The Brigantine, and Brig, were not uncommon to be seen captained by a pirate, because it could carry a valuable quanity of 100 men and 12 cannon, it was large and could weigh up to 150 tons. and 80 ft long. It could withstand extremely harsh weather conditions and was a popular choice for long voyages, and were often used as cargo ships. The difference between a brig and brigantine was the sail structure. A brig's mainmast is square-rigged, whereas a brigantine has a fore-and-aft sail as its mainsail and/or topsail. Both employed spanker sails.