Parts of a sailboat: complete guide

Mar 15, 2023

The sailboat is a boat that has a sail and therefore the wind is the main propulsion system and movement of the boat. Hence comes "boat rigging", which are all those elements or parts of a sailboat necessary for the boat to be propelled by the wind.

1. The sails 

This is the set of webs that receives the force of the wind and is responsible for the movement of the ship. This sail is attached to the ship's rigging through the rigging.

Most of the current and modern sailboats are single-masted. In these sailboats, we can usually find two sails. On the one hand, the mainsail and, on the other hand, the headsail. Several parts in common can be distinguished in both sails.

• Luff: the side of the sail attached to the mast on the mainsail or to the forestay on the jib. 
• Leech: the side of the sail closest to the stern. 
• Foot: the side below the sail, i.e., the side closest to the deck.

Each vertex of the sail also has a nomenclature as parts of the sailboat. They are called fists and we have 3 different ones, since they are triangles with three vertices.

• Halyard lead: this is the halyard lead at the highest point. Above the sail, it is located where the halyard (line) and is used to raise the sails.
• Tack: the vertex located at the lower part, specifically the one located furthest forward, or as its name indicates, the one that is closest to the tacks.
• Clew: on the other hand, it is the apex located at the bottom but further aft. This is where the sheets are placed to move the sails.

2. Boat rigging

• Mast, those masts that are placed vertically. A sailboat may have more than one mast. Many of them have only one mast, which is usually the main mast, which is the tallest and is placed in the center of the boat. But there are also others depending on where it is located. The one closest to the bow is called the foremast, while the one closest to the stern is called the mizzen.

• Spars are the crossed masts of the masts. The most commonly used spars are the following: boat spar and bowsprit, which is the one that protrudes from the bow of the ship. The bowsprit is fixed, while the boat spar is a movable mast.

• Boom, is a horizontal piece of metal or wood that is attached to the mast and serves to hold the mainsail and orient it correctly.

Standing rigging

Are those fixed cables that serve to hold the sail and the masts (rigging). We have several of them.

• Stay: Steel cables that hold the masts longitudinally to the case and tighten in the stern-to-stern direction to have the greatest possible stability. If it is made from the mast to the stern it is called baquestay. And if it is from the mast to the bow we call it a forestay.
• Shrouds: These are the cables that hold the ship's rigging transversely, they hold the masts laterally.

Running rigging

Are all those ropes and rigging that are used to handle and guide the sails. We also have several types.

• Halyards: Those lines used for hoisting (raising) and lowering (lowering) sails.
• Sheeting: These are used to set the sails in the desired direction. They are made firm on the clew and, depending on the angle of the wind, they move to one side or the other.
• Vang: The main function of this cable is to hold the boom from the upper area of the mast, as long as the sail has not been hoisted.
• Boom Trap: This is a system used to hold the boom in place so that it does not lift in strong gusts of wind. It is attached from the boom to the base of the mast.

4. Ship's structure

Refers to the structural elements of the ship that make possible its operation as we know it. It is composed of several elements:

• Hull: it is one of the most functional and relevant parts of a sailboat. It is the lower part of the boat and is responsible for allowing it to float and move through the sea.
• Keel: It is located in the lower part of the hull and goes from the stern to the bow. It is the element in charge of giving stability to the boat.
• Centerboard: An extension of the hull, but submerged in the water. It is usually long and heavy, and is located in the central part of the keel. It is used for stability and to reduce the overhang, preventing drifting. Unlike the keel, which is a fixed element, the centerboard can be "removed" or reduced depending on the depth of the water or the speed at which you wish to sail.
• Plan: Part of the ship where cabins and toilets are located below deck.
• Deck: This is the name given to the floors or "decks" on a ship. The upper deck is the one that is in the open air and that we can see a priori as soon as we observe a boat.
• Bulkhead: Those elements that divide the different compartments, to be understood, would be the walls of a ship.
• Rudder: it is the part that gives us mobility to the boat. It allows us to move it as we wish and thanks to it we can make maneuvers. What would be the steering wheel, control, guide...