2007-12-17 05:02:49 · 5 answers · asked by Bostonaholic 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Boats & Boating
They are easier to handle than the square riggers of old They are also more efficient and cause less heel..
2007-12-17 05:06:13 · answer #1 · answered by science teacher 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Apart from the answers above, one of the biggest advantages of triangular sails is that they are much more capable of "sailing to weather"; being able to point higher into the wind. A square-rigged sail cannot point much beyond a beam reach (a point of sail where the wind is coming directly over the side of the boat). Having a greater pointing ability, triangular sails give you more navigational options and in many cases cuts the length of the trip down.
2007-12-17 07:14:11 · answer #2 · answered by Larry M 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Why Are Sails Triangular
2016-12-16 17:01:39 · answer #3 · answered by lesure 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not all of them are . The regular three point sail is made that way so that it's much easier to swing the sail across the boat to the other side when changing direction .
The boom wings across , and the sail coming to a point at the top simply turns to the other side with nothing to obstruct it .
The sail boats that are gaff-rigged ( a pole at the top of the sail , giving it more area ) can't pass under the cables that hold the mast upright , making rigging much more difficult .
2007-12-17 05:14:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most efficient/simpliest approach to getting the most surface area of sail using the least hardware.
If you look at larger sailing ships that used square sails, there is a lot of rigging required.
2007-12-17 05:07:58 · answer #5 · answered by Prophet 1102 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋