Sailboat

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.

This type of vessel, named after the "cat" tackle used in sailing, has a rich history dating back to the 19th century in the coastal regions of the United States, particularly New England, where it was widely used by fishermen and sailors.

Even today, catboats continue to be cherished by enthusiasts who appreciate their heritage and enjoy their picturesque appearance while cruising through the waterways.

A dinghy is a type of small open sailboat commonly used for recreation, sail training, and tending a larger vessel.

The most common modern sailboat is the sloop, which features one mast and two sails, typically a Bermuda rigged main, and a headsail.

A yawl is similar to a ketch, with a shorter mizzen mast carried astern the rudderpost more for balancing the helm than propulsion.

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, 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.

Righting a multihull that has gotten upside down is difficult in any case and impossible without help unless the boat is small or carries special equipment for the purpose.

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.

Multihulls, on the other hand, have minimal need for such ballast, as they depend on the geometry of their design, the wide base of their multiple hulls, for their stability.

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.

The smallest boats may use a paddle;[3] bigger ones may have oars;[4] still others may employ an outboard motor, mounted on the transom; still others may have an inboard engine.