Why do I have a Mizzen?

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Try sailing with just jib and mizzen...

[boatman61]

Then there's Steinlager 2... the Ketch that sloops love to forget...

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Then there's Steinlager 2... the Ketch that sloops love to forget...

Yes and subsequently utterly outclassed

Dave

[Adodero]

We saw someone that had a hammock strung up between the two masts. That's probably the only way I'll convince my wife to get a bigger boat

[scoobert]

Well i put down the anchor and raised the mizzen.
Will report back in am, as of now waves are hitting the beam.

[CannyBallast]

I like yawls/ketches.

For me the main benefit is being able to balance the boat in diffiuclt conditions. There is no speed benefit on any point of sail as far as I know.

A single mast has eclipsed two because it's so much easier to sail and less to go wrong.

It's interesting though that Water boats">blue water boats (for those on a budget) generally have a mizzen.

[fstbttms]

Airplanes used to have two wings too.

[DefinitelyMe]

Having the mizzen has several advantages:

1) It allows you to balance the boat more effectively as you have more choice of where to place your center of effort (the average of the forces produced by your sail) in relation to the center of lateral resistance (the average of the forces generated by your keel and rudder), which allows you to sail more efficiently on any given point of sail (except upwind, where sloops generally have the upper hand).

2) It lowers your center of effort. Ketches (and yawls, but less-so) can generally have shorter masts compared to a sloop with the same sail area. What this means is 1. Your rig is inherently stronger (because the horizontal component of the force on your shrouds / chian plates is greater owing to the more acute angle of the shrouds with the deck) and 2. Because the average of the forces acting on your sail is lower down you will have less heeling moment.

3) It breaks up the sail area into manageable chunks, which is great for short-handed sailing. It also makes it much easier to reduce sail area in a hurry when the breeze picks up; something that if often a pain the arse for sloops with big slab-reefed mainsails. Consequently a lot of people will reef the jib (because it roller-furls) when they should really be reefing the main, and this leads to poor performance and an unbalanced boat.

As previous posters have said, try sailing under mizzen and jib alone in anything other than a very light breeze. If you're under full sail, the breeze picks up and you start to get weather helm, flatten the sails first with the vangs, halyards and outhauls and if it's still a problem ease the mizzen sheet a touch or better, go down on the traveller if you have one.

I'm confident that in time you'll come to love your ketch.

[Matt sachs]

Could it be cost? Every produce has a price point and one costs less than two.

[Kenomac]

Technology moves forward. Ketches represent the past.

[Hudson Force]

My greatest advantage with my ketch has been access under fixed bridges.

Some other advantages are:
- more places to dry that wet bedding from rain leaks.
- an easy lift for the outboad on the mizzen boom.
- more options to mount radar and antennae
- more shrouds to suspend more hammocks
- more opportunity to disperse lightning to all areas within your boat
- more positions for flag hayards
-more perches for crapping birds
-more.......

[Dennis.G]

Its where you install your radar.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by scoobert

I agree, it does look sexy,
With my two giant black masts i stand out.

Yes...when in doubt...stand out.

[DumnMad]

Don't have a mizzen? Costs went up so they went cheap and left off one mast and called it progress.

You do have a mizzen? You have an older boat built when labour was cheap enough to do it right.

[Jammer Six]

Originally Posted by Bash

Over the years, however, there have been better solutions, such as in-mast furling, better winches, et cetera.

I wouldn't own in-mast furling. And I'm new.