Aft Sail

I know that somewhere I have seen a trawler style boat with an aft sail rig but can't place it.

It seems that it may be for mostly down wind sailing, it was what you would usually see as an aft mizzen, but there was no sail forward.

Or, could a main work well further back on a 26 to 30, aft third of a sharpie hull form or a flat hull configuration?

 

It is called "riding sail", or "also steadying sail".
It's purpose is not to make the boat sail downwind - it is there to keep the bow pointed to the wind when at anchor or in a storm, and also (to some extent) to stabilize the boat against rolling.
For more (I hope) useful info, please see this discussion about riding sails: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/steading-sail-trawler-10209.html
And also the bottom of this web page, where heavy-weather tactics is explained: http://www.cruising.sailingcourse.com/heavy_weather.htm
Cheers

 

Thanks, lol, Thanks for putt'n up with this stuff, I have learned a lot.

 

Well, since this has kept top billing in this cayegory for a few days now, just allowing the world seeing how bumb my questions are (lol), I'll change the subject since it was my post:

Now, what about kites, are they used on larger boats, like a cat? Now, here is where it gets crazy again, I was thinking a kite type sail or parachute, delta wing, would be hard to keep up as the winds changed, so why couldn't the kite be made with pockets or tubes of helium to keep it up, but it could still be pulled in?

I won't ask if a fan on the deck could fill your sails!