Sloop

A single-masted vessel, generally with a single headsail, a fixed bowsprit and a mast stepped further forward compared to a cutter.

The terms “cutter” and “sloop” differentiate single-masted vessels by the position of the mast along the length of the vessel, by the number of headsails, or by the rigging of the bowsprit. These distinctions vary by time and place. Generally speaking, the mast of a sloop is further forward than that of a cutter, the bowsprit of a sloop is fixed whereas a cutter’s is running, and a sloop has a single headsail and a cutter has multiple headsails. On the eastern side of the Atlantic the number of headsails is now the only criterion. In North America this generally applies, but a vessel fixed bowsprit and a mast stepped relatively far forward may be termed a sloop even if it has 2 headsails (example: Friendship Sloop).

A sloop can be Bermuda-rigged or gaff-rigged.

References:

• Wikipedia