Keith, absolutely, so they could discharge their cargo on a beach. They weren't built for speed but their hold capacity was good for their size.
They were basically Humber sloops with bulwarks and more sheer, but they quickly developed better rigs such as topsail schooner and later, ketch. Some descriptions give cutter rig but very few of the 400 I have notes on had this. Most were built in the Humber and inland ports, but they were also built all along the east coast from Sunderland to Kent, and latterly one or two in Holland. The most likely derivation of the word is from an earlier similar Dutch vessel, the bijlander. (by land, i.e., coaster).