Furling sail with vertical battens worth the upgrade?

[alex909]

I have a 2005 Beneteau 343 that has the standard negative roach Neil Pryde furling main that came with the boat. I was thinking of upgrading to a furling mainsail with partial length vertical battens from Doyle or UK to increase the roach and main's power.

What do you all think? Would this be worth the expense (though money is something of a secondary consideration, but definitely a consideration). I have not gone out to price these yet, but I'd imagine that it'd be about $4,000 for the main, another $3,000 for the genoa if I decided to get a new one of those too.

I'm looking to do some distance cruising this year and would like to be able to squeeze out as much efficiency as I can.

Also, is there a good time of the season to buy sails? Are they cheaper at the beginning or end of the season?

Thanks for the advice!

Alex

[tommays]

do you have a folding prop ?

[alex909]

Yes, I just installed a feathering Kiwi prop (boat was just launched but I haven't tried it out yet).

Alex

[speciald]

Sails are discounted in the Winter in most of the US. You might consider ordering directly from UK Hong Kong. I have gotten good prices from them in the past. I guess you would add about 15% to the main sail area with a full roach. I have a prejudice against in-mast furling so I can't comment on the efficacy of verticle battens and how they furl into the mast.

[tommays]

I think the prop is going to do far more for your speed than replacing 5 year old sails UNLESS there in real bad shape