Sailing Rigs

Gordon RingbergSenior Underwriter

Most sailboats have an auxiliary engine that could be an outboard, inboard or a sail drive. However the prime drivers for a sailboat are the sails, and the way the sails and masts are arranged is called the rig.

Sailing rigs have evolved over many centuries from simple structures with large surface areas to catch the wind, to more aerodynamic wing-like structures that generate lift. Although this is not a complete listing of every type of sailing rig ever used to move a boat or a ship, the following are the five most common types found on “modern” yachts. This information was condensed from a Ted Brewer article on Fore and Aft Rigs.

Sloop

A single-masted, fore-and-aft-rigged sailing boat with a short standing bowsprit or none at all and a single headsail set from the forestay. This is the most common rig used on sailing yacht these days. A sloop may also carry a spinnaker for going downwind.

Cutter

The sloop rig and the cutter are almost indistinguishable today. If the boat sets only a single headsail, she is a sloop, of course. With or without a bowsprit, if the mast is set well aft, abaft 40 percent of the waterline length, and the boat carries two or more headsails, she is a cutter. Confusion arises when a boat has her mast located forward but sets several headsails. Many will call her a cutter but she is, in reality, a double-headsail sloop. Even with a short bowsprit she'll be a sloop unless the foretriangle is larger than the mainsail.

Ketch

A ketch has two masts, with the mizzenmast being the shorter of the two. This mizzenmast is set forward of the rudder post. A ketch has three or four sails. A ketch is closely related to a yawl. The advantage of a ketch is that the addition of the mizzen sail splits the rig as a whole into more manageable proportions. This is helpful with a small crew.

Yawl

A yawl has two masts, with the mizzenmast much shorter and set aft of the rudder post. A yawl has three or four sails. A yawl is closely related to a ketch, but a mizzen on a yawl is much smaller than on a ketch. Since the term yawl has fallen into disuse, some boats that are really yawls are described as ketches.

Schooner

A schooner has two masts with the taller mainmast in the aft position. This aftermast carries the mainsail. A schooner has three or more sails. The classic appearance of the schooner is the type that most people associate with the romantic past of sailing vessels.

When most people look at a sailboat rig, they see a pole with a bunch of wires and ropes that look pretty complicated. But just like any other complicated machine, sailboat rigs can be broken down into components that are easier to understand. The following is a basic description of the sloop rig and it’s component parts. Our intent is to introduce you to the terms and jargon. The best way to learn more about this topic is to get out of the office and go sailing.

Spars

SPARS are poles or extrusions that are used to support sails or rigging. The spar that sticks up is the MAST. The horizontal spars is the BOOM. SPREADERS are used on tall masts so shrouds connect to the mast at an efficient angle (see next slide).

BOWSPRITS, BOOMKINS, DOLPHIN STRIKERS, GAFFS, SPINNAKER POLES and WHISKER POLES are spars you may see on other rigs. Spars can be made of wood, aluminum or carbon fiber composite.

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Mast

Boom

The “wires” that help the mast stand up when sailing are collectively called the STANDING RIGGING. STAYS control fore and aft movement and SHROUDS control lateral movement. Natural fiber rope was used for stays/shrouds on traditional rigs, but the most common material used today is stainless steel wire. Stainless steel rod was popular on racing sail boats, but now synthetic, ultra low stretch, high strength Dyneema line is the material of choice.

CLEVIS PINS, CHAINPLATES, TOGGLES, TURNBUCKLES and TANGS are hardwarepieces that connect the stays and shrouds to the mast and hull.

Standing Rigging

Running Rigging

The lines that control the sails are the RUNNING RIGGING. HALYARDS haul the sails up the mast. The MAINSHEET controls the sideways swing of the boom. There are two JIB SHEETS to control the jib, one each for the port and starboard side. The OUTHAUL tensions the mainsail out along the boom. The CUNNINGHAM, named after the yachtsman who invented it, exerts downward tension along the luff of the mainsail. The VANG exerts a downward pull on the boom to keep it level.Running rigging is connected to the sails with SHACKLES or a BOWLINE HITCH and“run” through SHEAVES, BLOCKS, FAIRLEADS, or TRAVELERS, sometimes to a WINCH, and may be “made fast” at a HORNED CLEAT, CAM CLEAT or CLUTCH.

Sailboat rigging does not last forever. Time, heat, humidity, salt, and harsh weather will damage the spars, running rigging, standing rigging and hardware, including components made of stainless steel and aluminum. Failure of a single component in the rigging could lead to a dismasting.

The industry accepted lifespan for standing rigging is 10 to 15 years.We require a full rig inspection on sailboats at 20 years.

Rig Inspections

The most likely trouble spots are lower-end swage fittings, but all swages, chainplates, clevis pins and turnbuckles should be inspected.Internal corrosion, poor swaging, work hardening and wire misalignment can all lead to rig failure without showing visible cracks. For additional information, see:Sailboat Rig Problems: A Surveyor's View, and Inspecting Your Boat's Mast and Rigging

* “Clew” is not misspelled, it’s a term that describes a part of a sail.

Now to amaze your friends, impress your family and convince your boss that you deserve a promotion, here are a few more rigs that every marine underwriter should know (but of which many don’t have a clew*) .

Other Types of Rigs

Jib-Headed, Marconi or Bermuda Rig: These are other names for a sloop rig. This rig was developed in Bermuda in the 17th century; the term Marconi was a much later reference to the inventor Guglielmo Marconi, whose wireless radio masts resembled Bermuda rigs. When the most foreword sail (jib) runs to the top of the mast (not shown in the drawing). The rig can be called Jib-headed.Gaff-Rigged: This rig carries a four-cornered sail which is controlled at the head (top) by a spar (pole) called the gaff. The gaff enables this fore and aft sail to be four sided, rather than triangular, and as much as doubles the sail area that can be carried by that mast. Lug Rig: this rig usually lacks a boom and carries a quadrilateral sail, (the foot is longer than the head), and is bent to a yard hanging obliquely on the mast.Lateen Rig: This ancient rig from the Mediterranean sea carries a triangular sail extended by a long yard, which is slung to a low mast at an angle of about forty-five degrees. Now found mostly on small boats (e.g. Sunfish).

Catboat

A catboat (alternate spelling: cat boat), or a cat-rigged sailboat, is a sailing vessel characterized by a single mast carried well forward (i.e., near the bow of the boat).Although any boat with a single sail and a mast carried well forward is 'technically' a catboat, the traditional catboat has a wide beam approximately half the length of the boat, a centerboard, and a single gaff-rigged sail. Some catboats such as the Barnegat Bay type and more modern catboat designs carry a Bermuda sail. (Not to be confused with Catamaran, although a catamaran can be cat rigged.)

Square Rigged

Brigs, Brigantines, Barques, Barquentines, and Full Rigged Ships are types of square rigged vessels. Additional discussion exceeds the scope of this unit, but further inquiry on your part into rigs, propulsion, materials, and boat types is highly recommended.

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