If I were buying a new mainsail

[Ken Cross]

I've posted before about possibly buying a H30. I was looking on this site at sail prices should I want to replace the sails and started thinking. Would I want full battens (The boat has lazy jacks.) I can't think of a disadvantage, but I've never actually sailed a full batten sail. We are cruisers.

Ken

 

[Ken13559]

I've full batten on my Mains. Tricky getting the battens pass the lazy jack. Of course you could pull forward the lazy jack before raising the Mains.
Other than that don't think there's down side to full batten Mains.

 

[DougM]

For cruising, full battens are good. Batten cars could then be added along the luff as well. As for the battens catching on the lazy jacks, that problem can be minimized by clipping the tips of the battens so that they are completely inside the leech when sealed in their pockets.

 

[Jackdaw]

Full battens; the only potential downside for cruising sailors is that the battens can cause the slugs to bind in the track when raising or lowering, or reefing the sail. Unlike partial, full battens press HARD on the slugs. Ask your sail-maker about ways to minimize that effect with your budget in mind. One of the best ways is to install a track system like Tide Marine Sail Track. There are many here including myself that love it. There are other less expensive solution that do not involve a track, only better slugs. Ask your sail-maker, they often give a deal of you buy both the sail and the track system from them.

https://www.tidesmarine.com/sailtrack

 

[Bad Obsession]

Full battens, 2 reef points.

I had full battens on my previous boat, a Catalina 30. They do a lot for sail shape and they are great with lazy jacks because you can just drop them into the jacks. For a 30 foot boat you won't need batten cars. I did just fine without them with a Tall Rig Catalina 30.

I can't see regretting having the full battens at all.

btw...get a lot of quotes for getting the sails done. This is supposed to be the best time of year to do them because some lofts are looking for work. That is what the sailmaker in Deltaville, VA told me...Ullman Sails.