Fully battened main and racing

Nov 26, 2012
1,654
C&C 40-2 Berkeley
I read an article recently to the effect that a fully battened main is basically immune to adjustment via the outhaul, Cunningham, backstay, etc. This is because the battens dominate the sail shape and do not allow the sail to be pulled tight in different directions to achieve whatever desired shape. This irks me to no end since I have a fully battened main. I would like to hear from folks knowledgeable on this subject. How true is this?
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,047
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
How true is this?
It isn't.

A cunningham tightens the luff and battens have no effect on this action.

The outhaul tightens the foot and reduces draft. Battens have no effect.

Unless your battens are too long and too tight in their sleeves.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Its partially true.

Full length battens will dampen the effects of sail shaping in the middle of the sail. So you have to learn how to deal with that.

But trust me, we sail with full battens on BlueJ, and shape the crap out of it, And win races all the time.
 

Rick D

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Jun 14, 2008
7,186
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
Its partially true.

Full length battens will dampen the effects of sail shaping in the middle of the sail. So you have to learn how to deal with that.

But trust me, we sail with full battens on BlueJ, and shape the crap out of it, And win races all the time.
Hey, in line with this, what's your take on the lower-partial vs. full batten biases? I have been told differing opinions from various sailmakers. Full batten now. May be in the market over winter (eleven years on these),
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,196
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
My Nacra beach cat has 10 full length battens. Very common with this type of boat. Batten tension is an integral part of setting up the boat before each race. Quick adjust batten caps are a must. The easiest way to set them is to tilt the boat over on its side so you can sight down the leech, observing the draft, as you're setting the tension. It just takes a few minutes to do this. The flatter you want your sail.. the lower the tension. Which also gives you a wider adjustment range. Increasing the tension will force the sail to maintain it's shape in fluky or light air conditions, but offer a smaller adjustment range. The older nacras use a "tapered" foam core batten that allows it to bend more near the luff and maintain greater stiffness at the leech.

In the type of competition Jackdaw participates ... I would imagine some attention is paid to batten tension at the beginning of the race day when the main is hoisted. Maybe even between heats if conditions change drastically. The few times I've raced my Catalina, with just two full length battens.... I've not paid any attention to them at all because I've always left them fairly loose... they're there just to support the leech, not shape the sail.
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
Seems full battens will reduce the amount of draft you can put into the sail. Easing the outhaul will increase the draft, but only til the battens are fully flexed for the wind condition. Seems a higher wind could flex them more, creating a deeper draft, but then you might be hauling the outhaul to make a shallower draft.
 

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
Seems full battens will reduce the amount of draft you can put into the sail. Easing the outhaul will increase the draft, but only til the battens are fully flexed for the wind condition. Seems a higher wind could flex them more, creating a deeper draft, but then you might be hauling the outhaul to make a shallower draft.
I would think that the effect of the battens on draft would be related to the stiffness of the battens themselves. If you have really stiff battens, the less draft adjustability and vice versa. Just my opinion.
 
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