Vertical Battens

[Peter Abrahamson]

I have a 50 Foot Bavaria Vision and I have an inmast main furling....I would like to remove the vertical battens.  What, if any,  difference will it make to my performance. Do the batons make that much difference as the headsail is a Ginoa it it does not require battens.  The boat is being used purely for cruising not for racing.Is there anyone that has had removed the battens from their inmast mainsail ?

[Symphony]

Not sure it is wise to remove battens from the mainsail as it will have been made specifically to use the properties of battens, particularly shaped to have some roach. It may also be lighter weight material in order to get it to furl properly. Suggest you get advice from a sailmaker as to whether it can be recut flat and the batten pockets removed.

[JEN-et-ROSS]

Hi.
   Symphony is correct, particularly in his point regarding roach. Remove the battens and any roach will flop or flog about in the breeze, eventually damaging the leech. I would leave well alone, unless the sail has stretched and is jamming during furling.

[Aquila]

Why remove, they are extremely long so best place to keep them safe is in the sail, they will improve sail shape and roll away without any difficulties. I would suggest you leave them in place

[Kaptajnen]

Our B38 Ocean 2000 had been equipped by the previous owner with a Hood designed main sail with vertical battens. After repeated "jamming" when furled into the mast - in one case causing expensive repairs to the furling mechanism - we removed the Hood sail and replaced it with the factory supplied Elvström main sail (without battens) and we have never regretted that decision. We are not racers and for cruising the original factory sail is perfect. No problems furling and unfurling.

[Salty]

So perhaps Peter, before anyone can satisfactorily answer your question, what they really need to know is why do you want to remove those battens? Is the sail old, (you haven't mentioned how old the sail is), and worn such that it's gone baggy (has it had many seasons of use perhaps from inexpert charterers) and has become difficult to furl and unfurl. Has it been poorly repaired following damage while under previous ownership etc. Was the sail perhaps made to order using incorrect measurements, or could it have been supplied by one of the dealers in secondhand sails, and doesn't quite fit exactly? Any information like that that might give some pointers as to the best remedy.

[Peter Abrahamson]

Thank you for all the input about the batten removal....I have since found out that the previous owner ordered the boat with the tall masted version...the sails were part of a performance package for racing and that the battens are there to support the sail shape as well as as reefing points as they are around a meter apart and are a good way to gauge that. I wanted to remove them because there was some chafing that had to be repaired and I thought it might be easier to get sail furled in and out quickly as I use the boat more for cruising ....but after what I found out and with the advice of some of the posts I am just going to leave them in ....thanks all