First rigged with lateen sails well suited to coastal navigation, the barquettes marseillaises were gradually equipped with a motor. The generalization of the engine from the 1920s modified the shapes of the barquette, which became rounded at the rear. Their always rounded front makes it possible to distinguish them from the Var boats (pointus from Toulon) with more rectilinear shapes. As for their curve, it remains particularly suitable for navigation in the bay of Marseille. Almost all the boats are motorized today, and only a hundred of them are still sailing.