Types of Sailboats, Rigs & Uses

Sailboats come in three main hull shapes – monohull, catamaran, trimaran – and a handful of sizes and rigs. Match the hull to your water, the rig to your crew, and the size to your plans, and you’ll sail farther, faster, and safer.

Why learn the types?

A sailboat’s shape and rig decide how it handles, how much it costs to run, and how safe you’ll feel when the wind pipes up. Pick the wrong type and you may heel too much for comfort, draw too much water for your favorite sandbar, or haul around unused cabins that only raise the marina bill. Get the match right and the boat feels like it was built for you.

The Three Types of Sailboats

Monohulls – classic single‑hull shape

Most people picture a monohull when they hear “sailboat.” A deep keel helps keep the boat steady by holding weight (called ballast) that allows it to straighten back up if it tips to one side. Modern fin‑keel designs slice through the water quickly, while long‑keel classics track straight and feel steady in a seaway. If you love the drama and don’t mind a bit of lean at anchor, a monohull is your boat.

Catamarans – twin hulls with twice the space

A catamaran spreads its weight across two slim hulls joined by a bridge deck. The wide stance keeps the boat level – great for people prone to seasickness. Because there is no heavy ballast keel, a catamaran draws only a few feet, opening up shallow coves that monohulls skip.

Off the wind they are quick; on a beam (wind from the side) they can outsail many powerboats. Charter fleets love them for the apartment‑like cabins and the giant cockpit that turns heads in every anchorage.

Trimarans

Add one more outrigger, called an ama, and you get a trimaran: a long central hull plus two floats that keep it upright.

Folding amas let some models shrink their beam for a normal marina slip or trailer ride. The light weight and wide stance make it blisteringly fast remarkably stable at speed.

Matching the Boat to the Job

Sailing Dinghy (under 15 ft)

The boat many sailors learn on, dinghies react instantly, teaching sail trim in real time. A retracting daggerboard lets you nose right up to a beach.

Daysailer (14 – 30 ft)

Add a cuddy cabin for dry gear and you’re ready for a sunset picnic or a club race. Systems stay simple, prices stay low, and fun stays high.

Cruiser (25 – 55 ft)

Standing headroom, a galley, real berths, and a head turn weekends into mini‑vacations. Some cruisers may be heavy and comfortable, while some swap teak for carbon making for lightweight racer‑cruisers.

Blue‑water Cruiser

Thicker hull laminate, watertight bulkheads, twin self‑steering options, and tankage for weeks between ports make blue-water cruisers built to cross oceans. The trade‑off is draft and price, but the payoff is seeing another continent appear over the horizon.

Racing Machine

Every ounce is shaved for speed with modern features like tall mainsails, underwater fins, and extended front poles help launch massive front sails. Expect some serious tug on the ropes—and some seriously big smiles when you’re sailing with the wind behind you.

Motorsailer

Prefer to arrive on a schedule yet hate filling the diesel tanks of a pure trawler? A motorsailer carries a beefy engine and a moderate sail plan so you can throttle up when the breeze dies.

Rigs Simplified

• Sloop – The most common setup: one mast and two sails (a mainsail and a headsail). It’s simple, with fewer ropes to manage, and affordable—great for sailing with a small crew or even solo.
• Cutter – Like a sloop, but with an extra smaller sail (called a staysail) in front of the main headsail. You can take down the big sail in strong wind and still stay balanced with the smaller one.
• Ketch – Has two masts: a main one, and a shorter one toward the back of the boat (but still in front of the steering post). The sails are divided into smaller sections, making them easier to handle.
• Yawl – Similar to a ketch, but the smaller back mast is placed behind the steering post. It’s not for speed, it’s mainly there to help fine-tune the boat’s balance.
• Schooner – Has at least two masts, with the rear one taller than the front. They look classic and elegant and can be powerful—but managing all those sails usually takes a full crew.

What’s Below the Waterline

How Fast Can Sailboats Go?

Average family cruisers loaf along at a steady 6 – 8 knots. Performance maxi‑racers can plane into the high teens, while multihulls have been known to top 30 knots in strong wind. In March 2025, the foiling research craft SP80 pushed past 51 knots, proving that wind power can match freeway speeds.

Sailboat Materials

• Fiberglass is still king – affordable, durable, and easy to repair.
• Aluminum and steel are great for expedition boats headed for the ice.
• Carbon‑fiber composites are for grand‑prix racecourses where money is on the line.

Choosing the Right Sailboat

Choosing a sailboat is really choosing where you want to go and how you want to feel getting there.

Crave simplicity and ocean spray on the face? A dinghy or daysailer makes every weekend a mini‑adventure. Dream of perfect anchorages in knee‑deep Caribbean water? A catamaran awaits. Picture yourself surfing across an ocean at double‑digit speeds? A fin‑keel monohull or foil‑borne trimaran calls your name.

Whatever you choose, remember the three rules that never change:

1. Know the boat. Understand its hull, rig, and systems before you leave the dock.
2. Know the forecast. Wind and waves make the rules – sailors just respond.
3. Know your limits. Reef early, wear the life jacket, and keep learning.

Follow those rules and any type of sailboat can deliver the same reward: the quiet thrill of moving only by wind and wave.

Sea Tow Team

Sea Tow has been the premier leader in on-water boating assistance since 1983. We want to share news, press, tips and all things boating.