In the literature of that time they wrote that in the 18th century tenders (cutters) were used for illegal trade in the English Channel and that just the same type of vessels was used in government services to stop smuggling. Tenders were comparatively large one-masted vessels with displacement of 200 t. and with the rigging of a sloop. Falconer briefly stated: "… rigged by a mast and a horizontally protruded bowsprit, which when in need could be pulled on the deck; excluding this and large sizes of sails, they were rigged as sloops…". Many features of tenders were referred to other one-masted vessels.