Junk (ship) Junk (ship) Junk is a type of ancient Chinese sailing ship that is still in use today. Junks were used as seagoing vessels as early as the 2nd century AD and developed rapidly during the Song dynasty (960–1279). They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages. They were found, and in lesser numbers are still found, throughout South-East Asia and India, but primarily in China. Found more broadly today is a growing number of modern recreational junk-rigged sailboats. The term "junk" may be used to cover many kinds of boat—ocean-going, cargo-carrying, pleasure boats,
Junk rig degrees from vertical, which can look odd to the unitiated. The forward rake of the sail encourages the sail to swing out, which makes the use of a preventer unnecessary. Another way to say this is that the sail is stable when swung out and doesn't return to the middle of the ship when the wind drops. Other benefits of the junk rig over the Bermuda rig include: Other shortcomings of the junk rig compared to the Bermuda rig include: There were two types of traditional ships with Junk Rig in the Malay Archipelago with local hulls instead of the