There are many types of sailing vessels. The Modern Sloop is one such vessel that is very common in the small to midsize market.
The Sloop
The rigging configuration of the Sloop is one mast, and two sails. The first of the two sails called a Mainsail that is a tall triangular sheet extending aft of the mast, mounted by the leading edge of the sail against the mast, and the foot of the sail mounted along the boom. The second sail is called a Jib (sometimes called a Head Sail) this is mounted on the forestay between the masthead and the bow, the Jibs trailing corner is controlled by the jibsheet.
Ketch Rig Sailboat
This midsize cruising vessel has a second mast that is smaller than the main mast, and set aft, but forward of the rudder post, in comparison to the sloop, the ketch’s sails are easier to handle because these sails are smaller and lighter than a sloop with much the same square area. This makes them easier to stow, as well as hoist and trim. With the two masts, the main mast supporting the jib from the forestay and mail sail from the mast, and the mizzen mast supporting the mizzen sail.
One advantage of the ketch and her sail configuration is that while strong winds would see the sloop with a double-reefed main sail, the ketch may just have her jib and mizzen raised, sometimes known as sailing under ‘jib and jigger’, a term used by the old square rigger’s.
The Yawl
The Yawl, much like the Ketch has two masts, but unlike the Ketch the Yawl has it’s mizzenmast rearward of the rudder post. This rear mounted mast allows a greater open space in the beam to allow the hauling of nets over the side of the boat, making this a very versatile workboat.
Cat Rig Sailboat
A good beginners boat is a Cat Rig Dingy.
This forward mounted single masted, single sail rigged boat, makes good use of the area behind the mast with a long-footed mailsail. The sail may be attached to a traditional boom or maybe even a wishbone boom on the aft corner. This uncomplicated rig is easy to handle in such manuvours as tacking, as you don’t need to deal with such things as jib-sheets.