NEW SAILOR TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION MASTHEAD SLOOP: What is a masthead sloop?.page 2 Parts and function of the masthead sloop sail... Page3 Parts and function of the masthead sloop rigging Page 4 Parts and function of the masthead sloop hull Page 5 Introduction As you will find out there are many different types of sailboats. They vary in size of hull, length of mast or masts, types of rigging and sails, etc. They range from small single person dinghies to large tall ships that can carry hundreds of people. Sailboats are classified by their sail configuration and their hull type. There are five different types of
2 modern sailboats: sloop, cutter, catboat, ketch, and schooner. All these classifications have multiple minor variations in sail, rigging, and hull within their respective classifications. The emphasis 0f this article is going to be on the sloop, more specifically the masthead sloop. The purpose of this description is to familiarize new sailors or prospective sailors on the main parts of a masthead sloop and their basic functions. This is not intended to be a description on how to sail a masthead sloop. Specific detail will be provided on the three main functional parts of the masthead sloop in terms of actually sailing. These three parts are the sails, rigging, and hull. What is a Masthead Sloop? First of all, what is a sloop? The sloop is the most common sailboat on the water today. The sail configuration of the sloop consists of a mainsail and foresail. The sloop is the simplest and easiest type of sailboat to sail in respects to the overall size. A small sloop can be crewed fairly easily by one person. There are several variations on the basic sloop design, such as adding more than one foresail, or the fractional rig (Figure 1). A fractional rig Figure 1 sloop is one where the foresail does not extend all of the way to the top of the mast which can give the boat better performance in some conditions. However, the focus of this description is the masthead sloop. The masthead sloop is a sloop in which the mainsail and the foresail or the jib (both sails) extend to the top of the mast (Figure 2). Not a huge difference but significant enough to note the difference between the two. Figure 2
3 Parts of the Masthead Sloop Sail There are many different parts of a sail and they all do different things. It is necessary to know these different parts so that you will know how to use the sail to your advantage and also be able to use the sailing lingo (which can get confusing) as best you can. As stated before the masthead sloop has two sails, the mainsail and the foresail or jib sail. The main parts of these sails are the leech, luff, head, foot, clew, tack, and centre of effort which are illustrated in Figure 3. The leech is the back of the sail and it is important in Figure 4 determining position of the foresail. The luff is the front of a sail and this part is important in finding the best sail trim for both the mainsail and foresail. When either sail begins to luff ', the luff of each sail begins to flap which means the sail is not pulled tight enough or the boat is too close to the wind. The head is the top of the sail and is where both the mainsail and foresail are hoisted up the mast. The foot is the bottom of both the mainsail and foresail where they are attached to the boom. There will be further discussion on the boom in the rigging section. The clew and the tack are the lower corners of the sail. The clew is toward the rear or aft of the boat and tack is forward on the boat (figure 4). Both the clew and the tack are tied to fixed positions on the boat. The centre of effort is the part of the sail Figure 3
4 that generates the most lift from the wind making it the most important part of the sail. Parts of the Masthead Sloop Rigging Sailboat rigging is another of the vital systems that a sailboat has. The rigging is the complex system of ropes, lines, and hardware that support the mast and the sail. The rigging is often the most overwhelming part of learning how to sail. Rigging is used to control the sails and therefore the propulsion of the boat. The rigging has to be properly tuned and maintained to control the speed and to a certain extent direction on the boat. Since the masthead sloop is a single mast Figure 5 sailboat it has to have the appropriate rigging. On any sailboat there are two types of rigging, standing rigging and running rigging. Standard rigging is rigging that supports the mast and running rigging supports the function of the sails. Before we get to the rigging as a refresher, the mast is the center spar to which the mainsail and foresail are attached and the boom is the horizontal spar that extents to the rear of the boat and is attached to the foot of the mainsail. The standing rigging includes: the shroud lines, spreaders, headstay, backstay, and boom topping lift (figure 5). The shroud lines are the lateral stabilizers of the mast. The spreaders separate the shroud lines from the mast. The headstay is a cable that supports the mast from the front or bow of the boat. The backstay is a cable
5 hat supports the mast from the rear or stern of the boat. The boom topping lift is a cable that supports the boom when the mainsail is taken down. The running rigging includes: the halyard, sheet, boom vang, outhaul, and reefing line. The halyard is the line used to raise or hoist the sail. The sheet is the line used to adjust the sail against the force of the wind. The boom vang is the line that holds the boom in place. The outhaul is a line that places backward tension on the clew of the mainsail. The reefing line is used to shorten the sail. Parts of the Masthead Sloop Hull The body or fuselage of a sailboat is the hull. Hulls provide buoyancy required to carry cargo and people and also to provide a platform for mounting the sails. The functional sailing part of the hull is the simplest part of the entire sailboat. The hull on all sailboats consists of the bow, keel, stern, and rudder (Figure 6). The bow is the forward part of the boat. The stern is the rear part of the boat. The keel is a structure that Figure 6 extends down into the water that improves stability, maneuverability and limits lateral movement in the water. The rudder is a movable vertical plane at the stern of the sailboat that is used to steer a sailboat. Conclusion The masthead sloop is one of many different types of sailboats that are available to sail today. It is one of the most common types of sailboats on the water and is useful to know about its sailing system. Having read this article you now have a fundamental understanding of the parts of a masthead sloop sailboat. All sailors and sailboat owners need to know this information if they plan to learn how to sail this particular boat. If this
6 is your very first introduction into sailboats then this information will also be useful as you learn about other types of sailboats as well. References: " K e e l b o a t C o u r s e - B o a t s a n d R i g g i n g. " U S S a i l i n g. U S S a i l i n g, n. d. W e b. 3 1 M a y 2 0 1 1. < h t t p : / / w w w. s a i l i n g u s a. i n f o / p a r t s _ o f _ t h e _ b o a t. h t m >. " P a r t s m o f a S a i l. " S t a r t e d S a i l i n g. S t a r t e d S a i l i n g. c o m, n. d. W e b. 3 0 M a y 2 0 1 1. < h t t p : / / w w w. s t a r t e d s a i l i n g. c o m / p a r t s - of-a-sail. h t m l >. P a r t s o f a S a i l b o a t. " G o S a i l i n g. G o S a i l i n g. i n f o, n. d. W e b. 3 1 M a y 2 0 1 1. < h t t p : / / w w w. g o s a i l i n g. i n f o / S a i l b o a t % 2 0 P a r t s. h t m >.