Greetings. My wife and I recently purchased a 1979 Rafiki 35. Amazingly, the boat still has her original mainsail. Unsurprisingly, it is pretty blown out, hanging loose and baggy instead of flattening when trimmed. I know buying a new mainsail is in the cards but the lead time on a new sail means I am unlikely to get one until this season is almost over.
The current mainsail has 4 partial battens. I am wondering if adding a full batten or two below the first set of reef points might improve the sail shape a bit. I understand this won't turn the blown sail into a brand new stiff sail-- I am just looking for something to improve the current sail while I wait for the new one to arrive.
Has anyone tried this (or any other techniques) to squeeze a few more months of use out of a mainsail ready to be retired? We would sew the batten pocket(s) on ourselves so the cost of adding battens to the current mainsail would be minimal- I'm just not sure whether it will help.
Thanks!
The current mainsail has 4 partial battens. I am wondering if adding a full batten or two below the first set of reef points might improve the sail shape a bit. I understand this won't turn the blown sail into a brand new stiff sail-- I am just looking for something to improve the current sail while I wait for the new one to arrive.
Has anyone tried this (or any other techniques) to squeeze a few more months of use out of a mainsail ready to be retired? We would sew the batten pocket(s) on ourselves so the cost of adding battens to the current mainsail would be minimal- I'm just not sure whether it will help.
Thanks!