Vertical batten sails?

[SofiaB]

Just placed an order for a new Vision 46 and on the options page was vertical batten sails, high-tech sails, with the furling mast.  Any thoughts on this $4900 upgrade?  Or, go with the standard dacron sails?  Thanks!

[Craig]

Stuart,

This is really a personal decision relating to whether you see yourself as a Cruiser or a Racer.  I have Dacron sails and slab reefing on my Bavaria 38 but have also sailed on a Bav 46 with dacron, in mast furling and an old but well maintained Bav 50 with composite, vertical battens with in mast furling.

I can point to 30 degrees apparent, as can the Bav 50. The Bav 46 is lucky to get 35 degrees ( closer to 40 degrees) apparent. The Bav 50 appears to be exceptionally fast and its sails seem to be well shaped.

If I was concerned about speed and had in-mast furling I would get the vertical battens and possibly the composite sails.

My wife is demanding that we get in-mast furling on our next boat. I am lazy when cruising and if I have only a short downwind trip, I often go under Genoa alone because of my laziness.

Enjoy your sailing

Craig
s/v "Shirley Valentine"

[IslandAlchemy]

Up to you really.

I persoanlly don't like fulring mains.

[Yngmar]

The problem with full length vertical battens is that you can't drop the sail in an emergency when things go wrong with the furler. Otherwise they seemed to work well and the Selden in-mast furling system is making life easier and you never have to leave the cockpit.

[Symphony]

I had the same dilemma with my new 33. Ideally I would have liked to have bought the boat without sails and had some made by my local sailmaker, but Bavaria won't sell a boat that way. If you are cruising then the in mast is probably a good choice. I have had it on both my earlier 37 and the new boat. The standard sails are very basic but not sure how much better the upgrades are. I had the jib recut to put a bit of curve in the luff which helps it set better and UV strips added to both jib and the clew of the main. The standard sails have neither.

In the end I decided to spend extra on a bow thruster rather than upgrade sails as that was better value for my kind of use of the boat. Don't have much experience of the boat in anything but light airs, but it seems to sail well and points much higher than my old 37. The newer designs have more of the sail area in the main so sail reduction is first in the main and it is easier to adjust sail area with in mast. However that also means more drive comes from the main so you need to adjust the draft using the outhaul to get the best shape.

Not sure whether any of this helps much with your decision, but if you look at modern cruising boats of that size the majority choose in mast with plain sails. These are powerful boats that potentially can perform well in standard form.

[felixshmak]

Have you ever considered a stackPack? It's a lazyjack with build-in sail cover, can use with horizontal battened sail no matter it's dacron/composit, straight/tri-radial cut mainsail. Just use auto-pilot to dead head-wind, easy to hoist. For dropping - just release the halyard, the main will drop straight down to the stackpack with no hassle. Zip up and go home after that.

Felix

[SofiaB]

Absolutely considered the stack pack but the mast height was an issue for Bav.  I want the ICW mast which they don't offer with a conventional main.

[Impavidus]

Stuart. Hi, If you have not ordered one on your new boat you may want to consider a folding prop or a Brunton in lieu of performance sails. The folder will have almost as much advantage as performance sails for half the price; other than when really pushing the boat hard on a beat up wind, when you can gain a few extra degrees. The Brunton will give you increased performance sailing and under power. Just a thought............

Best regards

Ant.

[DT]

Speaking to sailmakers here in Oz, it would seem that the vertical batterns makes them better furling and reduces wear, that occurs when sail is furled in mast. Apparently they wear from rubbing caused by reaction to the boats movement.

[Aquila]

Sorry but late with response but I have high tech sails and vertical battens in head and main and the sails are excellent, great shape and good upwind.  No problems at all with furling system as high tech sails are laminated and roller much better and cleaner then Dacron.  My recommendation would be to pay the extra if it was me.

[Neil]

Depends on the crew as much as anything. I sail with lazy jacks and a fully battened main. The lazy jacks can be a nuisance and I am limited a bit with reefs. Reefing down when overpowered would be easier if single handed with in mast furling. If you intend racing then probably better with slab reefing, otherwise I would go for the in mast solution.

Neil

[MarkTheBike]

I'm with Neil on this - short-handing or cruising, I'd have in-mast furling every time. Not knowing any better, I bought ours with fully-battened main, lazy jacks and stack pack, and have mildly regretted it ever since. I don't race but do sail short-handed. Lesson learned for the next boat.

[Moodymike]

I have a B32 with in mast that works extremely well. Not convinced that a battened main would roll in so smoothly with the additional thickness of the battens. Present sail leaves little room for movement when fully furled.

[SofiaB]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Was notified today "no more changes" since all the bits are ordered.  So, furling mast with no battens is it. 

Was told that the hull is alive; waiting on a hull number. 

S.