Furling Sails

Elvstrøm Sails has pioneered the huge development of main sails that perform well with In-Mast furling systems.

From the early days of Furling Mains back in the 90’s we have constantly developed the Furling Main concept. From the EMS Furling Main with long vertical battens to today’s FatFurl Main and XL which is a trendsetting design with an extended sail area and headboard.

With our most advanced and latest in-mast sail designs you get the absolute max sail area possible. More sail area equals more power and more fun sailing. The leech is curved and with the FatFurl XL the headboard is wide. The wide roach and headboard require a stable material.

The full vertical battens provide support for the leech, whether the sail is fully deployed or reefed. The full vertical battens have a strong carbon top for ultimate support of the leech. Short intermediate battens further strengthen the leech.

Furling these sails is a smooth operation. Battens can even be integrated in the membrane with our FatFurl designs, which results in a pure homogeneous sail surface.

Over the years furling sails have become increasingly popular. We see more and more short-handed crews and more long-distance sailors.

Furling systems are easy and safe to furl in and reef from the cockpit and underway. Let us zoom in on some of the benefits of furling sails.

Development has had a strong influence on what furling and furling sails has to offer today. The first layouts were all crosscuts, but as the trioptimal layouts later came into play, it was possible to make a stronger sail.

Introducing the Trioptimal layout meant that the sail could distribute the forces to the corners of the sail and helping maintain a better shape.

Then EPEX was introduced, and the membrane sail design added an even better combination of force distribution, sail shape and stability, adding performance. 

And speaking of sail shape and shape stability, another change was the addition of battens to the furling sails. Running a furling sail without battens makes it hard to furl and tune, so the battens proved very important for all aspects of the furling concept.

An added bonus to battened furling sails is that the battens work as a new luff when the sail is reefed - giving you another option to depower the sail in hard conditions. 

The full battened furling sail will furl smoothly. The battens stretch the sail and thus prevents folds when furling. And battens aid stability.

With a furling sail reefing is controlled – quick and easy. When you reef or furl in, the vertical full battens work as your new luff and help stretch the sail.

A full battened furling sail is stabilized by the battens, that support the roach and the aft part of the sail.

Check out the various options within in-mast furling in our 3D online configurator.