Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 24: Types of Sailboats
water but still float. There is no ballast to pull it down, and the hull material is usually
made of a very buoyant fiberglass and foam sandwich construction.
In practice, very few yachts are lost to either capsize or sinking. Most losses of cruising
boats are from collisions, fire and explosion, or stranding on reefs. But self-righting and
unsinkable can both be great comforts at sea. Although some designs (monohulls with
extra flotation) can offer both features, you usually have to choose one or the other when
you decide on the number of hulls.
Daysailers, Cruisers, and Racers
Daysailers are the most popular and affordable of all sailboats, and include everything from
the tiniest dinghy to 30-footers that can handle a crew of a half-dozen. They have no
overnight accommodations, however—just a cockpit where the crew can sit. (That’s why
they call them daysailers.)
Sailing cruisers are the largest and most comfortable of sailboats, distinguished by
overnight accommodations below decks. These can range from nothing more than a veeberth
to very plush multistateroom digs. Traditional cruisers usually have full-length keels
that make the boats very stable, while the more modern performance cruisers mimic race
boats with their fin keels and lightweight hull forms.
Ocean-racers, like those used in the America’s Cup and many other series, are much like
oversized (and unbelievably expensive) dinghies. They have no accommodations, not a
pound of extra weight devoted to creature comforts, but they’re loaded to the gills with
high-tech sails, winches, and navigational gear. They sport a fairly flat bottom, with a
short but deep keel that is heavily ballasted.
325
Beautiful motorsailing cruisers
like this one are a match
for the world’s finest powerboats
and are seaworthy
enough to take on all the
world’s oceans in competent
hands.
(Photo credit: Endeavor Yachts)