Bucky wrote:
I don't know much about sailing, but I was just wondering what kind of
keels the old sailing ships had (like the Mayflower). Did they have a
distinct keel, or was it just more like an extension of the hull?

I looked at some model ship images, and it doesn't look like there's
enough of a keel to prevent the ship from slipping sideways.
http://www.handcraftedmodelships.com...model-ship.php


I liked the other responses. Difference in rigging meant looking for
favorable winds because of the limits of the design.

IMO: It wasn't until the advent of powered flight that the wing
properties of sails was exploited and a lot of inovation took place.

Not a great analogy but you may be familiar snowboards or skiis. The
combination of side cut and flex gives directional control. As one side
comes on edge the other with the opposite cut is off the snow.

Now if you think in terms of the side cut being reversed so you lean to
the outside of a turn you have a sailboat hull.

If you look for some boat builders comments on "chine"line where flat
or rounded section of hull gets vertical you may get a better idea.