2004 H41 In-Mast Furling—New Mainsail: Leech battens or no?

[davespud]

Time to replace the furling main on my ‘04 H41. The old sail had no batttens. My understanding is that Hunter went from no battens to partial leech battens in later years. Can anyone confirm?

I bought a like-new used Doyle H41 sail with full-length battens, that had been modified to shorten the pockets to partial battens. Sailmaker said Hunter made that change in later years. Sail came with round battens—they would not even fit in the opening in the mast. Sailmaker wants to switch me out to flat battens—but given the narrow mast opening I’m reluctant to even try.

Does anyone know if Selden changed mast specs in later years to accommodate the battens? Should I just return the battened sail and get one with no battens?

Thoughts and advice welcome.

 

[Nodak7]

Dave, I had an 09 H33 with vertical flat battens. Never had an issue with furling or unfurling it. I now have an 06 H41DS without battens. I have a friend who had a 05 H41DS and he changed his sail from a non batten to vertical flat battens. He never had an issue with the battens jamming. I can't imagine them ever trying to use round battens there just isn't enough room in the mast to handle that. Knowing Hunter I surmise that Hunters mast design has not changed. Probably no help to you but it might give you some background.

 

[DRhoads]

I had a new sail made with flat vertical battens. It took a few adjustments to get the pockets at the right angle to match the mast but once corrected it is great. Should be the same Selden mast you have. I would recommend them it made a large difference in performance.
(picture is the original sail)

 

[ice breaker]

I had a new UK sail made last year. I wanted battens, but they claimed that the 2004 mast that I have had too small of an opening to support it. It sounded like selden made the opening larger in later years. I would check with a sailmaker that knows what the gap should be and measure your opening.

 

[gfrazzle]

My original 2007 41DS furling main had round battens. Furling/ unfurling was a frustrating chore due to the limited space in the mast slot. I finally switched to flat battens and most of the problem went away although it takes some trimming (boom angle, Halyard tension etc.) to make it work well. It also helps to have a slight wind angle on the outside of the main when furling into the wind.

 

[shemandr]

I had the round battens - full length. After a lot of trouble my sailmaker suggested partial length flat but flexible battens. There was a marked improvement in furling and unfurling.

 

[capta]

Absolutely no battens!
I would also suggest a radial cut main, as it has less belly and will keep its shape better when reefed. I made a huge mistake not replacing my radial IMRF main with the same, because I wanted to save a few bucks. Forget the roach, you don't need it unless you are racing.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Our Beneteau has flat partial vertical battens. It’s a US Spars mast and not Selden, but we have no significant problems with them. If we’re really not careful unfurling it might overwrap. Sometimes that overwrap happens at a batten, but that’s not really the batten’s fault.

 

[George Braun]

I have a 2008 H36 with round battens - can anyone point me toward a decent source for flat - boat is new to us late last year, still a long way from having everything figured out, but we struggled to furl the sail "straight", one end or the other of battens always went into the mast first. Is it the boom position when furling that matters? Should we let some tension off on vang when furling?

 

[kappykaplan]

can anyone point me toward a decent source for flat

Check with your local sail loft.

 

[davespud]

Thanks to all. We wound up buying a like new furling main with batten slots, then, having our sailmaker re-cut it to eliminate the need for battens.

 

[tfox2069]

I have a 2008 H36 with round battens - can anyone point me toward a decent source for flat - boat is new to us late last year, still a long way from having everything figured out, but we struggled to furl the sail "straight", one end or the other of battens always went into the mast first. Is it the boom position when furling that matters? Should we let some tension off on vang when furling?

Interesting - just sold my 2009 H36 and the original sails had no battens at all.

So lots of things matter when furling that main - and there's several useful threads around here that are searchable on in-mast furling. But some of the more important tips are:
- Boom angle does matter; your boom should be angled slightly up from horizontal by a modest, but noticeable amount
- Boat should be on a slight starboard tack at very slow speed
- Release any tension on the mainsheet
- Main halyard tension should be enough to JUST keep wrinkles out of the luff, but no more
- Keep tension on the outhaul while you furl
- Furl by hand - if you need a winch something is binding and needs to be rectified
- If you're getting wrinkles in the luff that's probably going to cause problems, so do your best to keep them out when furling
- Inspect and service your furler at least annually according to Selden's manual. This includes greasing and sightening the spindle as necessary.
- Read the Selden manual...then read it again. The main is the primary engine of that boat, and the furler should be treated as a system, to be mastered just like your auxiliary diesel, electric and fresh water systems.
- If you're doing everything right and STILL have issues with furling, then the main is likely blown out and needs a recut or replacement. I agree with one of the posters who recommended a radial cut main for the H36 (without battens). It holds its shape better without battens than a crosscut, and holds it longer. And it furls really nicely. Quantum did one for me that was great. But GET THEM TO MEASURE FOR IT - my boom was a few inches longer than they would've made the sail had they not measured it.

Hope that helps.