AirBattens, full roach performance restored with AirBattens. -inflatable battens

In-mast furling mainsails have never been able to use battens to add shape as well as size to the mainsail. With the addition of four patented AirBattens to a new furling mainsail, sail area may now be increased by up to 20% and aerodynamic shape achieved similar to a sail using solid battens. The battens are inflated and deflated by an air logic control panel located in the safety of the cockpit.

AirBattens may be inflated and deflated individually, so in the event that the mainsail needs to be reefed, only the battens required to support the reefed mainsail are inflated.

Each Batten has its own air tube running down the leech of the sail to the clew where the tubes are connected to multichannel coiled tubing running to the mid boom. From here it can expand or contract as the mainsail is fully unfurled or furled. In each of those extended positions it is nearly stretched out. However in order to demonstrate this capability - in the "thumbnail" photo - it was given extra slack. From this mid point tubing is led through the boom, down the mast, through the deck and back towards the cockpit to the control panel. The control panel is 12 volt and inflates and deflates the AirBattens either individually or together. Time to fill the battens is approximately 2 minutes. Should power fail a manual backup pump is included which also inflates the battens in less than two minutes.

The tubing and battens are impervious to the weather and in many years of testing by Robert Henderson, the mainsail wore out but the battens were still like new.

Pictures are of a 44 ft. sloop with an AirBatten main and a 40 ft. sloop (Windswept) with both an Airbatten main and AirBatten genoa. The genoa is inflated with a hand pump near the bow. The amount of roach is determined by the owner.
AirBattens support the roach in the most effective way - perpendicular to the leech.