![](https://web.archive.org/web/20220524074110im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Fisher30.jpg/220px-Fisher30.jpg)
Fisher30 motorsailer ketch
A ketch is a two-masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast),[1] generally in a 40-foot or bigger boat.[2] The name ketch is derived from catch.[3] The ketch's main mast is usually stepped in the same position as in a sloop.[4]
The sail-plan of a ketch is similar to that of a yawl, on which the mizzen mast is smaller and set further back. The addition of headsails can make a cutter-ketch.[2] In New England in the 1600s the ketch was a small coastal craft. In the 1700s it disappeared from contemporary records, apparently replaced by the schooner.[5]
Staysails can also be hoisted between the top of the mizzen mast and base of the mainmast to help downwind performance.[6]
References
- ^ "Definition of KETCH". merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Pat (27 July 2015). "What's in a Rig? The Ketch". American Sailing Association. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "the definition of ketch". dictionary.com. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ Jordan, Richard (13 January 2011). "Sailboat Rig Types: Sloop, Cutter, Ketch, Yawl, Schooner, Cat". Jordan Yacht Brokerage. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "Ship Model, Ketch". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ Nicholson, Darrell. "A One-sided Defense of the Cruising Ketch - Inside Practical Sailor Blog Article". Practical Sailor. Retrieved 13 June 2019.