Battened RF Main Benefits

[Jordan Ruzz]

I'm thinking seriously of a swing battened or vertical battened main for my Beneteau 321, Running Late.What can be expected with respect to light air and close hauled performance? Will I notice enough of a difference to make it worth the cost? Are there any owners out there that can share their experience?Of course, I'd love to hear what Doyle's experience has been.

 

[Tim11435]

Battened RF Mains

Hi Jordan,We developed the "Zenith" vertical batten RF Mainsail for Hylas Yachts, an RF Mast comes standard. As the Primary Sailmaker for Hylas, they asked us to produce an RF Mainsail that would perform like a traditional main, yet be able to roll into the mast and be user friendly.We were able to add roach in the top third of the sail and maintain an open leach. This is critcal to light air and upwind performance.We have also produced this sail for Hunter Marine and it is being considered as an option on new Hunters as well.We have built the Zenith for aftermarket customers as well.I'm sure you can understand why I can't post customers contact info on an open forum.

 

[chris webb]

Battened furling mainsail

Jordan, I sail a Hunter 410 with furling mainsail. We have had a Zenith vertical batten mainsail for about a year and love it. It has added considerable sail area, so that we have a bit of roach now, as opposed to a hollowed-out "negative roach" leech. Light air performance is quite a bit improved, and we're able to achieve better sail shape in all wind ranges. We motorsail far less now than before in light air. I highly recommend this concept-- the difference between this sail and our OEM battenless mainsail is dramatic.

 

[Mike Aston]

Hoe do the battens fit in the mast

A) It seems to me that the battens will require a specially designed mast to allow for the extra thickness of the battens.B) I thought one of the major purposes of battens was to give some shape to the sail, I do not think vertical battons can do this.C)The great length of vertical battons must present some difficulty when fitting or removing them. Do you motor into deep water so you can get them vertical before insertng them into the sail?