Cutter (Boat) - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

7/30/2019 Cutter (Boat) - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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A gaff cutter, Kleine

Freiheit, with a genoa jib set

French cutter

Cutter (boat)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Cutter (ship))

Cutter may refer to several types of nautical vessels:

In frequent modern usage, a cutter is a small- or medium-sized vessel

whose occupants exercise official authority. Examples are harbor pilots'

cutters and cutters of the U.S. Coast Guard[1] or UK Border Agency.

As traditionally used in the context of sailing vessels, a cutter is a small

single-masted boat, fore-and-aft rigged, with two or more headsails

and often a bowsprit. The cutter's mast may be set farther back than on

a sloop.[2]

Cutter also sometimes refers to a small boat serving a larger boat, to

ferry passengers or light stores between larger boats and the shore.This type of cutter may be powered by oars, sails or a motor.

Contents

1 Sailing

2 Rowing

3 Pulling

4 Naval cutter5 Pilot cutter

6 Customs services

7 See also

8 References

9 External links

Sailing

The cutter is one of several types of sailboats. Traditionally the sloop

rig was a rig with a single mast located forward of 70% of the length

of the sailplan. In this traditional definition a sloop could have multiple

ibs on a fixed bowsprit.[citation needed]

Cutters had a rig with a single mast more centrally located, which

could vary from 50% to 70% of the length of the sailplan, with

multiple headsails and a running bowsprit.[citation needed] A mast

located aft of 50% would be considered a mast aft rig.

Somewhere in the 1950s or 1960s there was a shift in these

definitions such that a sloop only flew one headsail and a cutter had multiple headsails and mast position became

irrelevant. In this modern idiom, a cutter is a sailing vessel with more than one head sail and one mast. Cutters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_aft_righttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lebreton_engraving-10.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lebreton_engraving-10.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lebreton_engraving-10.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sail-plan#Types_of_shipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lebreton_engraving-10.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowsprithttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cutter_(ship)&redirect=nohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_(sailing)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_sailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_aft_righttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sail-plan#Types_of_shipshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_(sailing)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowsprithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headsailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fore-and-aft_righttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Border_Agencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_pilothttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cutter_(ship)&redirect=nohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lebreton_engraving-10.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa_(sail)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freiheitu.jpg


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Cutter race at Sunbury AmateurRegatta

carry a staysail directly in front of the mast, set from the forestay. A traditional vessel would also normally have a

bowsprit to carry one or more jibs from its end via jibstay(s) on travelers (to preserve the ability to reef the

bowsprit). In modern vessels the jib may be set from a permanent stay fixed to the end of a fixed (non-reeving)

bowsprit, or directly to the stem fitting of the bow itself. In these cases, that may be referred to as the forestay,

and the inner one, which will be less permanent in terms of keeping the mast up, may be called the stays'l stay. A

sloop carries only one head sail, called either the foresail or jib.[citation needed].

The cutter rig, especially a gaff rig version where the sails aft of the mast were divided between a mainsail belowthe gaff and a topsail above, was useful for sailing with small crews as the total sail area was divided into smaller

individual sails. These could be managed without the need for large crews, winches, or complex tackles, making

the cutter especially suitable for pilot, customs and coast guard duties. For example, a pilot cutter may only have

two people on board for its outward tripthe pilot to be delivered to a ship and an assistant who had to sail the

cutter back to port single-handed. The cutter sailing rig became so ubiquitous for these tasks that the modern-

day motorised vessels now engaged in these duties are known as 'cutters'.

Rowing

The open cutter carried aboard naval vessels in the 18th Century was

rowed by pairs of men sitting side-by-side on benches. The cutter,

with its transom, was broader in proportion compared to the

longboat, which had finer lines.

The Watermen of London used similar boats in the 18th Century

often decorated as depicted in historical prints and pictures of the

River Thames in the 17th & 18th Centuries. The modern Watermans

Cutter is based on drawings of these boats. They are 34 feet (10 m)

long with a beam of 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) They can have up to six

oarsmen either rowing or sculling and can carry a cox and passengers.

The organisers of the Great River Race developed the modern

version in the 1980s and now many of the fleet of 24 compete

annually in this "Marathon of the River". Watermens Cutters also compete annually in the Port of London

Challenge, and the Port Admirals Challenge. Cutter races are also to be found at various town rowing and

skiffing regattas. In addition the cutters perform the role of ceremonial Livery Barges with the canopies and

armorial flags flying on special occasions.[3]

Cutters have been used for record-breaking attempts and crews have achieved record times for sculling the

English Channel (2hrs 42mins) in 1996 and for sculling non-stop from London to Paris (4days 15minutes) in1999.[4]

Pulling

A pulling cutter was a boat carried by sailing ships for work in fairly sheltered water in which load-carrying

capacity was needed, for example in laying a kedge. This operation was the placing of a relatively light anchor at

a distance from the ship so as to be able to haul her off in its direction. The oars were double-banked. That is,

there were two oarsmen on each thwart. In a seaway, the longboat was preferred to the cutter as the finer lines

of the stern of the former meant that it was less likely to broach to in a following sea. In the Royal Navy the

cutters were replaced by 25 and 32-foot (9.8 m) motor cutters. However, the cutters' traditional work had

grown beyond the capacity of a boat as ships became larger. Though primarily a pulling boat, this cutter could

also be rigged for sailing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Navyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor#Kedginghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Channelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scullinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livery_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regattashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiffinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Londonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_River_Racehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Londonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longboathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transom_(nautical)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_guardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_and_tacklehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaff_righttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foresailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jibhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowsprithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forestayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staysailhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbury_Amateur_Regattahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CutterRace01.JPG


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Wooden pilot cutterLizzie May under

sail in Brest, France

Naval cutter

Cutters were widely used by several navies in the 17th and 18th centuries and were usually the smallest

commissioned ships in the fleet. As with cutters in general they were distinguished by their large fore-aft sail

plans with multiple headsails, usually carried on a very long bowsprit, which was sometimes as long as half the

length of the boat's hull. The rig gave the cutter excellent maneuverability and they were much better at sailing to

windward than a larger square rigged ship. Larger naval cutters often had the ability to hoist two or three

square-rigged sails from their mast to improve their downwind sailing performance as well. Navies used cuttersfor coastal patrol, customs duties, escort, carrying personnel and dispatches and for small 'cutting out' raids. As

befitted their size and intended role naval cutters were lightly armed, often with between six and twelve small

cannon (or carronades in the Royal Navy).

In the rating system of the Royal Navy 'cutter' was the lowest classification, coming below the sloop-of-war as

an 'unrated' vessel. Whilst the classification included true sailing cutters the rating was given to any ship of

suitable size and/or importance. Under the system a 'cutter' was commanded by a lieutenant who would be the

only commissioned officer on board. HMS Bounty was classed as a cutter under the command of Lieutenant

William Bligh despite being a true ship with three square rigged masts.

Pilot cutter

The pilot cutter developed from the need for a fast boat to take

maritime pilots from harbour to incoming large trading vessels.

As most early pilots were local fisherman who undertook both jobs,

although licensed by the harbour to operate within their jurisdiction,

pilots were generally self-employed, and the quickest transport meant

greater income. As their fishing boats were heavy working boats, andfilled with fishing equipment, they needed a new type of boat; early

boats were developed from single masted fishing cutter designs and

twin masted yawls, and latterly into the specialist pilot cutter.

The natural dangers of the Bristol Channel brought about over many

ears the development of the specialist Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter.

According to records from Pill, Somerset now housed in the Bristol Museum, the first official Bristol Channel

pilot was barge master George James Ray, appointed by the Corporation of Bristol in May 1497 to pilot John

Cabot'sMatthew from Bristol harbour to the open sea beyond. In 1837 Pilot George Ray guided Brunel's

SS Great Western, and in 1844 William Ray piloted the larger SS Great Britain on her maiden voyage.[5]

Customs services

The term cutteris also used for any seaworthy vessel used in the law enforcement duties of Great Britain's HM

Customs and Excise, the United States Coast Guard (Revenue Cutter Service) or the customs services of other

countries.

In America, customs cutters were commonly schooners or brigs. In Britain, they were usually rigged as defined

underSailing(above). The British Board of Customs also used other vessels as hulks, which were moored in

places such as tidal creeks. Customs officers worked from the hulks in smaller boats.

In the UK, the UK Border Agency (successor to HM Customs and Excise) currently operates a fleet of 42 m

Corvette-type vessels throughout UK territorial waters as border cutters, inspecting vessels for illicit cargoes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvette#Modern_corvetteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Border_Agencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creek_(tidal)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_(ship)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Customs_and_Excise#Customshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoonerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue_Cutter_Servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Customs_and_Excisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Great_Britainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Great_Westernhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_harbourhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_(ship)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cabothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Museumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pill,_Somersethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Channel_Pilot_Cutterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Channelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_boathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishermanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbourhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_pilothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blighhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bountyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rating_system_of_the_Royal_Navyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Navyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carronadehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_righttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowsprithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brest,_Francehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lizzie_May_au_Brest_2008.jpg


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"High Endurance Cutter"

USCGCHamilton

Shrimpcutter, Ostend, Belgium

German Fishcutter,Jachtwerft,

Kpenick, Berlin, 1950

See also

Yacht

Clipper

Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter

United States Coast Guard Cutter

References

1. ^ "U.S. Coast Guard History: Frequently Asked Questions: What is

a Cutter?" (http://www.uscg.mil/History/FAQS/Designations.asp).

U.S. Coast Guard. 2008-12-09. Retrieved 2009-04-10.

2. ^ Kemp, Peter, ed. (1976). The Oxford Companion to Ships & the

Sea. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 221222. "a small,

decked ship with one mast and bowsprit, with a gaff mainsail on a

boom, a square yard and topsail, and two jibs or a jib and a

staysail."3. ^ Thames Traditional Rowing Association

(http://www.traditionalrowing.com/)

4. ^ Guinness World Records

5. ^ "History of Pilot Cutters" (http://www.annabel-

j.co.uk/history.htm). Annabel J. Retrieved 2009-06-04.

External links

U. S. Coast Guard Historian's Office(http://www.uscg.mil/history/cutterindex.asp)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Cutter_(boat)&oldid=563574146"

Categories: Sailing ships Sailboat types Traditional boats

Rowing racing boats

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