Sloop

From Boat Design Wiki

The sloop is a fore-and-aft rig, supported by a single mast. The sail area is divided into a mainsail, carried aft of the mast and managed by a boom, and a single jib carried ahead of the mast.

Characteristics

The mainsail of a sloop may be Bermuda or gaff rigged. The luff of the mainsail is attached to the mast by a track, hoops or other means, and the mainsail foot is managed by a boom.

A sloop traditionally carries a single jib, bent onto the forestay. It is often compared to the similar cutter which traditionally carries multiple jibs. The distinction between sloop and cutter has become somewhat lost in recent years, and the terms are used interchangeably by some production builders and marketing types.

The sloop rig may be masthead, meaning that the forestay (on which the jib is carried) is affixed to the masthead, or fractional if the forestay is affixed somewhat farther down the mast.

Examples

The vast majority of small to medium sized recreational boats are sloop rigged.

The rig is also popular among extreme high-performance race boats.

Performance

The sloop rig is generally viewed as one of the best-performing rigs for a given sail area, and can be designed for excellent windward ability.

Handling

For boats under ten metres / 30 feet, the sloop rig can be very simple and easily managed. In one- or two-person dinghies, few control lines are needed and their loads are light, making the sloop an ideal training rig.

In larger sizes, the loading on the sloop's two sails becomes very high. Multiple block-and-tackle systems become necessary to manage the sheets, along with large (and sometimes powered or multi-speed) winches.

- Members with experience on this rig: Advice on the handling of this rig would be welcome:

Upwind

Reaching

Downwind

Storms