Battens...

[wingreen]

they're something I have always taken for granted, but now that I need new ones (long story), I find myself thinking about things.

I bought a few feet of poplar strips from Lowe's, cut them to size, and sanded them down to remove the rough stuff and splinters. Although they fit well, they are a little thicker, heavier, and hence more stiff than the original lightweight, flexible wood battens that came with the boat (a Ty).

Are there issues to consider here? Do battens need to have a minumum flexibility, or are stiff battens ok? I am unable to identify the wood that was used for the original battens, but it seems a little softer and more flexible than the poplar - does anybody know what it is?

[Neil Gordon]

From pineapplesail.com:

"In the case of a non-bendy mast (which is most cruising boats and a large percentage of production boats), full length battens take control of sail shape, essentially over-ruling the effect of changes in the outhaul and the cunningham. The sail can be made flatter by (a) using stiffer battens or (b) reducing the tension on the battens themselves. The sail can be made fuller by (a) using more flexible battens or (b) increasing the tension on the battens. An extrapolation of this is that the sail shape is basically predetermined by the batten stiffness."

The longer they are, the more they need to flex/curve to match the optimal sail shape. If they're shorter and just there to support the roach, it matters less.

[wingreen]

From the information in your post, Neil, it almost sounds like it could be a good thing to have one set of flexible and one set of stiff battens, depending on the weather. In either case, it may not matter much for me, since I do not have full-length battens. The top and bottom battens are very short, about 12 inches, while the two in the middle are both about 2 ft. long.

[Dalton]

I replaced my full batten main last year and have the old battens in my garage. If you like I can cut them to length and ship. They are about 1 inch wide. The new ones are tapered on all 4 sides.

[ronkberg]

Wingreen, I also have a Typhoon and the four mainsail battens are made of some kind of plastic or fiberglass. I have seen replacements at West Marine and also Hamilton Marine in Portland, ME. The are very common and I'd expect that most marine stores would have replacements, if the wooden ones do not work out. Others will have to chime in with the actual answer to your specific questions.

Ron

[wingreen]

Your offer, Dalton, and others like it are what makes this group so awesome. I'll decline for now, but I'll keep it in mind in case my new ones don't work out.

Thanks also for the info, Ron. My initial thoughts are that stiffer battens might keep the sail a little straighter, and perhaps allow the boat to be pointed an extra degree or two into the wind, and the longer the battens the more pronounced the effect might be. On the down side, I think a straighter sail might have a little less of the aerodynamic effect when reaching than a sail w/ a little more fullness (is that the right word?). I suspect there's some old salt out there w/ the knowledge to answer my specific questions, but I'm happy to wait on it for now - I see it as part of the journey.

[Paul D.]

From my racing days and work in a marina I seem to remember that good battens will be tapered in thickness so that they are more flexible the further they are from the leech. That is where there is more camber in the sail and you want to encourage that natural curve.

On our cruising type of boats I don't know how much that will make a difference but I think the important things are to have a moderate flex to them, lightweight and the proper size and length so they don't fly out when the sail luffs. I lost three of my four battens in 45 knots last year, a sacrifice to the Lake Superior gales of May (as in the gales of November REALLY early) since then I have considered a battenless sail.

Has anyone any experience with that on a CD?

All the best,
Paul

[Oswego John]

Paul,

No. My main has caps overlapping the aft edge of the batten pockets. This prevents them from sliding back out accidently.

They are something like the storm flaps you have on the pockets of your parka.

O J

[Neil Gordon]

Paul,

No. My main has caps overlapping the aft edge of the batten pockets. This prevents them from sliding back out accidently.

My pockets velcro shut.

Yes, battens should have a certain amount of flex. Otherwise, they'll cause wear within the pockets and are subject to breaking as the sail flogs around. Flying out is bad, too.

Oh... the advantage of wooden battens is they float. Hard to get the flex and unbreakedness, though.

[mgphl52]

Hi Paul D.

After getting a new full-batten main on my CD25, I will most likely never go back. The first major expense for KAYLA was a new full-batten main also... Since we raced her a good bit and sailed quite often, after five years, I did have one of them wear thru the leech boot. Luckily, when I gybed in some heavy air (single handed), the batten fell right on me in the cockpit! Sometimes the gods & goddesses must take pity...

Some in the racing community claim full-battens don't allow you to see minor errors in main trim, but I don't care! The only real hassle we have is tacking or gybing in real light air as I have a bit more roach and it tends to hang on the back stay.

The only "no-batten" sails I've seen are on furled mains, something I really would rather not have! Just my humble opinion.

[Dean Abramson]

Against the advice of some folks on this board whom I really respect, I went with full-battens and a roach on our new main.

All I can say is that the boat really goes well in light air now, and we achieve hull speed in much less wind than before. True, the other two sails are new also, and we increased the yankee from an 85 to a 105.

I find that making sure I am pointed straight into the wind when raising or lowering sails makes it easy not to snag the lazy jacks. And I find there is no issue with the topping lift; the sail just pops through.

I love my full-battened main. It's great to have good sail shape even in very light air.

Dean

[Dean Abramson]

Thinking more about this, I think that the sail does not pop past the topping lift. It is that the topping lift just stays on whatever side it wound up on when I raised the sail. The topping lift is set at a point which keeps the boom where I want it with the sail down, but when the sail is up there is enough slack that the line just hangs there, either in the sail or ouside of it. In any event, it has been a non-issue for me.

If my sail touches the backstay, it slips by so easily that I have not noticed whether it touches it or not.

Dean