New and Used Sailboats For Sale

Sailboats have cruised the world’s lakes and oceans for centuries and remain popular among many skilled and dedicated watermen and women. They require a degree of skill and an awareness of the wind and weather while offering a traditional and exhilarating boating experience. Search for new or used sailboats for sale in your area in all sizes and prices to begin your journey.

Main Characteristics of Sailboats

A sailboat is classified as any boat that harnesses the power of the wind for propulsion. In real terms, this covers a huge variety of vessels, from small sailing dinghies to daysailers, single-masted boats, twin-masted boats, racing sailboats, and sailing superyachts. Depending on the size of the sailboat, it might have cabins, a galley, one or more heads, or more simply a small covered space for storage. 

Sailboats were traditionally constructed of wood, and it is still possible to find brands producing classic wooden hulls. However, these days most sailboats are made from materials such as fiberglass, aluminum, and even carbon fiber. 

When it comes to sails, rigging configurations are widely varying and are used to further classify sailboats into their relevant categories. Likewise, the keel of a sailboat can vary, from a full keel to a fin keel, or catamarans which have twin hulls with or without significant keels or daggerboards.

Types of Sailboat

Sloop

Sloops make up the largest segment of sailboats and are characterized by a single mast rig that commonly has a triangular mainsail and a headsail. They are popular with beginners who find their rig simple to handle, but also with sailing pros who enjoy their ease of maneuverability. They are also frequently seen as racing boats thanks to their speed and good windward performance. They can be of any length from an 8-foot pram to a 258-foot superyacht and are often versatile with regards to their layout and ability to cruise in many conditions. 

Cutter

Although similar in appearance to the sloop, a cutter has markedly different rigging with two headsails (a headsail and a staysail). This allows for good control and stability, especially in adverse weather, although it makes it a little more complicated to sail. Cutters also commonly have a spar extending from the bow known as a bowsprit. 

Schooner

Large schooners have been around for centuries and are characterized by their multiple masts. They were originally designed for fishing or offshore voyages and able to handle even the roughest of sea conditions but often require more crewmembers to handle the complex rigging. 

Ketch and Yawl

These two-masted sailboats are similar in their appearance as they have a mainmast in front that is taller than the mizzenmast behind it. The difference lies in the positioning of the mizzen—behind the rudder post on the yawl and forward of it on the ketch. In general they are not as fast upwind as a sloop sailboat, but because of their shorter masts and smaller sails they often better suited to handling rough sea conditions. They can vary in size and often make good long-range sailboats. 

Daysailer and Dinghy

The smallest sailboats are dinghies and daysailers, which are ideal for beginners or fun days out on protected waters. They are easily trailerable and simple to rig and handle. Dinghies are 8 to 18 feet in overall length, while daysailers can be small or quite a bit larger, accommodating more passengers. Both have a single mast, although the rigging can vary widely.  

Motorsailer

The motorsailer uses a combination of wind power and engine power. While these are less common than sailboats and motorboats thanks to their higher price, they can offer the best of both worlds with the space and ability to power against the wind like a motor boat and the wind power of a sailboat that can increase its range and even invite its sailors to turn off the engine when conditions are right. They are popular for long-range cruising and long-term living. 

Catamaran Sailboat

Catamarans are double-hulled vessels with a shallower draft than monohull sailboats. Small catamarans are fun and fast, sailing right off the beach. Larger catamarans provide much more deck and interior space thanks to their wide beam, and larger models have cabins in both hulls with a spacious living area above the waterline. They don’t heel or tip the way monohulls do and are typically more stable except in extreme windy or wavy conditions

Best Sailboat Brands

Listing the best sailboats brands is no easy feat as there are hundreds of excellent builders to choose from. There are brands currently producing new sailboats as well as those many that are no longer in operation but whose boats are available on the used market.

Some of the top brands of sailboats include long-time builders such as Catalina, Jeanneau, Tartan, Beneteau, and Hallberg-Rassy, the latter who are known for their blue water yachts. 

Other brands worth mentioning are Hobie and their ultra-popular dinghy catamarans, Lagoon Catamarans, Hinckley Yachts, and Dufour to name just a few. 

FAQs

Why Choose a Sailboat?

Sailboats give sailors the quintessential boating experience. They offer the chance to learn new skills together as a family, whether it’s on a small dinghy-sized sailboat for beginners, or a larger yacht that you might one day sail you around the world. Sailboats can be purchased for very different price points and styles to suit all skill levels.