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It's easy for most people to tell a sailboat from a powerboat. A sailboat has a tall skinny thing with sails hanging from it and a powerboat doesn't. A powerboat is noisy and has big engines and a sailboat doesn't.

Normally, a powerboat is traveling much faster than a sailboat and is usually up on a plane, while a sailboat embraces the elements and moves along on natural power. Now, once you decide it's a sailboat, can you tell what kind of rig it is?

Modern sailing vessels can be categorized as one of five major types of rigs. Of course there are hybrids and other types, which appeared during the golden age of sailing, but most modern sailboats fall into a particular category.

Probably the most common and recognizable of the five is the sloop. A sloop has a single mast forward of midships normally fitted with a mainsail aft and a single headsail forward. A sloop is handled easily by a small crew and has a simple layout. It is a very efficient design and goes to wind well. This is one main reason for its continuing success and popularity through the years.

As far as the headsail goes, if the forestay (which is the cable or device that goes from the bow of the boat to the mast which the headsail attaches to) goes all of the way to the top of the mast, it is called a masthead rig. If the forestay is attached at a lower point on the mast, it is called a fractional rig. Masthead and fractional rigged headsails are present on other types of sailboats other than sloops.

Another type of rig similar to the sloop is the cutter rig. A cutter rig also has a single mast, but it's further aft than on a sloop. This creates a larger fore-triangle or "J" allowing for the addition of a second headsail. The forward sail is the jib, and the second headsail is the staysail.

Cutter rigs gained in popularity for offshore sailing because it's easy to reduce sail in heavy weather. You can dowse the jib and put up a small staysail, which is close to the mast. That provides more stability and control in rough seas.

Many times a cutters hull configuration includes an extended bowsprit, which I feel adds a classic elegance to the vessel's lines.

A cat rigged boat also has a single mast but it's set way forward and only has one sail, the mainsail. They were designed as work boats, keeping the majority of the boat clear from rigging so that there was more room for fishing nets and other trade tools. They're also easier to single-hand when needed than other designs.

Today's catboats also allow fuller floor plan designs on modern yachts, which are made for style and comfort. Their main drawback is that they normally cannot go near as close to the wind as a sloop or cutter.

Our next two types of rigs involve multiple masts.

The first is the Ketch and Yawl designs. They have a large main mast with a headsail and main similar to a sloop design, but they also have an additional shorter Mizzenmast towards the aft end of the boat.

The mizzen flies a smaller main-like sail. The difference between a ketch and a yawl is that on the ketch, the mizzenmast is forward of the rudder, on a yawl, it is behind it. At first glance they may seem almost identical, but having that extra driving force in front of, or behind the rudder makes a big difference in the boat's aerodynamics and in the way the boat handles.

The final type of rig is the schooner, which has two masts where the aft, or mainmast, is equal to or higher than the forward, or foremast. Schooners offer a wide variation of sail combinations and they can be fitted for al types of weather.

There are gaff-rigged schooners; Marconi-rigged schooners, with or without topsails to name a few. Although they usually demand more crew than the other designs, they are very good boats for offshore sailing and have well founded roots in the annals of sailing.

As I said, there are other types of rigs, most of which have disappeared along with the windjammers, junks, and the square riggers, but most modern vessels will fall into one of these five categories.

Next time you'll be able to tell the difference. Have a great week.

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Billy Harris welcomes ideas, comments and information about sailing. If you would like to inquire about sailing on Marco Island, e-mail him at defcon1bh@earthlink.net.