A ketch is a two-masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast),[1] generally in a 40-foot or bigger boat.[2] The name ketch is derived from catch.[3] The ketch's main mast is usually stepped in the same position as in a sloop.[4]
The sail-plan of a ketch is similar to that of a yawl, on which the mizzen mast is smaller and set further back. The addition of headsails can make a cutter-ketch.[2] In New England in the 1600s the ketch was a small coastal craft. In the 1700s it disappeared from contemporary records, apparently replaced by the schooner.[5]
Staysails can also be hoisted between the top of the mizzen mast and base of the mainmast to help downwind performance.[6]