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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
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 curious .. sailing advantages of a ketch or yawl?		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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ddlyle
Captain

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302 Posts
Initially Posted - 07/04/2005 :  10:22:29  Show Profile  Visit ddlyle's Homepage
Since my version of computer solitaire is browsing the boats for sale on yachtworld or boattraderonline ... ...
I frequently see larger boats with ketch rig.

What are the benefits of a ketch or yawl over a sloop?
Aside from the obvious more choices of different sails to use in varying conditions, can one point higher? or are they better offwind?
what?
Cap'n Dave
Sailing The Blues
1986 C25 sr/sk #5413
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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts
Response Posted - 07/04/2005 :  10:47:42  Show Profile
"...can one point higher? or are they better offwind?"

I think the division of the sail area into more 'managable' units remains the primary benefit.

Hoisting and managing a huge main is a problem without lots of crew and/or power assists. Also the loads imposed by big sails pose structural challenges to the designers.

As far as performance, I believe the sloop rig is the faster rig until you get up into hull sizes where you can't cope with a single main. (Like the Mari-cha IV, purpose-built ocean racing yacht, optimized as a reacher/runner).

http://www.mari-cha4.com/pub/frameset.php
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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts
Response Posted - 07/04/2005 :  12:50:24  Show Profile  Visit JimB517's Homepage
besides being beautiful and so salty looking, their primary benefit is for easier to handle smaller sails. They are reaching machines. Not as good upwind nor downwind as a sloop. In a big storm, sailing jib and mizzen (called "jib and jigger") is suppossed to be good.

Give me a cutter with a club footed staysail (self tacking).

Most ketches I see have the mizzen furled, radar and stuff on the mizzen mast, and use the boom for a sunshade, then you have that mast taking up cockpit space. Mizzen blankets main downwind. Tall rig sloop better upwind.

I've sailed right by a Irwin 38 ketch with all sails set on an upwind course. He making 3.5 knots, Indiscipline flying by with the rail under at 5.5.
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cathluk
Admiral

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USA
513 Posts
Response Posted - 07/04/2005 :  20:13:40  Show Profile
I have no experience myself, but my understanding is that you have more sail options on a ketch or yawl even to the point of sailing with the mizzen alone.
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thaind
Navigator

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Canada
145 Posts
Response Posted - 07/04/2005 :  22:26:15  Show Profile
Ketches and yawls were more common in the era of the gaff-rig, when sails were canvas, masts were wood, and both were realy heavy. The thought at the time was also in favor of a lower roll rate, with less mast height and lower sail centre of pressure, a redundancy of two masts if one failed, and an ability to self steer. I once saw a Tancock whaler dock at a warf in Vancouver under sail power alone, and it was a thing of beauty and seamanship that no sloop captain would ever match.
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ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts
Response Posted - 07/04/2005 :  22:29:12  Show Profile
A flat cut mizzen makes a fine riding sail at anchor. In a pinch in big wind, you can drop the main and sail under jib and jigger alone. Of course, with every plus comes a minus, so other observations apply. Fair winds, ron Orion #2343 SW FL
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.