sloop

A sloop is a sailing vessel characterized by a single mast and a fore-and-aft rig consisting of two sails: a mainsail and a headsail, typically a jib or genoa. This simple two-sail configuration is common on modern cruising yachts and racing boats, offering straightforward handling and efficient upwind performance.

Rigs on sloops are typically categorized as masthead or fractional. In a masthead sloop, the forestay attaches to the top of the mast, and the headsail can be relatively large. In a fractional rig, the forestay attaches to the mast below the top, allowing a larger mainsail and a smaller headsail, which can improve maneuverability and depowerment in strong winds.

Sloops are often contrasted with cutters, which use a single mast but carry two or more headsails. The sloop’s single headsail generally simplifies sail handling and reduces the number of sails to manage, while a cutter can offer more versatility in sail combinations.

Historically, the sloop rig gained prominence from the 17th century onward as a practical, efficient design for small to medium-sized vessels. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the single-masted sloop became dominant for both cruising yachts and racing boats due to its ease of use and good overall performance.

The term also extends to small sailing dinghies and dayboats that adopt the same basic two-sail, single-mast configuration.