Dave, Dedication to the airfoil is a large part of sailing right?? Then dedication to the Hydrodynamics, Meteorology, Mixology, Enology,..... Tapered battens also extend the length of your mainsail by allowing the battens to transition smoothly rather than provide a 'hard' spot at the end of each batten pocket. Better shape, longer life, and faster shape. All is good. I get mine from Ullman Sails - they taper them, reasonably priced too! NFIW. I give them the measurement of the pocket plus about 1/2 or 3/8 longer so I can 'custom' fit them. 40 grit to length then sand all edges with 150 grit. Tape over the inboard end is a good idea. Make sure you get the 'certified organically grown' ones. Take Care, Have Fun, Go Sailing GO M-17 # 316a "LB/GF" That ain't bad gelcoat...it's patina! In a message dated 5/2/2009 7:52:53 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time, wdscobie@yahoo.com writes: that is dedication to the airfoil connie. of the three monty mains i now have (two for SCRED and one for SWEET PEA), none have tapered battens. M17s is mckibben. SCREDs are mckibben and E/P. dave scobie M17 #375 - sweet pea (http://www.m17-375.webs.com) M15 #288 - SCRED (for sale, http://www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred) _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! **************Check all of your email inboxes from anywhere on the web. Try the new Email Toolbar now! (http://toolbar.aol.com/mail/download.html?ncid=txtlnkusdown00000027)