Stavanger, Saturday
Jim and Brian
I have no doubt that the use of separate batten panels will work just as well as a one-piece sail when all the bits have been produced and assembled, but I bet the separate panels take just as much time to produce as my cambered one-piece sail, assembled with Amateur method B. The rigging of the separate-panel sails will take more time and the battens will take more time to produce as well.
As for need for floor space; I have just finished a 48sqm cambered panel (barrel-cut) sail. The floor space was only just sufficient for lofting each batten panel - the sewing machine table (on wheels) sometimes had to be rolled aside to allow for lofting. We (2 guys) still finished the sail in 5 ½ day. Rigging such a sail (with batten pockets) takes about 2-3 hours first time.
(PS 10.4.2022: No it takes a good deal more time. Mating the sail with the battens may take 2-3 hours, but time for adding all the extras must be added, and it depends on calm weather. The worst time thief is that of getting the sheetlets right...)
For general use I would therefore rather recommend the one-piece sail. Just look at the junk-rigged boats of today. Their (mostly flat) sails have lasted for 20+ years. As far as I know, Ron Glas still has the sails she had when I spotted her in 1989. For deep sea travellers it may make sense to have separate panels - or at least have the sail in two separate sections, laced together at batten 3. Then, carrying a spare top section on board would be useful. For the rest of us I think there is no need for separate panels, in particular today when the sail material is so tough. The (Thai?) makers of the original separate-panel sails had to do with much simpler "canvas" with a much shorter expected life.
Cheers, Arne
PS: The replacement at sea of a bent or broken batten with tracks would be (even) trickier than pulling out and reinstalling a new batten in a sail with pockets. For deep sea work I think it is better to use lacing if separate panels are being used. A broken batten can then easily be given first-aid with laced-on splints.