New mainsail for 2016 Oceanis 38.1

[carhartt]

I'm trying to work on the mainsail for my 2016 Oceanis 38.1. Originally, it has partial vertical battens, but the sailmaker gave the option of going completely battenless.Now I'm curious if the battens really help shape much on these furling rigs or do they simply make furling more frustrating over time. Has anyone tried both setups?

 

[Linethrower]

I hope you are aware that going completely battenless means that you'll need to sacrifice some things like losing efficiency in light wind or when pointing. It may be worth it if you are mostly cruising but if you need more performance then you need partial battence for some balance.

 

[bnty.1z]

I'm trying to work on the mainsail for my 2016 Oceanis 38.1. Originally, it has partial vertical battens, but the sailmaker gave the option of going completely battenless.Now I'm curious if the battens really help shape much on these furling rigs or do they simply make furling more frustrating over time. Has anyone tried both setups?

I'm with @Linethrower! For a furling mainsail, battens, even partial ones, definitely contribute to better shape and efficiency! Without them, the sail tends to be very flat, especially in lighter air, which can really hurt performance and pointing ability. You'll likely notice a significant difference in how the boat feels and performs upwind with the battens in place!

 

[MyDesire]

Yeah, the whole full battens can improve sail shape, especially off the wind, but they'd make furling stiffer and trickier. Partial battens are better in my opinion