Why are sailbot sails triangular?

Question

Why are sailbot sails triangular?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

They are easier to handle than the square riggers of old They are also more efficient and cause less heel..

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

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 .