A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship . Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
59-500: The Fifie is a design of sailing boat developed on the east coast of Scotland . It was a traditional fishing boat used by Scottish fishermen from the 1850s until well into the 20th century. These boats were mainly used to fish for herring using drift nets , and along with other designs of boat were known as herring drifters. While the boats varied in design, they can be categorised by their vertical stem and stern , their long straight keel and wide beam . These attributes made
118-760: A classic example of this type of vessel named the Reaper . The Swan Trust in Lerwick , Shetland have restored and maintain another Fifie, The Swan , as a sail training vessel. She now takes over 1000 trainees each year, and has taken trainees to participate in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races to ports in France , Denmark , the Netherlands , Ireland as well as around the UK . The Isabella Fortuna
177-447: A crane and are typically stepped on the keel through any cabin or other superstructure. Many sailboats have an alternate means of propulsion, in case the wind dies or where close maneuvering under sail is impractical. The smallest boats may use a paddle ; bigger ones may have oars ; still others may employ an outboard motor , mounted on the transom; still others may have an inboard engine . Dinghy sailing Dinghy sailing
236-577: A device now commonly known as the trapeze. At that time, it was known as King George's Jubilee Truss. The device was immediately banned by the Yacht Racing Committee on the grounds that it was unsporting and gave an unfair advantage to its users. Thunder & Lightning is now in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall . The innovative technique was immediately banned, and received little development until it
295-910: A few people make them some still sail with wooden boats), more responsive sail materials and design, easily transportable boats (many car-toppable), and simpler rigs such as gennakers instead of more complex spinnakers . These advances are more economical in time and money, and have greatly extended the appeal of dinghy sailing. In Britain , the RYA regulates racing and provides modular and accredited training courses for leisure and competitive sailing. A basic sailing course can be completed in several days. Similar organisations exist worldwide to administer and promote both leisure and competitive sailing. Some dinghies come into more than one category, either because boundaries overlap or because different categories are measuring different things; e.g. both "one design" boats and boats of much freer design can be found in each of
354-421: A fiberglass hull with enough finely finished teak or mahogany to represent the "best of two worlds" approach. The fiberglass hull makes the boat maintenance easier and some think they are sturdier and will not corrode like wood. Examples of classic sailing dinghies are Minto , Mirror Dinghy , Fatty Knees , Trinka, Bauer, Whitehall, and Gig Harbor. Safety dinghies were designed to be used as yacht tenders with
413-407: A jib. Most modern designs have only one sail, the mainsail; however, the traditional catboat could carry multiple sails from the gaff rig. Catboat is a charming and distinctive sailboat featuring a single mast with a single large sail, known as a gaff-rigged sail, and a broad beam that ensures stability. This type of vessel, named after the "cat" tackle used in sailing, has a rich history dating back to
472-431: A lot of weight in two "wings" which run sideways from the main part of the keel. Even more recent is the concept of canting keels , designed to move the weight at the bottom of a sailboat to the upwind side, allowing the boat to carry more sails. A twin keel has the benefit of a shallower draft and can allow the boat to stand on dry land. Multihulls, on the other hand, have minimal need for such ballast, as they depend on
531-517: A minimum weight and sail area. Classes which are not development classes are usually referred to as "One design". The idea is that One Designs provide a fair and level playing field for even competition, whereas Development Classes drive boat speed and technology forwards. The first one design was the Water Wag designed by Thomas Middleton, which first sailed in Dublin Bay in 1887. The class
590-422: A mooring, while other (usually racing) boats can't be left on mooring because they will capsize, which can cause certain parts like the mast and hull to be damaged. Sailing skiffs are the fastest and arguably most difficult type of dinghy to sail. A skiff has a flat narrow hull with a disproportionately large sailplan, usually consisting of an asymmetric spinnaker, blade jib and fully battened main. Sailors manage
649-448: A private sailing boat presented to him when he returned from exile to England in the 17th century, and he sailed for recreation and competition. In 1887 Thomas Middleton, a Dublin solicitor, considered that yacht racing was becoming an excessively expensive activity, with boats becoming eclipsed by better designs each year. He proposed the 'One Model' principle. He wanted yacht racing to be an exercise of skill with all boats being built to
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#1732780381592708-411: A reduced draft, with a much reduced underwater profile. This, in turn, results directly in reduced wetted surface area and drag. Without a ballast keel, multihulls can go in shallow waters where monohulls can not. There are trade-offs, however, in multihull design. A well designed ballasted boat can recover from a capsize, even from turning over completely. Righting a multihull that has gotten upside down
767-467: A rotating mast. This allows the rig to be highly aerodynamic and the reduced drag from the thin hulls, gives a multihull its great speed advantage over traditional monohulls. Dinghy-sized multihulls are sometimes referred to as "Beach Catamarans or Beach Trimarans". The International 14 remains a popular racing class, having acquired racks (for trapezing crews) and a gennaker since its original design. The Laser Standard , Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 are
826-570: A sliding scale of allowable modification or design differences; restricted classes would typically allow the movement of fittings or even parts of the boat around, but are unlikely to allow major changes to hull shape or sails. Truly open development classes are also almost unknown, the famous line about the 18 ft skiff "the boat shall be 18ft long and the race starts at 2 o'clock" is a myth but open classes will usually allow pretty radical changes within usually some kind of box rule which specifies depth, length, width of hull height of mast and sometimes
885-422: A sloop with a single mast and mainsail, but generally carries the mast further aft to allow for a jib and staysail to be attached to the head stay and inner forestay, respectively. Once a common racing configuration, today it gives versatility to cruising boats, especially in allowing a small staysail to be flown from the inner stay in high winds. A catboat has a single mast mounted far forward and does not carry
944-489: Is difficult in any case and impossible without help unless the boat is small or carries special equipment for the purpose. Multihulls often prove more difficult to tack, since the reduced weight leads directly to reduced momentum, causing multihulls to more quickly lose speed when headed into the wind. Also, structural integrity is much easier to achieve in a one piece monohull than in a two or three piece multihull whose connecting structure must be substantial and well connected to
1003-461: Is easier for a short-handed crew to manage. A yawl is similar to a ketch, with a shorter mizzen mast carried astern the rudderpost more for balancing the helm than propulsion. Traditional sailboats are monohulls , but multi-hull catamarans and trimarans are gaining popularity. Monohull boats generally rely on ballast for stability and usually are displacement hulls. This stabilizing ballast can, in boats designed for racing, be as much as 50% of
1062-463: Is owned by the Wick Society. Sailboat Although sailboat terminology has varied across history, many terms have specific meanings in the context of modern yachting . A great number of sailboat-types may be distinguished by size, hull configuration, keel type, purpose, number and configuration of masts , and sail plan . Popular monohull designs include: The cutter is similar to
1121-482: Is still sailed today, well over a hundred years later. The first International one-design class was the B.R.A. 12 foot dinghy which was designed by George Cockshott in 1914 for West Kirby marine lake. This design expanded to Holland, Netherlands, Germany, France, Ireland etc. and further afield. All of the following classes can be used for recreational as well as racing purposes. Some function better for recreation use because they require less maintenance and can be left on
1180-467: Is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls: When racing , the above skills need to be refined and additional skills and techniques learned, such as the application of the " racing rules of sailing ", boat handling skills when starting and when rounding marks, and knowledge of tactics and strategy. Racing tactics include positioning the boat at different angles. To improve speed when racing, sailors should position themselves at
1239-580: Is the larger boat, while the GP14 has the edge for racing. However the Mirror and her larger sisters, and the Heron , can also be regarded as coming into this category. Classic dinghies are typically used as yacht tenders or shore boats, and emphasize beauty and versatility over sailing performance. Although some are still made entirely from wood, the majority of the most popular classic sailing dinghies combine
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#17327803815921298-421: Is the sloop, which features one mast and two sails, typically a Bermuda rigged main , and a headsail . This simple configuration is very efficient for sailing into the wind. A fractional rigged sloop has its forestay attached at a point below the top of the mast, allowing the mainsail to be flattened to improve performance by raking the upper part of the mast aft by tensioning the backstay. A smaller headsail
1357-469: Is what prevents leeway and allows sailing towards the wind. This can be an external piece or a part of the hull. Most monohulls larger than a dinghy require built-in ballast . Depending on the design of the boat, ballast may be 20 to 50 percent of the displacement. The ballast is often integrated into their keels as large masses of lead or cast iron. This secures the ballast and gets it as low as possible to improve its effectiveness. External keels are cast in
1416-601: The 420 and Flying Junior . Sports boats : These classes are larger off-shore racing dinghies which shade off into classes of yachts with fixed keels. Usually they have several crew members as well as the helm. Melges 24 and Laser SB3 are current examples of this type. Development classes : Most dinghy classes have a fairly fixed layout of sails and hull design, and changes are very infrequent. However, some classes can compete and sail with less rigid definitions and measurements. This encourages experiment which often leads to innovation in techniques and construction. Examples are
1475-459: The Albacore , International 14 , National 12 , Jet 14 , Firefly and Flying Fifteen . The Scorpion was designed in 1959 by Taprell Dorling. He also introduced the major advance of hull shapes that can plane , and which can therefore reach beyond the usual speed limits for small sailing boats. In effect, a boat which is planing is skimming along the surface, with the bow of the boat not in
1534-468: The Avenger . He achieved 52 first places, two second places and three third places out of 57 race starts that year. Note: Graham Anderson in his 1999 book Fast Light Boats, a Century of Kiwi Innovation argues that planing centreboard sailing boats were introduced into New Zealand in the early 20th century – well before Uffa Fox popularised the concept. Another advance in dinghy sailing was introduced in
1593-615: The International 14 , National 12 , the 18ft Skiff , the Puddle Duck Racer and the Moth . The International Moth is worth noting because of its use of lifting foils on the rudder and daggerboard. These generate enough lift to push the hull above the water, significantly reducing friction and allowing speeds in excess of 25 knots (46 km/h). Racing is one of the most popular forms of dinghy sailing, and it contributes to
1652-1019: The Wayfarer , arguably the GP14 , the Tideway , the Laser Stratos , the Drascombe series of dinghies, the CL 16 and the Laser 16, the Roamer Cruising Dinghy, designed by Eric Coleman an early member of the Dinghy Cruising Association, plus many designs of Iain Oughtred, John Welsford and François Vivier. Sailing these boats can still give much excitement. Cruiser-racer dinghies successfully combine elements of both
1711-406: The yachts of today. There has been some crossover, in that the sloop sail plan was adopted as standard and most convenient by early dinghy designers. The development of the sailing dinghy was helped in the early 20th century by Uffa Fox (1898–1972), an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast. He developed and contributed to many dinghy classes that are still with us nearly a century later:
1770-715: The 1870s onwards the bigger boats were built with carvel planking, i.e. the planks were laid edge to edge instead of the overlapping clinker style of previous boats. The introduction of steam powered capstans in the 1890s, to help raising the lugs sails, allowed the size of these vessels to increase from 30 feet (9.14 m) to over 70 feet (21.34 m) in length. From about 1905 onwards sailing Fifies were gradually fitted with engines and converted to motorised vessels. There are few surviving examples of this type of fishing boat still in existence. The Scottish Fisheries Museum based in Anstruther , Fife has restored and still sails
1829-431: The 1930s, when the technique of trapezing was introduced. This involves using the crew to provide more leverage (than possible by hiking out) to keep the sails vertical and the boat balanced; doing this can prevent the boat from capsizing, by hanging outside the boat on a harness and rope attached to the 'hounds' or upper mast . As a result, the boat is easier to keep upright, and the sails can deliver maximum power most of
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1888-552: The 19th century in the coastal regions of the United States, particularly New England, where it was widely used by fishermen and sailors. With its straightforward design and uncomplicated rigging, the catboat offers a straightforward and laid-back sailing experience, making it an ideal choice for beginners and pleasure sailors alike. Even today, catboats continue to be cherished by enthusiasts who appreciate their heritage and enjoy their picturesque appearance while cruising through
1947-646: The Fifies very stable in the water and allowed them to carry a very large set of sails. The long keel, however, made them difficult to manoeuvre in small harbours . Sailing Fifies had two masts with the standard rig consisting of a main dipping lug sail and a mizzen standing lug sail. The masts were positioned far forward and aft on the boat to give the maximum clear working space amidships. A large fifie could reach just over 20 metres (66 ft) in length. Because of their large sail area they were very fast sailing boats. Fifies built after 1860 were all decked and from
2006-752: The Osprey, the Thistle , the 14 ft John Spencer Javelin and the International 470 . They can all plane easily, even upwind and they use trapeze and a symmetric spinnaker. Not all are two handed boats: the International Contender and the RS600 are high performance single handed boats equipped with a trapeze, but not a spinnaker, and demonstrate a comparable performance. Skiffs are usually classed as High performance dinghies. Racing dinghies are designed for racing, but not all have necessarily
2065-613: The added function of proactive self-rescue boat that can be sailed to safety. These boats are also used as recreational sailboats. Some of them can be fitted out with exposure canopies, sea anchors, and other survival gear. Examples of safety dinghies are the Portland Pudgy dinghy and the Clam dinghy. Multihulls are fast twin or three hulled boats that fall under the definition of dinghy. Unlike dinghies, multihulls have high aspect ratio rigs with fully battened mainsails and sometimes,
2124-481: The bottom end in a receptacle that is supported above the keel of the boat or on the deck or other superstructure that allows the mast to be raised at a hinge point until it is erect. Some masts are supported solely at the keel and laterally at the deck and are called "unstayed". Most masts rely in part or entirely (for those stepped on the deck) on standing rigging , supporting them side-to-side and fore-and aft to hold them up. Masts over 25 feet (7.6 m) may require
2183-459: The development of sailing skills as well as to improvements in dinghy and sail construction and design. Sometimes the Olympic triangle is used as a course for dinghy races where space permits, particularly for events where there ought to be little local advantage such as State and National titles and for classes which are mainly displacement sailing such as the Heron (dinghy) . The olympic triangle
2242-536: The geometry of their design, the wide base of their multiple hulls, for their stability. Designers of performance multihulls, such as the Open 60's , go to great lengths to reduce overall boat weight as much as possible. This leads some to comment that designing a multihull is similar to designing an aircraft. A centreboard or daggerboard is retractable lightweight keel which can be pulled up in shallow water. On small sailboats, masts may be "stepped" (put in place) with
2301-470: The hull itself has sufficient buoyancy to remain afloat. A multihull optimized for light weight (at the expense of cruising amenities and storage for food and other supplies), combined with the absence of ballast can result in performance gains in terms of acceleration, top speed, and manoeuvrability. The lack of ballast makes it much easier to get a lightweight multihull on plane, reducing its wetted surface area and thus its drag. Reduced overall weight means
2360-450: The hulls. All these hull types may also be manufactured as, or outfitted with, hydrofoils . All vessels have a keel , it is the backbone of the hull. In traditional construction, it is the structure upon which all else depends. Modern monocoque designs include a virtual keel. Even multihulls have keels. On a sailboat, the word "keel" is also used to refer to the area that is added to the hull to improve its lateral plane. The lateral plane
2419-466: The immediately previous two groups, offering good racing performance and also being very viable cruising boats. Arguably the only two world-class cruiser-racer dinghies, in terms of both the extensive availability of top class racing and their suitability for serious cruising, are the Wayfarer and the GP14 ; of these the Wayfarer has the edge for cruising, once on the water, in part because she
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2478-401: The main categories below. Dinghy designs are often referred to as "classes"; these classes are usually categorised as one design, open, or restricted. A more formal term for open is "Development Class". One design dinghies are supposed to be identical, though in reality this is not always the case. Only the most restrictive one design classes will restrict individual fittings. Then there becomes
2537-573: The mainmast, but forward of the rudder post. The second mast is called the mizzen mast and the sail is called the mizzen sail. A ketch can also be Cutter-rigged with two head sails. A schooner has a mainmast taller than its foremast , distinguishing it from a ketch or a yawl. A schooner can have more than two masts, with the foremast always lower than the foremost main. Traditional topsail schooners have topmasts allowing triangular topsails sails to be flown above their gaff sails ; many modern schooners are Bermuda rigged. The most common modern sailboat
2596-596: The rig with the use of racks (wings) and trapeze. Examples are the 49er , an Olympic boat, 18 Footers (see below) and the advanced International 14 . High-performance dinghies are fast and powerful dinghies designed for racing around an Olympic triangle (Olympic Racing Course). Examples of such dinghies are the International Flying Dutchman , the International 505 , the Jet 14 , the Fireball ,
2655-547: The same calibre of performance as the above. However, in many cases they can still offer equally close competition, at the very highest standards, which for many racing helmsmen and crews is the most important consideration. They cover a wide range, and many are descended from Uffa Fox's seminal International 14. People often "travel" with their dinghies to international races in famous sailing spots such as Lake Garda in Italy. The Snipe International Class still stands as one of
2714-691: The same design. He assembled a group of potential owners who agreed to call the boat 'The Water Wag '. The Water Wag Club still prospers in Dún Laoghaire harbour, with racing each Wednesday evening during the Summer season. Towards the end of the 19th century people began to use these small boats for sport and recreational sailing, utilising the opportunities for leisure afforded by the Industrial Revolution . Larger privately used sailing boats had developed separately, and have resulted in
2773-399: The shape of the keel. A monohull's keel is made effective by a combination of weight, depth, and length. Most modern monohull boats have fin keels, which are heavy and deep, but short in relation to the hull length. More traditional yachts carried a full keel which is generally half or more of the length of the boat. A recent feature is a winged keel , which is short and shallow, but carries
2832-555: The skipper is in charge or steering and the main sail depending on the boat, and the crew is in charge of the jib, the spinnaker, (which can only be flown while going downwind) and keeping the boat level Cruising dinghies are designed for leisure and family sailing and are usually more stable than high-performance dinghies. This is provided by a 'chined' (less rounded) hull, greater displacement, and proportionally smaller sail area. Some are specifically designed for longer passage-making, and/or for camping aboard. Examples of these include
2891-501: The strongest classes, after reaching the status of world's largest fleet of dinghies in July 1936. Other examples include the GP14 , Enterprise , Scorpion , Solo , Graduate , Firefly , Lark . A specialized subgroup is the Scow , which typically uses two bilgeboards instead of a centerboard , and may have two rudders . Many racing dinghies require two or more people to sail the boat,
2950-474: The time. While trapezing can be helpful and increase speed, it can also be very dangerous if the crew is not wearing a quick-release harness or is inexperienced. The quick-release harness allows the crew to unstrap themselves quickly so as to not get forced under the boat if it were to capsize. Trapezing during a race first appeared in 1934, on the Amazon A Class Rater . Uffa Fox started building 14s in 1923, and
3009-609: The variants of the Laser dinghy, a single-hander whose combination of simplicity, portability and performance has done much to advance dinghy racing and training. More modern dinghies like the Phil Morrison designed RS200 , RS400 , RS800 and RS Vareo Dinghies, the Musto Skiff , Splash and RS600 have also increased dinghy sailing participation around the UK. Two popular dinghies used in high school and college racing are
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#17327803815923068-466: The water. This results in less friction because of reduced waterline length , reduced displacement (the amount of water needing to be pushed aside by the boat), and reduced ' wetted area '. The driving force provided by the sails has to overcome less resistance, and therefore speed increases dramatically. In 1928 Uffa Fox introduced planing to the English dinghy racing world in his International 14 boat,
3127-399: The waterways. A dinghy is a type of small open sailboat commonly used for recreation, sail training , and tending a larger vessel. They are popular in youth sailing programs for their short LOA , simple operation and minimal maintenance. They have three (or fewer) sails : the mainsail , jib , and spinnaker . Ketches are similar to a sloop, but there is a second shorter mast astern of
3186-720: The weight of the boat, but is generally around 30%. It creates two problems; one, it gives the monohull tremendous inertia, making it less maneuverable and reducing its acceleration. Secondly, unless it has been built with buoyant foam or air tanks, if a monohull fills with water, it will sink. Multihulls rely on the geometry and the broad stance of their multiple hulls for their stability, eschewing any form of ballast. Some multihulls are designed to be as light-weight as possible while still maintaining structural integrity. They can be built with foam-filled flotation chambers and some modern trimarans are rated as unsinkable, meaning that, should every crew compartment be completely filled with water,
3245-560: The windward direction (closest to the direction of the wind) in order to get "clean air". The RYA , the regulating authority for sail training in the UK, states that, "With a reliance on nature and the elements, sailing ... is about adventure, exploration, teamwork and fun." There has always been a need for small tender boats for transporting goods and personnel to and from anchored sailing ships. Together with other smaller work craft such as fishing and light cargo, small inshore craft have always been in evidence. Charles II of England had
3304-483: Was designing them by 1925. He was to transform the class with the introduction of his first planing hull design, Avenger, in 1927. The construction and finish of his 14s was considered by many to be the ultimate in quality and craftsmanship, and Thunder and Lightning built in 1938 was no exception. The hull was built of two thin veneers; diagonal internally and fore and aft externally, and stiffened by tiny rock elm frames, all fastened with thousands of copper nails. His aim
3363-696: Was predominantly built using stitch and glue, while the Enterprise and Heron is an example of a boat built using plywood on a timber frame. At the beginning of the 21st century, dinghy sailing is still a rapidly developing sport. It is losing its image of being expensive, time-consuming, and exclusive. This is because of the earlier work of pioneers such as Uffa Fox, and through the use of modern designs and techniques such as lighter hull materials (e.g., fibreglass and foam sandwich hull construction, which eliminate time-consuming maintenance and constant care that wooden hulls required, although they are rare and only
3422-642: Was reintroduced on the Osprey and Fiveohfive Class ( 505 ) in 1954 by John Westell and the Flying Dutchman class in the early 1960s. During the Second World War plywood had become a major building material for aircraft. After the war, plywood was adapted for building sailing dinghies. Two primary methods of construction were adopted: stitch and glue and timber-framed construction. Jack Holt designed many dinghies to be built by home handymen using these construction techniques. The Mirror Dinghy
3481-526: Was to achieve as light a construction as possible using the materials of the day – there was no carbon fibre or Kevlar then. Within a week of being launched, Thunder & Lightning won one of yachting's premier racing trophies, the Prince of Wales Cup, held that year at Falmouth. It was during this series that the boat's owners, Peter Scott (son of the famous Scott of the Antarctic ), and John Winter, used
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