails fore and aft. The majority of New Haven sharpies from as early as the 1830s were cat ketches. The rig tended to keep cost, complexity and the center of effort low, and that made it a natural for small working boats. But the problems with cat ketches, like those with catboats and cat yawls, tend to get bigger as the boats get bigger. Supporting a mast in the bows is hard to do; unstayed spars are thus almost a necessity. For a long time, no one could build a spar big enough, light enough and tough enough to do the job in a larger boat.

Nathaniel Herreshoff was the first designer known to have rigged yachts (as opposed to workboats) as cat ketches. Starling Burgess experimented early in the 20th century with unstayed rigs and Fritz Fenger, a Cornell-educated designer-yachtsman, is credited with pioneering the modern wishbone rig. According to British design guru Uffa Fox, Captain Nat was using something similar very much earlier. His 25-foot Pelican, which in 1890 Nathaniel Herreshoff called the most scientific sailboat Ive yet designed, was a cat yawl.

When Garry Hoyt was seeking freedom from winches and headsails, Halsey Herreshoff remembers, Id been working some with combining different sections of aluminum tubing into free-standing spars, but a single mast big enough for a 40-footer was worrisome. Then my father (Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff) reminded me of the cat ketches our family had already designed, and we went in that direction.

That direction proved productive. The Freedom 40 surprised a lot of people at Antigua Week and made converts in impressive numbers. Dr. Jerome Milgrams Cascade, a 37′ 6″ racer with a cat ketch rig on stayed spars, came within a whisker of winning the Southern Ocean Racing Conference. From being rarities at the beginning of the 70s, cat ketches became, by late in the decade, something of a fad. Freedom evolved new models, Nonsuch was born, and designers like Walter Scott, Yves-Marie Tanton, Eric Sponberg and Chuck Paine all offered cat ketch designs.

The keys that unlocked that development were engineering and manufacturing advances that made free-standing spars workable, and the refinement and application of the wishbone boom. Newtons Cat Ketch Corp. originally laid up laminated wooden spars that were light and durable. When it took to building fiberglass skins over a wooden mandrel and then sheathing the glass with carbon fiber, the spars were a bit heavier but much stiffer, Herreshoff said.

Most boats used the standard double wishbone boom, but I prefer the half-bone shape for simplicity and looks, he added.

In addition to removing the danger from a head-height solid boom, wishbones and half-bones remove the need for vangs, control twist (thus increasing sail efficiency), make major changes in sail shape easy and reduce mast loading.

Construction Built as long as 18 years ago by a now-defunct company, an H-31 should be suspected of having problems. A survey is always a good idea. With an H-31 its an especially good idea.

When we discussed these boats with well-known author and surveyor Alan Vaitses, he declined to recommend any of the cold-molded boats because the fiberglass that covers the hull to just above the waterline was not mechanically fastened to the wood. On the other hand, the (admittedly small) sample of wooden boat owners that we surveyed said no problem in terms of checking, leaks or delamination.

Herreshoff added, The wooden boats were lighter but less durable, especially in terms of abrasion and impact resistance, he told us. The fiberglass-Airex boats are somewhat stronger but theyre a bit heavier.

The owner of a near-original 1982 wood boat said, I had to reglue the spars when the wood glue that they used originally gave up after 13 years, but otherwise my cold-molded hull and deck have held up well. I like the warmth of an all-wood interior very much.

The fiberglass boats were built with a laminate schedule that came from my experience building production boats, Herreshoff said, describing it as graduated thicknesses getting progressively thinner from the bottom up with a thin layer of mat between roving and cloth.

None of the owners surveyed reported any hull blisters. Bulkheads are foam-fiberglass composites and in the living areas are sheathed with wood veneers. They are robust and are tabbed securely to the hull.

Several owners reported that the Airex core was not replaced with solid glass where through-hull fittings were installed. That should not have happened said Herreshoff. On the boats that have been donated to the Herreshoff Museum, he has borne the expense of pulling through-hulls and replacing the core with solid epoxy through which the fittings were re-installed.

The bolts attaching the skeg to the hull were in tough shape, one owner reported. I replaced them (there were only three) with nine new ones. Rebedded and refastened, the new skeg has been fine.

The rudder assembly, Herreshoff said, consists of an overly strong rudderstock and two hefty gudgeons as well as a bottom attachment between the skeg and rudder. In addition to affording excellent steering leverage and easy visual inspection, the outboard rudder is fitted with teak steps that make it a boarding ladder, a suggestion put forward by L. Francis Herreshoff in his book, The Compleat Cruiser.

The aluminum strips on top of the keel floors were badly pitted where the stainless steel keel bolts came through them, said a Florida owner. And the stanchions have no backing plates. They need either suitable plates to add strength and diminish loosening through use.

There are no mechanical fasteners apparent at the hull/deck joint. Deck and hull are both cored right to the edge. They are chemically bonded and then the corner is glassed, inside and out. The taping is done well-no evident seams, bubbles, or roughness. No owner surveyed reported deck leaks or crazing at the joint. Access to the joint is virtually complete fore and aft by removing the upper strake of the cabin ceiling. It is standard building practice to replace coring with solid glass where hull and deck come together. Reliance on chemical bonding alone has only recently been countenanced by standard-setters like the American Bureau of Shipping. The fact that there are no shroud loads to lift the deck in a boat with unstayed masts may go a long way toward explaining the problem-free history of the H-31 and other boats that Cat Ketch built this way.

Interior The standard layout for the H-31 emphasizes open space with the head and galley aft and a saloon/forecabin area extending forward. A second layout where the head comes between the forecabin and the saloon is better-suited to two-couple cruising. From fiddles and trim to moldings and furniture, wood is a strong point of the Cat Ketches. The availability and affordability of wood and wood workers was one of Newtons prime reasons for building in Honduras. Many owners opted for custom interiors in oak, Caribbean pine or mahogany, but even the standard teak is done with lightness, restraint and care.

On the negative side, the standard galley is cramped by the companionway ladder.

We almost didnt buy the boat for that reason, said an owner who has cruised his H-31 for seven seasons, but we did and weve redone the galley completely to suit us. We took out the oven, installed refrigeration, and use a one-burner Sea Swing as our primary cooker.

My boat came with a bulkhead table suitable for use only in a calm anchorage or at the dock; its lightly built, unstable, and it has no fiddles. We replaced it, said a New England sailor.

Headroom is 6′ 2″ at best, but there are two big hanging lockers, an abundance of drawer space and eight opening ports. The chart table arrangement is creaky but adequate.

Performance The Cat Ketch Corp. eventually installed Yanmar diesels in its boats, but many of the earlier Herreshoffs have Nanni diesels. They are reported satisfactory in terms of performance and dependability, but it seems very hard to get parts for them.

Performance under sail is where the H-31 shines. During our test sail, short-tacking up a crowded channel was ridiculously easy. The boat takes perhaps a boat length to gain steerage way in moderate air, but beyond that theres no limit to how often you can tack. And, after the fifth, tenth and twentieth tack youll feel as fresh as you did after the first. Sail to anchor in a crowded anchorage? We dropped the main, weathervaned under mizzen, lowered the anchor at our leisure, then backed down to set it by holding the sail to weather.

I keep my boat on a canal near St. Petersburg, one owner bragged. Its a fifteen-minute run under power for everyone else to get to the Gulf. I sail in and out from my dock all the time.

Handling heavy air is via a reefing progression that runs mizzen, main & mizzen; douse mizzen; double-reef main. Not only are the reefs simple to put in, but the center of effort changes very little through the whole process, according to Herreshoff.

The H-31 moves very cleanly, accelerates surprisingly fast, and has a powerful motion in waves. In winds that ranged from 0 to 15 knots, and on just about every point of sail, we found her not just lively and responsive, but fast.

Conclusions Good looks, easy sailing, open accommodation, thoughtful touches, elegant simplicity, generally superior woodwork and fast passages are the plusses we found in the H-31. The combination makes her a good value, especially at a price under $30,000. But with a belly-up builder and a host of questions surrounding her construction, however, she could come with a nasty surprise or two.

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• Ketch Sailboat

Does A Ketch Sailboat Make A Good Cruising Boat?

A ketch sailboat most certainly does make a good cruising boat! With the total sail area split between 3 sails (or 4 in the staysail ketch version shown below), sail handling is easier for a shorthanded crew than it would be on a sloop of similar size.

But could it be a Yawl?

It's easy to confuse a ketch sailboat with a yawl so perhaps we should clear that up before we go any further. Both are two-masted rigs with a mainmast foremost and a smaller mizzen mast aft.

It's generally accepted that the difference between the two types comes down to the location of the mast in relation to the rudder post. In a yawl the mizzen is aft of the rudder post and in the ketch, it's forward.

But the real difference is one of purpose. The mizzen on a yawl is intended to help trim the boat, in capable hands giving them the ability to follow a compass course despite minor wind shifts.

This was a very handy feature in the days when commercial fishing was done under sail, but these days efficient autopilots and navigation aids have made this less important and the yawl has generally fallen out of favour.

The Mizzen Sail on a Yawl or Ketch Sailboat

The mizzen sail of a ketch is larger than that of a yawl and is there to add drive. And so it does - off the wind.

On the wind though, the mizzen is likely to add nothing but drag, being back-winded most of the time by the mainsail.

In these conditions the mizzen sail may as well be dropped, at which point the ketch becomes in effect an under-canvassed sloop.

The Mizzen Staysail

Off the wind a ketch is at its most efficient, particularly so if cutter rigged and with a mizzen staysail set. 

That's the sail set between the head of the mizzen mast and the foot of the main mast, as on the Westerly 33 shown here.

But all the additional hardware - mizzen mast, sails, winches, standing and running rigging - comes with a considerable cost burden.

But there are benefits to be had from a split rig of a ketch:~

• First, they offer greater flexibility for sail reduction, allowing a jib and mizzen configuration in strong winds; 
• secondly, at anchor where with the mizzen set as a steadying sail, the boat will lay comfortably head-to-wind.

The Triatic Backstay

Although you'll see many ketch sailboats with a triatic backstay tensioned between the two mastheads, each mast should be stayed individually.

Whilst this stay is ideally placed to act as an insulated SSB radio aerial, in the event of the loss of one mast it's almost guaranteed to result in the loss of the other.

A staysail ketch like the Amel 54 shown above will carry the following suit of working sails:

• mizzen staysail;

A cruising sloop of a similar size has only two sails to make up the same sail area, which would be considerably more difficult for a short-handed crew to handle.

So, in answer to the original question, although they're not the best choice for windward sailing, the ketch can make an ideal cruising sailboat.

Lastly, the mizzen mast on a ketch sailboat provides an ideal place to mount your radar scanner and wind generator. And as one old sea-dog once told me, a convenient thing to lean against when you're smoking your pipe.

A Few Examples of Ketch Rigged Cruising Boats

What are the Pros & Cons of a Ketch?

• Spread of Sail: Ketches have their sail area distributed over a higher number of sails, which means the size of each sail is generally smaller when compared to a sloop. This is useful when conditions are rough, as it's easier and safer to handle smaller sails.
• Rig Options: The ability to switch between sail configurations makes ketches versatile. You can use only the mizzen and jib in a strong wind, only the main in moderate wind, and all sails in a light wind.
• Downwind Efficiency: Ketches tend to perform well when sailing downwind, as the mizzen sail helps to catch additional wind.
• Balance: The mizzen sail aids in stabilizing the boat which is useful when minimizing roll at anchor and helps balance the boat under sail.
• Emergency Steering: The mizzen sail can be used for emergency steering if the rudder or main steering system becomes damaged.
• Cost: Ketches often cost more due to the additional rigging and hardware needed for the extra mast and extra sails.
• Maintenance: More rigging and more sails also mean more maintenance. Ketches may require more effort and cost to uphold.
• Windward Performance: Ketches are often outperformed by sloops or cutters when sailing upwind.
• Maneuverability: The extra mast can complicate tacking and jibing maneuvers, particularly in heavier winds.
• Space Occupancy: The mizzen mast in a ketch can limit the space available in the cockpit or aft areas.

It's important to note the pros and cons can vary based on the specific design of the ketch. Certain designs may mitigate some of the cons, and other pros may become more apparent in certain types of conditions.

What are the ideal sailing conditions and environments for a ketch sailboat?

Ketch sailboats are particularly suited for long-distance cruising and offshore sailing because of their stability, versatility in sail arrangements, and downwind performance. They perform best in moderate to heavy wind conditions where the additional mizzen sail can provide extra balance, power, and control.

These boats shine when sailing downwind or on reaches, where their additional sails can make full use of the wind. They also work well in heavy wind conditions where reducing sail area is necessary, as their multiple smaller sails can provide more manageable options.

In terms of environments, ketches tend to thrive in areas with consistent winds and open water, such as offshore or coastal cruising routes. Their stability and easy handling can be advantageous in rough sea states or when navigating rolling swells.

However, it's worth mentioning that the performance of a ketch can depend on the specific design of the boat, the skipper's sailing skills and the crew's ability to manage and adjust the sails on board.

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Why a Cat Ketch?

Posted by Graham Byrnes on Jan 1st 2015

You may have noticed that B&B Yacht Designs has several models that are cat-ketch rigged. For example the Core Sound 15 pictured below sailing at our annual messabout.

Perhaps you are not familiar with this rig, and think that it looks “old-timey.”

And, perhaps you think that this rig is not as “efficient” as a “modern” sloop rig.

First let us dispel some common myths about the cat ketch rig.

The rig type is, indeed, one that has been around for many years, and one which was greatly favored by the watermen of the East Coast before the age of power. The rig fell out of favor not because it was inefficient, but because working sailboats became obsolete, and the recreational sailboats which have been built since, are influenced not by the need for efficiency and speed, but by an artificial rating rule. Such rules, made to “equalize” boats on a race course, often penalized the very things which made a boat fast. So designers’ of “modern” boats designed boats that could get the greatest benefit from the lowest rating – and not necessarily the best and fastest boat they could have designed. When ratings were not an issue, the cat ketch has been a rig favored for it’s gentle ways. Several designers in recent decades have utilized this rig to great advantage on some contemporary, even avant-garde designs. In head to head competition, cat ketches have performed well. Our boats have an admirable racing record, although they were never designed as racers.

What are the unique advantages of the cat ketch rig and why have we chosen it for some of our designs?

Before going on, let us say: We are not missionaries for this rig. It is not a trademark of our designs in that it in no way represents the rig on the majority of our plans. It is however, a rig, which we have found to be extremely suitable for certain types of boats. So, it fits with our philosophy of making each design work as well as it can for it’s type, while retaining a cost effective approach without compromising quality or performance.

The well-designed cat ketch rig is a simple, inexpensive and balanced rig.

The sail plan spreads the sails along the length of the boat on two masts. The low center of effort afforded by the fore and aft, rather than upward, spread of sail, produces less heeling force.

Free standing masts require no rigging; making them quick to rig and unrig, easy to reef and inexpensive. They also offer an innate degree of safety: the masts bend during gusts, flattening the sail and de-powering the rig.

Each spar is lighter, smaller and easier to handle. This is really important with beach boats, day boats and other dry-sailed craft. It only takes a few minutes to rig. In our designs, up to about 20′, stepping the masts can be accomplished by one person. Being able to get in and out of the water quickly and easily makes sailing so much more accessible. If you have to contemplate an hour of preparation just to go sailing; it isn’t likely that you will go sailing for an hour! In today’s busy world you may have only a few days when you are free to take the whole day for sailing. On the other hand, we all have the odd hour or two of free time, and when the boat can be launched and retrieved in minutes, you can spend that hour sailing. Our larger or cabin boats utilize hinging masts in tabernacles that can also be setup quickly with one person

Docile. That is probably the best word for the behavior of this rig. Your days of yelling, “prepare to tack”, “tacking” – “let it go”, and “pull it in” are over. When you want to tack, you simply put the helm over and off you go on your new course. The sails will tack themselves. This may be a little un-nerving at first. If you have been sailing only sloops or ketches with headsails up until now, you will feel like you ought to be doing something. We’ve noticed however, that it takes the average sailor only about 3 tacks to get used to this laid back approach. By the 5th tack they are enamored and begin to aimlessly tack back and forth with a great big grin on their faces. The crew is equally happy, because they haven’t moved a muscle or been yelled at during the whole procedure. As delirious as the tack may make the laid back crew, they will really get excited by the jibe. Jibing has traditionally been a recipe for disaster, with such fanciful names as the Chinese jibe, invented to describe just one of the multiple possibilities for complications. In the cat ketch rig, jibing requires exactly the same degree of panic as the tack we just discussed…you just put the helm over, pull in some excess sheet if you wish and let her slide out the other side.

Upwind. The cat ketch rig is handy and comfortably close-winded. Provided you have a good hull under you (never blame a good rig for a poor hull design), she will go to weather nicely.

Reaching & Running: Since the sprit bisects the sail load, the area above and below the sprit are balanced. So when the sheets are eased, the sails go out and stay out with none of the collapsing and filling that is the bane of the normal jib behind main. Nor is there the twisting off of the typical mainsail, when the boom lifts and causes a “death roll” in strong winds. Somewhere between a very broad reach and a run, the main sail will begin to shake and lose power. This is not a problem, just turn off the wind a bit further, jibe the main across and return to your desired course.

As you have already learned, jibing, the bane of most downwind sail-handlers is a snap. With a cat ketch rig you can also sail directly down wind, wing and wing. The boat feels stable and whisks along nicely. If the wind gets up and things get hairy, on an unstayed rig (which includes most smaller cat ketches) you can just let those sails go forward of the beam. This will immediately stabilize the boat. Also, the sails when they are allowed to go forward (about 20° ), will keep the boat tracking downwind, so it makes a very easy time of what would be the most delicate conditions for a sloop or cat rigged boat.

Taken to it’s extreme, you can make delicate and gentle downwind landings in any weather by just letting the sheets go and allowing your sails fly forward completely, at the same time lifting your centerboard and letting go of the rudder pennant to lift the rudder…you glide into your (shallow) landing under complete control. This is a far cry from the usual tension and chaos of a downwind landing on a blustery day.

The anatomy of the cat ketch rig:

There are two masts, one set close to the bow which is the mainsail and a mizzen which is usually near or just aft of the center of the boat. The mainsail is larger than the mizzen – although the sails are much more evenly divided size-wise than in a jib-headed ketch. (And to answer the question many ask: yes if the forward sail is smaller it is a cat schooner – not a cat ketch rig).

The sails may be of any shape – some have gaffs; others, like our designs are marconi and have sprits not booms.

We chose sprits rather than booms because they are quick to rig and cheap to build and easy to stow (smaller models use simple and available fir closet rod)…

The sprit is a diagonal spar which holds the sail between the clew and the mast – it serves the same purpose as a boom. We like it in small boats particularly – because it eliminates the boom moving across the cockpit of a small boat and eliminates the need for a boom vang. If you are in the way during the tack, the sail just slides over you harmlessly (the one exception: do not sit directly in front of the mizzen mast on the middle seat, or you could get hit with the main sheets or the clew end of the sprit).

The sprit is attached to the clew with the end poked through a loop of webbing or rope. The forward end fits into a rope which is lashed to the mast (a snotter). This controls the height of the sprit and the relative leech and foot tension. Because these are all “soft” fittings, they are easily adjustable. There is a line to a cleat so that you can adjust sail draft while underway.

Sprits may be either straight or curved. We have done some informal tests and have not found that the curved sprits are enormously superior, although some people prefer them.

We are asked if full wishbone booms are more efficient, and yes, they are – but the little bit of extra efficiency comes at the expense of simplicity and cost.

If you are a good wood worker and like laminating things, curved sprits and wishbones are a nice touch and they can be made quite pretty.

The sprits are placed on opposite sides of the sails; in other words if the mainsail has the sprit on the starboard, the mizzen will have it on the port. Although the sail flops over the sprit on one tack, it does not affect the efficiency as much as it might appear to.

Shortening sail can be accomplished in two ways. In smaller models, the simplest way is to first, remove the mizzen and place the main in the center (single) sail position (given on all our plans for this rig). If the wind continues to pipe up, change down to the smaller mizzen sail. The second way to reef – which may the most desirable on the larger models, and an option for the smaller models for those who may not be comfortable with the mast exchange, is to have normal reef points in the sail and add halyards.

The combination of the sprit rigged cat ketch and a centerboard board allows for a great deal of adjustment for balancing out the boat in any conditions. If there is some lee helm in light wind, the board can be lowered further, moving the center of lateral resistance (CLR) forward or you can adjust the sails without lowering the board – sheet in the mizzen or let out the main…or combine the three options. Weather helm? Reverse the procedure. Normally (as designed) the helm should be neutral at 8-14 knots, with an increasing weather helm as the wind increases. When the sail/board adjustments are not quite enough to neutralize the helm, you can reef. You will always be able to trim to balance the helm in any conditions, by these methods.

Some Tips for Sailing a Cat Ketch:

• Because the sprit bisects the angle of the sail, there is very little load on the sheets. A simple cleat is all you need.
• Our designs call for, and we strongly advocate the use of double ended sheets, so that no matter which side of the boat you are sitting on, you can adjust the sheet without leaving your position. (Remember this is laid-back sailing).
• In windy or gusty condition, you always have the end of your double ended sheet close at hand and if you get a strong gust and feel you have heeled to an uncomfortable angle, just let the mainsheet go to reduce wind pressure and heeling force. WARNING: Be sure that you release the mainsheet (the forward sail) first. If you let the mizzen go first, it moves the center of effort forward and the boat will bear away which will increase the pressure and heeling and could cause a capsize.
• When sailing in light air, if your sails get a vertical crease close to the mast, ease the luff tension.
• When the wind is heavier if you see horizontal crease near the mast, increase the luff tension.
• Use the snotter line to adjust the relative tension of the foot and leech, they should be evenly and equally curved. So if the leech is tight and the foot is full, lower the angle of the sprit and for a tight foot and loose leech raise the sprit angle.
• Grounded! The day will come when you will run her aground in a strong breeze and you’ll get the centerboard stuck so you can’t raise it. The boat will swing around to a somewhat beam-on position. Now in most boats you’d be in a nice pickle…but with the cat ketch, just let the main (foresail) go and the center of effort will go so far aft that she will spin around and tack – then you can re-sheet your forward sail and sail off.

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Sail trim primer for ketch

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I''m looking for a source of sail trim information for ketch rigs or perhaps some advice from the board. I have been told to just "sheet it in a little more than the main..." I''m guessing there''s more to optimizing my performance than that though. Thx in advance Ike  

I learned to sail on a ketch about 45 years ago and have sailed on a few since. Here''s a couple of observations that may or may not apply to your boat. 1. The mizzen is not always useful. Upwind its not much help because the main makes it uneasy. Downwind the mizzen makes the main uneasy and leads to more chafe against the shrouds. 2. The mizzen of a ketch rigged boat starts to come into its own on a close reach and can still be useful on a broad reach. REaching with a mizzen staysail set (in addition to the mizzen itself) on a ketch can be a thrill. So, use the mizzen when it seems to help but dont feel bad if the boat does better if you put it to bed on some points of sail. There used to be an addage about ketches being particularly good in heavy weather when carrying "jib and jigger" . This means a jib and the mizzen. I think this is total BS. Modern jiffy reefing on the main makes the mizzen irrelevent in heavy weather. John  

I know of no source that describes how to sail a ketch. I think cumulatively you have gotten good information here. The basics are start trimming from the bow and work your aft. In other words trim the jib by its luff teletales (18 or so inches back from the luff), then the mainsail and then the mizzen both by their leech teletales. The mizzen is often a little over- or under- trimmed to help balance the helm. Unlike most yawls with their smaller mizzens, on most ketches the mizzen is needed for balance and also represents a larger percentage of the sail area so it is rarely dropped going upwind or on a run. Ketches do best on a reach and are pretty poor on a beat or run. In heavy air the mainsail is often dropped (jig and jigger mentioned above)which results in balanced rig with minimal sail area. Dropping the mizzen first in heavy air is often not an option as most ketches will develop lee helm (not a good thing in a heavy breeze). With all due respect, I disagree with John that jib and jigger is B.S. While modern mainsail reefing allows most sloops (or yawls for that matter) to quickly shorten sail and be in balance, on most ketches, the mainsail is so far forward that dropping the mizzen in heavy air can create real steering problems. Jeff  

Thanks all, I really appreciate your taking the time to share your knowledge. Very best regards, Ike S/V Indigo  

Ike, I''d second Jeff''s disagreement with John re: jib & jigger. We found this especially suitable across and downwind in the Caribbean where the breezes are heavier and, being a short-handed crew, ease of sail handling is a worthy goal. Our Pearson 424 ketch balances especially well without the main and due to its shallow keel, appreciates the lack of add''l heel, as do we. My experience is different than Jeff''s re: going upwind - I find dropping the mizzen is worth the effort, as it contributes heavy weather helm when beating or (very) close reaching, contributes nothing to our boat''s performance, and makes steering more work as a result. Also, don''t overlook John''s comment about a mizzen staysail - a joy to use, easy to hoist (from a permanent place on the side deck once we''re offshore, with the sheet permanently rigged), quiet in use, and cheap to purchase. In lighter winds (other than a beat or run), it gives us up to another knot of speed - twice the improvement from our Max Prop and only 1/10th the cost!<g> Jack  

Thanks Jack, I''ve noticed that our weather helm increases when we''re on the wind so would concur with your opinion. I have nothing but respect for Jeff''s opinion but also recognize that is he is, of necessity, speaking in generalities in this case. I am interested in a mizzen staysail since I am SoCal and the winds are often light. Can you provide some detail on the rigging of such a sail? Tack position, sheeting etc? Cheers! Ike  

Gee, Ike - you are indeed in perfect Mizzen Staysail territory. <g> Generally, the sail is tacked to the side deck and hoisted from a block on the forward side of the mizzen masthead. The sheet is run from the clew via the end of the mizzen boom (which is trimmed outboard to help in sail shape even if the mizzen isn''t being used) and then brought to a winch somewhere in the cockpit. The sail requies a split backstay; if you have a full double backstay, it will foul the leech. There are lots of variations on this, however. One well-known/respected sailor from your area (Earl Hinz, who later cruised the SoPac area for many years aboard his Morgan OI41 HORIZON) ended up concluding that, for beamy/shallow hull forms like his, it was better to use several different sizes/shapes of a mizzen staysail rather than a main. For work closer to the wind, he tacked one to his main''s gooseneck. Less heel, less leeway, more speed was his conclusion and, being an aerospace engineer, he had the data to back it up. In our case, we elected to have the staysail made of 2.2 oz dacron vs. the more typical 1.5 oz. ripstop - a little heartier, so it can carry a bit more wind (or more likely, accommodate my less than speedy deck work). I leave the sheet permanently rove to reduce the workload, meaning the sheet runs from a winch and cleat on the mizzen mast, out to the block on the mizzen boom''s end cap, and then back to the same cleat. When it''s time to hoist the sail (which lives in its back with the tack line led thru a grommet on the bottom of the bag and secured to a bail on a lifeline stanchion, then to a midship''s cleat), I run the sheet outboard of the mizzen shrouds, open the bag (where the head and clew are last to be stuffed inside) and attach the sheet. I then release the halyard''s shackle, insure it runs on the right side of the backstay, and attach it to the head. Returning to the cockpit, I hoist the sail and then adjust it with the staysail sheet plus the mizzen sheet (to position the boom). When beam reaching or a bit more to windward, I''ll choose a more forward stanchion''s bail; when more off the wind, I might reattach the tack line further aft. Hope that helps. The sail was about $300 and well worth it. The other bits and pieces were either on-hand or little cost. Jack  

1. Hoist the mizzen first. This will keep your boat's head to wind. You can easily hoist other sails in this condition. Use your mizzen when on anchor. You boat will always keep the head to wind. 2. Mizzen is very good for keeping your route. Arrange your sail trim well, lock yor tiller and adjust your mizzen and this will keep the boat going in the same direction. 3. Do not use your mizzen when going to the wind. The genova disturbs the wind that reaches the main therefore you have to keep the main more straight. The mizzen is affected from the main's wind and you have to keep the mizzen very straight which will not deliver any drive. 4. Do use your mizzen instead of your main when going to the wind if the wind is good. The genova will work good, because you do not have a main that will affect the wind to the mizzen, it will give very good drive. 5. When sailing with the wind, keep the mizzen opposite to the main, and the genova on the same side to te main. Ketch rigs are very efficient in this way. My ketch sails much faster than most of the sloops even a little bigger than my boat. 5. You can stay "nearly hove to" with the mizzen only.  

Celenoglu- The posts you're responding to are well over five years old. Please check dates on posts before replying to them. You might also want to invest in a spell-checker, since you're using a lot of "words" that don't exist AFAICT. I'd also highly recommend your read the POST in my signature to help you get the most out of sailnet. Welcome to the Asylum.  

I found Celenoglu's post quite informative, and had no trouble understanding it despite "genova" vs. "genoa." If that's all it takes to warrant a spell-checker admonishment, you've got a big job ahead of you if you spend much time in internet forums. Allan -- Allan Kaplan S/V Aurora Baba 40 Ketch Seattle, WA S/V Aurora  

celenoglu, Welcome to Sailnet! The vast majority of Sailnet members sail sloops, so it's nice to get feedback from sailors experienced with a mizzen. Yes, this is an old thread, but I think your post will be helpful to anybody looking for this kind of information. If you'd like to, you can say hello and introduce yourself to members in the " Introduce Yourself " thread. We don't have too many active members from Turkey, either, but we often get questions about sailing/chartering in that area. Welcome aboard!  

It works for me, I just bought a ketch, though I sailed a yawl for years.  

genova is how you say genoa in other languages. not a mispelling at all.  

I really like to see threads like this one come up. Who cares how old they are? Someone will always benefit from them. I'm re-fitting a Cheoy Lee 31 ketch right now, and the information on sail trim and rigging the mizzen stay sail is great!  

Sail Trim Primer for ketch Ditto re reactivating old threads. I've had a Cheoy Lee Clipper 33 ketch for about two years and it has been a rather slower learning curve but it does pay off. Very pretty and comfortable boats. I too have found that directly downwind the mizzen is better furled, but upwind less so - it depends on high you wish to attempt to go, and realistically, if you start pinching you will get punished hether the mizzen is up or not. Have my sights set on a mizzen staysail, but need to add some gear at the masthead first. Excellent advice from previous posters. Thanks, David  

I keep seeing a lot of ketch's for sale. Just never knew about the nuances of sailing with a mizzen. Glad posts like this are still active.  

Thank you this was great for me we are just about to bid on an Allied Princess 36 Ketch and I am very intrested in sailing learning the mizzen staysl combination with the genoa, minus the main, it also has an Aspin so it should be intresting this has been a dream 5 years comeing to go from our Catalina 27' to our dream Ketch. Good commentaries here. even if it is old , still relevent. to the greenhorns like me! lol  

I agree and want to say that it's more efficient to add to an old post over creating new ones about the same subject matter. If we add to an old ongoing post we create a compendium of information on a subject in one easy to find place.  

Those who had problems with resurrecting old threads have moved on. Ironically the only time you see their names these days is when someone resurrects an old thread...  

As I didn't read most of what's above, I may be repeating some of what's already been said. Most often we sail our ketch as a cutter because the mizzen adds too much sail area for the average Caribbean winds. We lope along quite nicely at 7 to 9 knots with the reefed main and Yankee when crossing the channels here in the Eastern Caribbean. But as this is my 5th big ketch (up to 80 feet), I've plenty of experience with the rig. Basically, on most ketches the main is the power sail, IMO. I balance the mizzen and head sail(s) so the boat has neither weather nor lee helm. Most will self steer going to windward quite nicely, once you have them balanced. Off the wind, the mizzen must come down beyond a broad reach or it will consistently drive the bow up into the wind, and/or blanket much of the main. It is preferable to have the sails pulling the boat down wind, rather than pushing. From a close reach to a very broad reach the mizzen works very well to give added speed and balance to any ketch and a mizzen staysail is a great sail, for lighter airs from a beam reach to a broad reach. On some ketches, like the Amels, sailing with mizzen and head sails is the preferred rig in heavier air, but it can lead to a more uncomfortable ride than a ketch that can sail well to windward with a reefed main and Yankee jib, like ours, as the main does steady the boat more than the mizzen/head sail rig. Keeping in mind that your main is your power sail, you will just have to try all the combinations and see which work best on your particular ketch. Have fun.  

I know this is an old thread but I have written an article about sailing a ketch. Since there is not much out there, I'd like to share it here in case it helps anyone. Aleria's Great Adventures: The versatile ketch rig  

As the new owner of an old ketch (1982 Morgan OI 416) I'm thrilled to find this thread. And equally trilled to find the article Daria Blackwell linked. It has saved me from being shamed publicly by the "Oh no, not another , How do I sail a Ketch" grumpy old men, looking to skewer newbies. I suspect there was a time they didn't know it all and have failed to remember that. Anyway, all that said, I bought my boat last June (2022) and have yet to raise the mizzen. I spent the summer going thru her and learning her in a more general way. I intend for this coming season to be more of the same with the added excitement of learning to sail with mizzen factored in. We are currently out of Old Saybrook Ct on the LI Sound and I'm looking for ward to getting her off the hard and in the wind.  

Let's hear it for the mizzen! I don't care how old the thread is - it's still relevant info. I sail an Acadian Yawl; the main is a real PITA to reef, so when it breezes up, I just put it to bed. The boat generally balances well under jib & jigger, sails faster, and more comfortably. Downwind is not it's favorite point of sail. Usually try to have the mizzen and main on opposite sides and with the genoa on the same side as the mizzen. Might have to try furling the mizzen to see what difference that makes. Also have mizzen staysails which rarely get used - too much hassle to tack so need a long run to make setting them worthwhile.  

Lots of great info here, pity it's all past used by date (sarcasm)... We have a spare smaller furling type headsail, would I just fly it from the corners as a mizzen stay sail or would I need a special sail/temporary stay and hanks?  

Mizzen staysails typically have a flexible stay built into the sail and so are set flying rather than hanked on a stay. You need to be able to strike the Mizzen staysail quickly in order to harden up to a close reach, jibe or tack. The integral stay allows that to happen quickly as a single set rather than strike the sail then remove the stay. Most mizzen staysails had their tacks rigged to a reinforced chainplate on the cabin side, cabin top, or deck. Some were rigged to a heavily reinforced portion of the genoa track (often painted a color to show which section of the track was beefed up to take very high vertical loads from the mizzen staysail tack.) The head of the sail was flown from a halyard at the forward face of the mizzen masthead. (Sometimes with a 2:1 tackle on that halyard) If you wanted to use headsail on a furler as a mizzen staysail, you would need to have the sail modified to have an integral flexible torsion luff so that the sail can be struck and stowed. It would also need to have a floating swivel(i.e. not on a separate stay or foil) on the head. Jeff  

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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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