This term has had a variety of meanings, the most significant being the original use to describe a small decked vessel with a fore-and-aft rig comprising a gaff mainsail and two headsails on a boom. Such a rig was inherently fast, leading to their use as light armed craft, notably against smugglers, and to carry pilots. The use of the term to describe a double-banked pulling craft in naval service is inapplicable.
