This Is Why Solo Sailors Choose Ketch Rigs
Everyday Sailing
5,771 views
⛵ The one rig check almost every ketch buyer skips — and the 296-page guide that covers the rest:
https://everydaysailing.gumroad.com/l...
Why do solo sailors keep choosing ketch rigs when the industry has moved to sloops? Amel spent thirty years perfecting the single-handed cruising yacht, then killed the ketch in 2017 — and the sloop that replaced it outsold it more than two to one. Hallberg-Rassy's customers made the same choice a generation earlier. And yet the boats still crossing oceans with one person aboard, year after year, are the ones with two masts.
This is a full deep dive into the ketch rig for solo and shorthanded cruising: why total sail area is the wrong number when you sail alone, why the biggest single sail is the number that actually decides whether you can handle the boat, and how the mizzen changes the physics of a cruising yacht.
🌊 What's covered:
Why wind load rises with the square of wind speed, and what that does to a big mainsail at three in the morning
The Amel 55 ketch against the Amel 50 sloop, same yard, same design office, a mainsail a third bigger on the shorter boat
Jib and jigger, dropping the mainsail completely and still holding over seven knots in a force six
The reefing staircase, five sails and dozens of balanced combinations instead of two
Centre of effort, lever arms, and why a ketch stands up better for the same drive
The mizzen as a trim control: weather helm, rudder drag, and the autopilot amps it saves
The mizzen staysail, worth around half a knot, and why most of them have been lost
The honest bill: two re-rigs, two sets of chainplates, deck-stepped mizzen mast steps, wet core, and the triatic stay trap
Windward performance, mizzen blanketing, and where the rig genuinely loses
Suhaili, Joshua, Gipsy Moth IV, and the ketch that finished third in the 2022 Golden Globe Race
Why every Vendee Globe boat is a sloop, and why that does not settle the argument
The five checks to run before you buy any ketch
📘 The full buying process, survey, inspection, insurance, and real market pricing:
https://everydaysailing.gumroad.com/l...
⛵ Boats in this video:
Amel 55
Amel 50
Amel Super Maramu
Hallberg-Rassy 42E
Whitby 42
Biscay 36
Suhaili
Joshua
Gipsy Moth IV
🔍 ketch rig explained, ketch vs sloop, best boats for solo sailing, single handed sailing setup, bluewater cruising boats, mizzen sail explained, jib and jigger, Amel Super Maramu review, centre cockpit ketch, buying a used bluewater sailboat, sailing alone offshore, split rig sailboat.
#sailing #bluewater #ketch
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Copyright Disclaimer
This video may include copyrighted material used under the "fair use" principle for educational and informational purposes. Such use aims to provide commentary, analysis, or added value in compliance with Section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law. If you believe that your copyrighted work has been used improperly, please contact me directly before pursuing any formal action. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.
Safety Disclaimer
These videos reflect my personal experience. They do not replace professional training. Always sail in compliance with safety rules and maritime regulations.
This video is for educational and entertainment purposes only. All data presented is based on publicly available brokerage listings and market reports. This is not financial advice. Always conduct your own due diligence and hire a certified marine surveyor before purchasing any vessel. Market conditions vary by region and change over time.
6 Comments
The smaller sails and the Junk rig would make the boat easier to manage if you were older or injured.
You could also use stay-less masts because the three masts would be much shorter. Less to break or need to replace.
In average conditions at sea, you would be running the forward sail and the aft-most sail together most of the time.
The three rigs would give you more options for balancing your Center of Effort and adapting to conditions.
If one mast was damaged, you could move one of the other masts to get the first and third mast active for sailing. You are carrying a spare !
I really like this idea. It solves a lot of problems. I'd also have a sail access hatch at the foot of each sail for reefing from within the boat. Nice and safe in a sudden storm.
This Is Why Solo Sailors Choose Ketch Rigs
Everyday Sailing
5,771 views
⛵ The one rig check almost every ketch buyer skips — and the 296-page guide that covers the rest:
https://everydaysailing.gumroad.com/l...
Why do solo sailors keep choosing ketch rigs when the industry has moved to sloops? Amel spent thirty years perfecting the single-handed cruising yacht, then killed the ketch in 2017 — and the sloop that replaced it outsold it more than two to one. Hallberg-Rassy's customers made the same choice a generation earlier. And yet the boats still crossing oceans with one person aboard, year after year, are the ones with two masts.
This is a full deep dive into the ketch rig for solo and shorthanded cruising: why total sail area is the wrong number when you sail alone, why the biggest single sail is the number that actually decides whether you can handle the boat, and how the mizzen changes the physics of a cruising yacht.
🌊 What's covered:
Why wind load rises with the square of wind speed, and what that does to a big mainsail at three in the morning
The Amel 55 ketch against the Amel 50 sloop, same yard, same design office, a mainsail a third bigger on the shorter boat
Jib and jigger, dropping the mainsail completely and still holding over seven knots in a force six
The reefing staircase, five sails and dozens of balanced combinations instead of two
Centre of effort, lever arms, and why a ketch stands up better for the same drive
The mizzen as a trim control: weather helm, rudder drag, and the autopilot amps it saves
The mizzen staysail, worth around half a knot, and why most of them have been lost
The honest bill: two re-rigs, two sets of chainplates, deck-stepped mizzen mast steps, wet core, and the triatic stay trap
Windward performance, mizzen blanketing, and where the rig genuinely loses
Suhaili, Joshua, Gipsy Moth IV, and the ketch that finished third in the 2022 Golden Globe Race
Why every Vendee Globe boat is a sloop, and why that does not settle the argument
The five checks to run before you buy any ketch
📘 The full buying process, survey, inspection, insurance, and real market pricing:
https://everydaysailing.gumroad.com/l...
⛵ Boats in this video:
Amel 55
Amel 50
Amel Super Maramu
Hallberg-Rassy 42E
Whitby 42
Biscay 36
Suhaili
Joshua
Gipsy Moth IV
🔍 ketch rig explained, ketch vs sloop, best boats for solo sailing, single handed sailing setup, bluewater cruising boats, mizzen sail explained, jib and jigger, Amel Super Maramu review, centre cockpit ketch, buying a used bluewater sailboat, sailing alone offshore, split rig sailboat.
#sailing #bluewater #ketch
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⭐ JOIN THE CHANNEL (member perks)
@everydaysailing
Subscribe for more videos!
🌊 ALL MY LINKS
https://linktr.ee/everydaysailing
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Copyright Disclaimer
This video may include copyrighted material used under the "fair use" principle for educational and informational purposes. Such use aims to provide commentary, analysis, or added value in compliance with Section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law. If you believe that your copyrighted work has been used improperly, please contact me directly before pursuing any formal action. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.
Safety Disclaimer
These videos reflect my personal experience. They do not replace professional training. Always sail in compliance with safety rules and maritime regulations.
This video is for educational and entertainment purposes only. All data presented is based on publicly available brokerage listings and market reports. This is not financial advice. Always conduct your own due diligence and hire a certified marine surveyor before purchasing any vessel. Market conditions vary by region and change over time.