Editing Gunter rig (section)

==General characteristics==
Gunter rig exists in several forms. In all of them, the un-reefed sail is extended above the top of the mast by the yard, giving a sail shape that is close to three sided. When the boat is not in use, this allows the mast and yard to be stored within the hull of the majority of gunter-rigged boats. Afloat, the centre of gravity of the masts and spars is lowered as the sail is reefed, unlike Bermuda rig. This is helpful to sea-worthiness in rougher conditions.{{r|Leather 1989|pp=91-96}}[[File:Sliding gunter sail rig on Drascombe Lugger Onkahye.jpg|thumb|Sliding gunter sail rig on a [[Drascombe]] Lugger. In this variation, the upper gunter iron has been replaced by a parrel.]]

The earliest form was the sliding gunter. The yard is connected to the mast by two "gunter irons". The top iron is attached to the yard just below where the single halyard turns over the sheave at the mast-head; the lower iron is at the lower end of the yard. This arrangement keeps the yard parallel to the mast and able to slide up and down as the sail is hoisted, lowered or reefed. The benefit of this is that the yard is under better control as sail is lowered (thereby avoiding a hazard to the crew). The disadvantage is that lowering sail is a two stage process, as the yard has to be disconnected from the top gunter iron to get all the sail off the boat. There is also a risk of the gunter irons jamming. Some of these problems are resolved if the sail is boomless or loose-footed and can be taken in with [[brail]]s.{{r|Leather 1989|pp=91-96}}

A two halyard system does away with the gunter irons. The peak halyard goes to a wire span on the yard and holds the yard close to the mast. A throat halyard moves the yard up and down the mast. The lower end of the yard is usually attached to the mast with jaws and a [[Parrel beads|parrel]]. This allows the rig to be put together with more readily available components. In use, the sail can be lowered completely quite quickly. Reefing is carried out by lowering away solely on the throat halyard. Unlike [[gaff rig]], this two halyard system is easier for a single-hander, as only one halyard is used at a time.{{r|Barnes 2014|p=49}}<ref name="Leather 1989"/>{{rp|91–96}}

A simpler and more minimalist arrangement is to have a single halyard that is tied to the yard at a mid-point.This attachment point has to be varied if the sail is reefed, so reefing can only be done by completely lowering the sail, moving position of the halyard and re-hoisting once the reef points are tied.{{r|Leather 1989|pp=91-96}}