Has anyone used short vertical battens on a Doyle Sail on a Hunter with an in mast furling main?

[Paltherr]

We have a 2011 Hunter 36e ( e stands for extended swim platform) with a Seldon in-mast furler on a B&R rig. We are replacing our sails this winter. This is the first time we have purchased new sails. This information was on the website: "Roach refers to the aft edge of the mainsail and how far it extends aft. A medium roach is the typical triangular sail found on most boats. A full roach, which is a larger sail, extends farther aft and offers more power. It's an option most often seen on Hunter B&R rigs. All of our sails come with a medium roach. However, a full roach is available for an additional cost. Please contact us for details." I contacted Mike Thomas, from the Doyle Sails link on the Sailboat Owners site, about replacing our mainsail, and what our options were. He replied " I spoke to the sailmaker this morning and as I thought the furling main on the H36e is considered a large roach main. The large roach RF Main has 354 sq. ft. and the Short Vertical Batten Main has 381 sq. ft. that was optional for those wanting a larger furling main. "

Does anyone have experience with a short vertical batten main with a rolling (Seldon) furler? Positive thoughts? Negative thoughts?
Thanks! Pat

 

[sail sfbay]

I installed a UK partial vertical battened in-mast furling mainsail on my Hunter 386. Be sure to furl it tight with tension on the outhaul and unfurl with tension on the furl-in line so the battens do not get stuck in the mast. Suggest discussing the batten dimensional details and confirmation they will not get stuck in the mast when unfurling with Doyle.

 

[DayDreamer41]

Yes we have them on our 41DS in addition to the above advice make sure you ease the vang and if the vang is not active raise the boom a bit to ease the luff while furling the sail in.

 

[shemandr]

I had full length vertical battens on my H356. My sailmaker called them VB 1.0. They were round and no end of trouble. He finally Rx'ed using shorter battens and one that were more flat. Ease of un-furling improved markedly after that.
I would try to work out the sail with the most roach for the B&R rig. Aerodynamically a roachy main is more efficient. More lift, less drag. More like an airplane wing.

 

[Hello Below]

The roller furling main on our 2012 e33 has the short vertical battens. Unfortunately I have no experience with the “large roach RF Main” to compare it to. I just know that over the past 9 years the system has worked flawlessly and given the ease of use I seem to “sail” much more than most of my fellow sailing mates. Call me lucky (or ignorance is bliss) but I have never worried about heading up or messing with the Selden Rodkicker when furling the sail in. And I have never needed to use a winch to furl or unfurl the main (or head sail).

 

[kbgunn]

I just replaced the in-mast furling mainsail on my H38 Seldén B&R rig. The new sail has positive roach (or extra roach) and short vertical battens. You can see them in the photo below. The battens give the sail better shape by supporting the leech and counteracting the tendency for the leech to curl or flutter on a sail with positive roach. The leech on the old sail was constantly fluttering causing vibration and pumping in the rig. Putting tension in the leech line of the old sail stopped the flutter but caused it to curl disrupting the airflow.

One upgrade to consider is a tri-radial cut sail for the headsail. Tri-radial sailcloth aligns the warp of the material with the direction of load stress for a stronger result.

Since you've never bought sails before, it would be ideal to work with a loft that will send out someone to take good measurements. You can do it yourself, but an experienced eye will be sure to get the hoist correct for sail shape and furling operation.

The battens haven't affected the furling of the mainsail in any negative way. We have a lot of light air sailing here in North Texas so the extra sail area is nice. The correctly shaped sail has eliminated all pumping and vibration in the rig.