Why Two MASTS? [Ketches vs Yawls] | Sailing Wisdom

Multimasted sailboats fall into different categories based on the size and position of their masts.
Schooners have a taller aft mast, while Ketches and Yawls have a smaller aft mast. In general, if the aft mast (also called a Mizzen) is forward of the rudder post, it is called a Ketch; aft of the rudder post is called a Yawl.
While these sailboats leave much to be desired while sailing into the wind, they are amazing machines with a little secret hidden up their rig when sailing off the wind!

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[kiwifirey]

The only thing wrong with this explanation is that we weren't sitting in a bay having this great conversation over a beer... Fascinating. Cheers.

[jacquesleblanc]

I remember my drunk asf dad give me the exact same tirade under the Golden Gate Bridge when a regatta of ketches yawls and schooners came by. He gave me the exact same definition of each regarding the rudder post and misons. Spoken like a true sailor great video

[GTU]

To add... a couple of other advantages with the yawl rig...

It will self steer at most reaching points of sail. Takes a little practice but if you get the boat balanced well you can lock the wheel and the mizzen will self steer the boat very reliably at a set angle to the wind. Does not consume your battery power like your autopilot does.

In heavy winds with the mizzen and a very small amount of jib rolled out (roller furler) you can sail very comfortably and safely to windward in 30+ knots of breeze with little stress on the rig.

Off the wind in heavy wind it is easy to reach hull speed with the mizzen and a little handkerchief of a jib rolled out. Very comfortable, safe, and easier on the rig.

It is a very versatile rig. Offers lots of options for different conditions.

[edspetka]

Took me til about 2:18 to notice the bird. Completely caught me by surprise! Great info thanks for the video! 🤣

[edwardfinn]

Re Schooners, the famous Schooner Bluenose out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Capt. Angus Walters was part owner and Captain.
He said “ a schooner was the most beautiful thing ever invented by man that has a utilitarian purpose!”

[paulhayes]

I have a 1981 Pacific Seacraft 37 Yawl. I look forward to trying the racing sail setup you described and which I have never seen. I agree with your points about the use and value of the mizzen sail and would add the following:  
- Mizzen sail does actively power boat when sailing single handed with only the foresail and mizzen sail, and both are easy to handle
- Mizzen mast is a great place to hang electronics, etc
- When standing and active at the wheel in active waterways like NYC, the mizzen mast is nice to lean back into especially if padded
- Mizzen sail expands the ability to confidently sail into a tight slip or mooring without an engine

[akathesquid]

Y'all did a good job 'splaining the Yawl
sorry, someone had to do it...

[williamreymond]

All kidding aside, there are two significant reasons why a cruising sailor might wish to consider a yawl rig particularly or a ketch generally.

The proper way to think of the mizzen sail on a yawl is as a 'balancing sail, ' a sail that allows you to balance the trim of the boat at minimal expense of windage. Even though the mizzen on a yawl is very small, typically about 15% of sail area, because it is placed so far aft it has a great deal of mechanical advantage. Thus under any heading other than to windward the mizzen keeps the helm balanced so that you don't need much helm input to stay on course, very advantageous over long voyages. For a cruising sailor this can be a significant advantage because allows you to install a smaller and less expensive auto-pilot, and generally saves wear and tear on your self-steering gear especially if you are using a servo-pendulum type of self-steering gear. Also, like a cutter rig, running 'jig and jigger' [foresail and mizzen only] keeps the center-of-effort of the rig low to the deck and centered near the center-of-lateral-resistance of the hull.

Jony Pearce puts it like this, "Much as we enjoy the prettiness and practical aspects of our ketch, the ability to sail ‘jib and jigger’ outweighs all other benefits. For those lazy days when we can’t be bothered with the mainsail or when the wind is higher than for comfort we love to sail with just a foresail and mizzen sail. It does away with the big heavy flappy mainsail attached to a heavy boom crashing from side to side and leaves us with a beautifully balanced sail plan that we can easily control without leaving the cockpit..."

For free I'll also mention that the mizzen mast can also serve as a more convenient alternative to the mainmast for mounting things like: radar, antennas, and wind generators, and can serve as an handy crane for your dinghy.

[alexwild]

There is always one isn't there... So here I am ;)


I have a Macwester Wight, just 27 feet long. I'm told its a Ketch.
But when I check the Mizzen mast, its way aft of the rudder post. So its properly a Yawl.
Thanks for the definitive note that if it has the Tri-attic rigging, then it most certainly is a Ketch.
I've checked and I do indeed have the Tri-attic steel rigging between both mast heads. So it definitely is a Ketch.
Another 'give away' between the Yawl and Ketch is that a Yawl rig is completely independent of the main mast rigging. If it were a Ketch the back stay would be the Tri-attic stay and then down the back stays of the Mizzen.
So I've checked and both masts have their own back stays - not one each, but one pair each !. So its definitely a Yawl.


I rush off to find the nearest brick wall and bang my head several times against it.


There, that feels better now.


I think its a Yawl,
All the literature on the Internet says its a Ketch rig,


Oh I must add that your commentary on the necessity of 'clean air' for Cutter rigs misses the point.
I'd always thought the Cutter rig was better to windward than one Jib or Genoa.



The reason is the Slot Effect between the two sails, as indeed the Slot Effect is important between the Jib and Main Sail. Therefore the Cutter rig has two Slot Effect area's, that between the two fore sails, and the second between the rear most Jib and the Main Sail. The Slot further accelerates the air between the sails thus improving the low pressure side [if I remember right] of the main sail.

[darnelljohnson]

I to love schooner's
Because it's a schooner.
I learned the difference between ketches and yawls from old sail magazines and books. Your the first person I've HEARD explain the difference. Thanx

[cvanscho]

This might have been mentioned already, but an important feature of a yawl mizzen sail is that it not only keeps a boat head to wind at anchor, but also when no anchor is deployed. One can heave to with just the mizzen set, and there will just be a small drift straight downwind. Very useful for the old fishermen to do their thing with nets and catches (in fact, I always thought that was why mizzens were "invented" in the first place?). A further use is you can actually use the drift and reverse a sailboat under mizzen only. Steering is quite effective on the rudder in that mode, just that it's reversed (port = starboard and vice versa)..

[luisadriandelgado]

Good job clearly explaining the differences... 2 thumbs up...

[cybereye]

I own an F &C 44 ketch. It's a very useful sailing layout because I often drop the main if the wind gets up and the boat will self steer if set up and trimmed properly withe wind on or fwd of the beam.

[willweaver]

Thanks for an excellent piece on Ketches and Yawls. Yawls are beautiful. I sailed a ketch rigged Nautical Development 56 from Connecticut to St Lucia many years ago. We got caught in a gale northeast of Bermuda and had to heave to. We backed a reefed foresail using the roller furling (it looked like the hood on a sweatshirt when we rolled it back out!) and flew a reefed mizzen to keep her stabilized just off the wind, just the way you described for stable anchoring in a yawl. The mizzen ripped at one point. It was much easier to bring everything back under control with the mizzen boom over the deck then it would have been with a yawl. We also flew a mizzen staysail on that trip. Wow!

[HansQuistorff]

Very interesting; The boat I grew up with had a mast aft of the rudder post. so maybe it was a yawl instead of a ketch. It did have a boom at the stern but we did not have a name for it. It was designed to be a single handed around the world sailor. It was made of Pacific Coast gray fir in the 1930's. The deck was less that 2 feet above the waterline so there wer splash boards continuing back from the cabin to aft of the cockpit. My father the carpenter altered it later for a day sailor by removing the splash boards and doubling the size of the cockpit. A great innovation was available at that time, plastic plumbing, so he replaced the 1/2 inch copper cockpit drains with sink drains. P. S. The deck and cabin roof were painted canvas.

[edwardfinn]

The classic yawl sail, regardless of its name, does contribute to boat speed a little, and mostly because it takes the strain off of the rudder, and allows the rudder to not be cutting such a wide path thru the water, thus reducing the underwater resistance of the rudder...
So it reduces ‘weather helm’ ....
And I have often considered fitting/ using the entire mast boom and sail from a “laser” dingy as a yawl mast and

[jackrabbit]

On small boats like Drascombe Luggers the mizzen actually helps balance the boat and does contribute to drive in strong breezes when you are just under jib and mizzen - adds a lot of versatility for reducing sail when reefing the main isn't enough. I imagine the same might apply to some larger boats?

[bobcornwell]

The definition Phil Bolger had for a yawl is that it has a mizzen that is intended for control reasons rather than propulsion ones.

With my habit of trying to design mini ocean voyagers, I usually end up with a yawl.

This is because I don't want a mast intruding into the cramped living area, which is in the middle of the boat, so I need some sort of mizzen to get decent balance. A large mizzen, such as for a ketch, would intrude into the aft end of the living space. So the yawl rig is chosen by default.

[sd]

The reason why we have a ketch is because there are no production schooners in sizes between the Lazy Jack 32 and around 58 feet or so. I commissioned a custom schooner design from a noted designer, but he passed away before finishing the commission. (And if I ever do wind up with another schooner -- we had a small one that I built for some years -- I solemnly swear never to complain about her upwind performance. :-) )

[klausjensen]

Awesome guys you have just made my explanation to the mrs. easier now that she has accepted sailing as part of our life . Keep up the good work fair winds always .