Standard Vs Fully-battened mainsail on cruisers or racers

[charles_reed]

Just want to know, is it easier to reef when going down wind with with a fully batten main
with cars ?

As apposed to a standard main .... That won't

No - but it can be done if you're prepared to winch it down. I use my two lower single line reefs quite commonly off the wind.
I'd never go back to an unbattened main, but I think the penalty for racing would prove prohibitive.

 

[Daydream believer]

but I think the penalty for racing would prove prohibitive.

If that is true ( & I have no reason to disbelieve it) then that that would prove that a fully battened main gives more power than a soft sail

 

[mrming]

If that is true ( & I have no reason to disbelieve it) then that that would prove that a fully battened main gives more power than a soft sail

Under IRC there's no specific penalty for a fully battened main. Increasing the roach on your main would carry a penalty however.

The reasons smaller monohull racers don't use fully battened mains are covered earlier in the thread - basically it's easier to de-power a non fully battened main.

 

[webcraft]

.
I used to scorn fully battened mains, but the more I sail with them the more I love them. One of the things I like about them which people rarely mention is that if overcanvassed in a gust you can dump the main and it just sits there 80% depowered but quiet with no flogging for as long as you like while you sail the boat on the headsail.

Easy also to reef or drop the main into the bag on a close reach.

Good cars are essential though - I once sailed a boat with slugs and a FB main and when the wind got up it was almost impossible to drop the sail enough to reef.

- W

 

[drakes drum]

.
I used to scorn fully battened mains, but the more I sail with them the more I love them. One of the things I like about them which people rarely mention is that if overcanvassed in a gust you can dump the main and it just sits there 80% depowered but quiet with no flogging for as long as you like while you sail the boat on the headsail.

Easy also to reef or drop the main into the bag on a close reach.

Good cars are essential though - I once sailed a boat with slugs and a FB main and when the wind got up it was almost impossible to drop the sail enough to reef.

- W

What you describe is just what people say you cant do. Because the battens always maintain an aerofoil shape, the main is always powered up

 

[jimi]

What you describe is just what people say you cant do. Because the battens always maintain an aerofoil shape, the main is always powered up

I recently changed my 3/4 battened sail for a fully battened one, I have no issues with depowering when dumping the main, lot easier to drop , and better shape without spending half an hour fine tuning. Works well for me

 

[dom]

Because the battens always maintain an aerfoil shape, the main is always powered up

No that's not right; an airfoil shape can exist without the sail being powered up, just like an aircraft sitting on the ground. When racing folk say that fully battened systems are harder to depower, what they really mean is that the airfoil shape cannot be easily adapted to increase the drive/lateral force ratio and simultaneously increase the twist in the sail to open the upper leech. That constraint can be a big-deal for peep whilst he/she's racing, but is a very tiny little-deal when he/she's wearing their cruising hat.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

What you describe is just what people say you cant do. Because the battens always maintain an aerofoil shape, the main is always powered up

Head to wind my battens go into an S shape, and the sail sits quietly giving no drive at all. No roll tack is required to pop them back into shape, just give the boom a quick shove.

 

[webcraft]

I was talking about sailing close hauled or on a close reach with the main dumped well outboard. In this state a conventional main will flog itself to bits but a FB main will just sit there nicely almost but not quite depowered.

The downside of this is that close quarters manoeuvring under sail is a bit more demanding. With some boats you cannot completely depower the main on a close reach (the conventional technique), but once you know this you can work round it.

- W

 

[Daydream believer]

Head to wind my battens go into an S shape, and the sail sits quietly giving no drive at all. No roll tack is required to pop them back into shape, just give the boom a quick shove.

Another advantage of FB sails is that in the hove too situation they do not flog so much but do exactly what Angus says above

 

[ditchcrawler]

I agree that one of the benefits of the fully battened main is that it does not flog.This is especially evident when motorsailing close to the wind.A real plus. Also the shape in light airs is much better than my previous sail.
Dropping the sail into the zip up bag is a doddle.My sailmaker said that the sail will last much longer as well.All of the sailmakers that I contacted enthused about full battens and thought they were worthwhile.
Are they all wrong and just trying to get us to spend more money?

 

[Eyore]

I don't race.
My full battens don't use fancy cars, just normal D toggles, so they are much cheaper to retro fit or specify from new. They give the sails good shape and make them easier to handle single handed. I wouldn't go back to short battens.

Same setup here and agree totally.

 

[howard easton]

.
Are they all wrong and just trying to get us to spend more money?

All? On all the occasions that I have discussed new mainsails with sailmakers inclkuding the cases where I have bought, they have advised against full battens. And I do a bit of club racing. Sop my suspicion is that like any salesman they tell the punter what they think he wants to hear.

 

[theguerns]

I have a friend that is looking to put new sails on his westerly pageant. His choice is part battened, fully battened with harken bat car system and also a boom roller system with fully battened system. On our Colvic Watson 32 I have just put the old part battened sail on after the fully battened one shredded and we now go faster and point a little higher. So i suppose it depends on the yacht

 

[LadyInBed]

On our Colvic Watson 32 I have just put the old part battened sail on after the fully battened one shredded and we now go faster and point a little higher. So i suppose it depends on the yacht

I would have thought it was more down to the cut of the sail.
Ah! The old threads are the best