Editing Rig (sailing) (section)

=== Crab claw===
{{Main|Crab claw sail}}
{{See also|Proa}} 
There are several distinct types of crab claw rigs, but unlike western rigs, they do not have fixed conventional names.<ref name="Horridge1986" /> Crab claw sails are rigged [[fore-and-aft]] and can be tilted and rotated relative to the wind. They evolved from V-shaped perpendicular [[Square sail|square sails]] in which the two spars converge at the base of the hull. The simplest form of the crab claw sail (also with the widest distribution) is composed of a triangular sail supported by two light spars (sometimes erroneously called "[[Sprit|sprits]]") on each side. They were originally mastless, and the entire assembly was taken down when the sails were lowered.<ref name="Campbell">{{cite journal |last1=Campbell |first1=I.C. |date=1995 |title=The Lateen Sail in World History |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20078617 |journal=Journal of World History |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=1–23 |jstor=20078617}}</ref>

The need to propel larger and more heavily laden boats led to the increase in vertical sail. However this introduced more instability to the vessels. In addition to the unique invention of [[Outrigger boat|outriggers]] to solve this, the sails were also leaned backwards and the converging point moved further forward on the hull. This new configuration required a loose "prop" in the middle of the hull to hold the spars up, as well as rope supports on the windward side. This allowed more sail area (and thus more power) while keeping the center of effort low and thus making the boats more stable. The prop was later converted into fixed or removable canted masts where the spars of the sails were actually suspended by a [[halyard]] from the masthead. This type of sail is most refined in Micronesian [[proa]]s which could reach very high speeds. These configurations are sometimes known as the "crane sprit" or the "crane spritsail".<ref name="Campbell" /><ref name="Horridge1986" />

Another evolution of the basic crab claw sail is the conversion of the upper spar into a fixed mast. In [[Polynesia]], this gave the sail more height while also making it narrower, giving it a shape reminiscent of crab [[Chela (organ)|pincers]] (hence "crab claw" sail). This was also usually accompanied by the lower spar becoming more curved.<ref name="Campbell" /><ref name="Horridge1986">{{cite journal |last1=Horridge |first1=Adrian |date=April 1986 |title=The Evolution of Pacific Canoe Rigs |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25168892 |journal=The Journal of Pacific History |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=83–99 |doi=10.1080/00223348608572530 |jstor=25168892}}</ref>

Micronesian, Island Melanesian, and Polynesian single-outrigger vessels also used the canted mast configuration to uniquely develop [[Shunting (sailing)|shunting]].<ref name="Campbell"/> In shunting vessels, both ends are alike, and the boat is sailed in either direction, but it has a fixed leeward side and a windward side. The boat is shunted from [[Point of sail#reaching|beam reach]] to beam reach to change direction, with the wind over the side, a low-force procedure. The bottom corner of the crab claw sail is moved to the other end, which becomes the bow as the boat sets off back the way it came. The mast usually hinges, adjusting the rake or angle of the mast. The crab claw configuration used on these vessels is a [[Stress (mechanics)|low-stress]] rig, which can be built with simple tools and low-tech materials, but it is extremely fast. On a beam reach, it may be the fastest simple rig.

<gallery heights="150px" class="center" caption="Crab claw examples">
Rigging-melanesia-sail.svg|[[Melanesia]]n V-shaped [[square sail]]
Rigging-newzealand-sail.svg|[[New Zealand]] V-shaped [[square sail]]
Rigging-crabclaws1-sail.svg|[[Polynesia]]n [[crab claw sail]]
Rigging-crabclaws2-sail.svg|[[New Guinea]] [[crab claw sail]]
Rigging-crabclaws3-sail.svg|[[Hawaii]]an [[crab claw sail]] with the upper spar merged with the fixed mast
</gallery>