Replacing the main on my E28

[DanielW]

Hey all, I'm looking for some advice from the wise before I commit here.

The main on my E28, Wysiwyg has seen better days so I'm looking to replace. Current sail (came with the boat) is made for cruising, Dacron, partial battens, two reefs, closed footed. Over the years it has become progressively more saggy so I'm going to bite the bullet.

One of the lofts has suggested I go for a fully battened main, another has told me that a fully battened main would be tantamount to suicide.

The guy who suggested I go fully battened (and this is a very, very reputable loft in Hong Kong) says that it is a better sail for cruising, will maintain it's shape better and will last longer. Of the quotes I've received so far, his is actually cheaper than some of the partially battened sails so I really do not think he is trying to hike the price up.

I've googled this and the general sailing community seems to be equally as split on the subject (I've read as much about the horrors as I have the life changing joyous wonders so I'm seriosuly confused).

So, my Ericson brethren, what would be the advantage/ disadvantage of going for a fully battened main on my 28? I'm also erring towards a loose footed sail as well so thoughts on that very welcome.

My boat is set up for cruising and I do partake in the occasional passage race i.e. round the cans stuff not really part of the program.

Look forward to hearing your views and many thanks in advance for the advice.

Daniel

 

[Emerald]

This is just my worthless opinion, so it is just that, but I really like my fully battened main. I've had two now, and I feel like the fully battened main does better over time for shape. I also think it is easier to flake the fully battened main when working solo. On that note, I would highly highly recommend looking into a Dutchman sail flaking system. I've sailed with lazy jacks and in my opinion, they do not compare for ease. I know many are fans of lazy jacks and I know it is a much less expensive way to go, and I know when configured properly they can work well, but I've had issues with keeping it all lined up within the guide lines if you get a little off dead in the wind, which can happen quite easily taking down the main solo or with inexperienced crew at the helm. The dutchman really does work like a roman shade. Let go of the halyard and watch the sail flake itself down on the boom in a few seconds with perfect fan folds back and forth. I love it! So, just a few thoughts from a fellow cruiser.

 

[Bob Brigham]

A second for the Dutchman flaking system (and Martin who invented it is a great guy) and the full battened main!

 

[Pat O'Connell]

E28 Main Replacement

I agree. I think we are about 8 years with the E28+ 1981 fully battened main and it works great. Easier to flake and cruises good. We have a easy jack system that requires attaching two snaps on each side of the boom before we drop the sail and detach after we flake the sail. The dropping of the sail can be an adventure if it is blowing good as two of the snaps are over the cockpit dodger but I'm happy with how it works. We don't single hand anymore.

 

[DanielW]

Thanks so much for these insights. I have a really great stack pack and lazyjack set up so the more I read about fully battened mains the more I think that this set up would work for me. I was sailing on a friend's GibSea a while back and he released the main halyard clutch from the cockpit and I watched in awe as the fully battened main just flaked itself into his stack pack without a single bit of effort on his part (other than keeping the boat into the wind).

Unless anyone comes up with a very compelling reason not to go fully battened I'm going to do it.

 

[Loren Beach]

Batts!

Just be real sure that the type of batten hardward used by your sailmaker will slide smoothly up and down. A friend of mine with a really large main (E-33RH) changed to the Tides Marine Strong Track scheme to make his main slide easily. It works great.

I do like the "2 + 2" batten idea, which we have had on two boats. Two full length at the top and two partial at the lower half. 98% of the benefits of all full battens without most of the hassle of hoisting. Our main does not shake and bang aroung if we luff a bit, and that's the main thing.

The other and quieter reason that sailmakers love full battens is that the built-in shape is maintained longer and therefore so is their reputation. They can use a slightly weaker and less-expensive sail cloth, too, since the battens are doing the shaping work.

(Back in the day, Hobie Alter discovered this shaping bonus for his beach cats. Customers loved it and it positively helped the bottom line.)

Downside: More weight aloft and, as mentioned, more friction for raising and sometimes even for dropping.

Cheers,
Loren

 

[toddster]

I do prefer the full battens on my Hobie Cat to the the little vestigial battens on my E29. Handling the sail is easier, in most regards, and even though both sails are old and worn, the battened one holds a decent shape. The Hobie jib is also full-battened, and in light winds I have to stand up and slap it to get the battens across the mast on a tack, which is a bit of a pain

So, I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a new suit for the E29. The sailmaker I talked to said something to the effect that full battens "don't work so well" with the "old style metal slides" on my mast. But he didn't really elaborate. I'll try to get him to explain when he comes out to measure. I think he said: plastic slides + full battens = good. metal slides + full battens = bad. But I don't know why.

 

[Seth]

Mast slides

The reason they "don't work so well" with old style sail slides is that these battens are heavy and exert bending loads at the slides along the luff of the sail, which will cause the slides to jam on the way up or down (since they are loading at an angle because of the weight of the battens).

Full battens do make for a better shaped, longer lasting sail, but you need to make some changes to the luff hardware. The best solution is the Tides Marine system. It is very easy to install and you will never have a problem dropping the sail