3 min read · Updated 22 June 2026
A rig is the arrangement of a boat's masts and sails — how many masts, where they sit, and what sails they carry. It is one of the main ways sailboats are described, alongside their hull and size. The vast majority of modern boats use one rig, the sloop, but knowing the family helps you read any boat on the water. Here are the main types.
Sloop — the modern standard
The sloop is by far the most common rig today: a single mast carrying one mainsail behind it and a single headsail (a jib or genoa) in front. It is simple, efficient and excellent upwind, which is why nearly all modern racing yachts and most cruisers are sloops — including the Melges 40 this campaign races. A refinement worth knowing is where the forestay meets the mast: a masthead sloop has it at the very top, while a fractional sloop attaches it partway down, which suits performance boats.
Cutter — two headsails
A cutter also has a single mast, but flies two headsails in front of it — an inner and an outer. Splitting the headsail area into smaller sails makes each one easier to handle, which is why the cutter is popular with cruising sailors and in heavy weather.
Ketch and yawl — two masts
Both the ketch and the yawl have two masts: a taller mainmast forward and a shorter mizzen mast aft. The difference is the mizzen's position:
- Ketch — the mizzen is forward of the rudder post and is a proper working sail that adds real drive.
- Yawl — the smaller mizzen is aft of the rudder post, used more for balance and trim than power.
Splitting sail area across two masts makes each sail smaller and easier to manage — a traditional advantage for shorthanded cruising.
Schooner — main aft
A schooner has two or more masts, but with the aft mast as tall as or taller than the forward one — the reverse of a ketch. It is a traditional rig from the age of sail, still seen on classic yachts, and is known for looking magnificent and sailing well off the wind.
Cat rig — one sail
Simplest of all, a cat rig (or una rig) has a single mast well forward carrying a single sail, with no headsail. Many dinghies and some small cruisers use it for its simplicity.
Which is best?
There is no single best rig — it depends on the job. For performance and upwind ability, the sloop wins, which is why racing is dominated by it. For easy handling of large sail areas shorthanded, splitting the rig into a cutter, ketch or yawl has real appeal. The rig works together with the rest of the boat's structure, covered in parts of a sailboat and, for high-performance carbon rigs, carbon masts and rigging. To see where the rig fits among the other ways boats are classified, see types of sailboats.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a sailing rig?
- A rig is the arrangement of a sailboat's masts and sails — how many masts it has, where they are, and what sails they carry. The rig defines much of how a boat looks and sails. The most common rig is the sloop, with a single mast carrying a mainsail and one headsail, but there are several other configurations.
- What is a sloop rig?
- A sloop is the most common modern rig: a single mast carrying one mainsail behind it and one headsail (a jib or genoa) in front. It is simple, efficient and good at sailing upwind, which is why almost all modern racing yachts and most cruising yachts are sloops. The Melges 40 raced by this campaign is a sloop.
- What is the difference between a ketch and a yawl?
- Both have two masts — a taller mainmast forward and a shorter mizzen mast aft. The difference is where the mizzen sits relative to the rudder: on a ketch the mizzen is forward of the rudder post, and it is a working sail that contributes real drive; on a yawl the smaller mizzen is aft of the rudder post and is used more for balance and trim than power.
- What is a cutter rig?
- A cutter has a single mast, like a sloop, but flies two headsails in front of the mast instead of one — an inner and an outer headsail. This splits the headsail area into smaller, more manageable sails, which is valued by cruising sailors and for heavy weather, since smaller sails are easier to handle.
- What is a schooner?
- A schooner has two or more masts, with the aft mainmast the same height as or taller than the forward foremast — the opposite of a ketch or yawl. Schooners are a traditional rig, common in the age of sail and still seen on classic and character yachts, prized for their looks and their ease of handling downwind.