Capt. Rob wrote:
Except for Jeff....who thinks full length battens are the same as a
gaff rig (!!! See his post!!!)

Ah, Bob - you're the one referring to the peak of a gaff as "roach."
Full length battens are the true way to get roach - the gaff usually
adds too much twist.


this was a good sailing thread. Thom,
you are a living museum of sailing memories...I mean that in a good
way.
I had also looking at the new version of the Alerion 38, which ads big
roach to the main...thought of adding sail area for the main on a
ketch...and the gaff pics made me wonder.
Too complicated, even if it could be engineered in a light weight
version, especially since you'd need shape control for the topsail.

You should check this out (third review, between the F33 and Mac 26!):

http://www.sailnet.com/sailing/03/bobnov03.htm