Regarding the need for jib furlers for safety/control, doesn't it depend to some degree if you're talking about a boat with vs without a battened jib? Obviously you can't use a furler with a battened jib, but my question is with a battened jib wouldn't you have so much stability in the draft profile that you wouldn't need one? When overpowered, just release the jib sheet, let it luff, and it won't flog much. When sailing a spi boat downwind I thought that many people just release the jib sheet, even in lots of wind, but I don't think that would work well with a non-battened jib.

A related question: many battened jibs I've seen come with three battens, with the foot of the sail frequetly without one. If there is any flogging in higher winds it's at the bottom. So why not use 4 battens?

For those of you with battened jibs, how many battens do you have and how well behaved is your sail? Do you ever wish you could furl it? Do you ever just release the main sheet and is it then depowered, out of the equation, and not flogging?


Jerry