240 Battens

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Randy

Can some one please tell me the width and if possible the lenght of the external battens on the hunter 240? My boat came with them missing so I have no ideal what I'm looking for. It seems like no suppliers are interested in selling them I had no response. I know I can probably pick them up at west marine but I have to atleast know the with. Oh yeah are they tappered?
 
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Ron Baer

I have rerplaced mine before. West Marine sales them. I am not sure of the exact width, either 5/8", 3/4" or 7/8". West Marine only has one size, and it comes in a big roll. They cut off whatever length you want. Add up the entire length of all your battens, and then cut to order at your boat. Hint cut a bit larger than you think, and you can always trim it down.
 
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Joe

Keeping the battens

Possibly the reason that your battens were missing is that they wouldn't stay in and were thrown out while under sail. I lost battens twice on my '01 h260. I found that the velcro wasn't strong enough to keep them in. Hunter advised me to sew them where they lap over at the end. I ended up punching small holes where the strap folds over at the end and putting small ty-wraps through the holes. That has worked fine for the last two years. I regularly sail in heavy air as that is when I think it is the most fun. Also, the West Marine roll type battens are probably fine, but the stock ones from Hunter are much stiffer and might hold the roach out better. They are not that expensive from Hunter for a set. I had to cut one of the battens in the set to fit. Be sure to take off the sharp edge so it won't cut the batten pocket.
 
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Paul H

Battens

I called Hunter Marine when I needed to replace my battens. They told me which size I was for my boat (5/8"). Battens can be ordered from Doyle Sails, Sail Rite, West Marine,etc. As the other guys have said file down the ends so they are tapered. My velcro on the sails kept coming loose so I was loosing my battens. Tried sail tape rather than punch holes in the velcro pocket. They seem to be holding. Paul H S/V Linda Belle 95 H26
 
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Jonathan Dyer

Replacing Battens

I too have experienced the heartbreak of battens escaping and going overboard (they sink - no point in developing a batten overboard drill!). I got tired of the expense so, since cheap is a way of life for me, I looked for a cheap alternative. The Home Depot sells wood screen framing in 8 feet lengths for $1.98. The flexibility seems to be similar to the battens that Hunter provided when I bought the boat. I cut them to the needed size and sand the ends to prevent chafing. So far, so good, and, like I said, cheap. Besides, they float so, if they pop out, a quick man overboard drill retrieves them. Thought you all might like a frugal point of view. Anyone see any problems with using wood?
 
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Rick Macdonald

I use zip cable ties

This came up a week or two ago in another thread. I use those zip-type cable ties after tucking the velcro strap into the pocket. You can probably only do this if your battens stick out past the leech of the sail a bit like mine do. I cut off the excess and melt the sharp end to make a smooth ball.
 
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Frank Sears

RTV...

The sails on my H260 have a velcro strap that fixs across the batten. The first time out they started to come loose. I coated a layer of RTV on the inside of the strap and reclosed. Been tight for 3 years and would be easy to reopen if needed.
 
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Tim

H240 Battens

Battens are 5/8 Pultruded fiberglass. Top is 40", 2nd is 69.5", lower two are both 38.5". Should be able to get them from a local sailmaker for less than $1/foot. A needle and some sail thread and a stitch on each side of the pocket will secure them till you are ready to remove them.
 
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Gary Smith

Frank

Does the RTV leave a residue and if I remove them at the end of the season does using RTV still make sense? Thanks
 
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Tim

RTV or Stitch

I would still recommend the stitch method. No Goo around the sail, and easy to remove when you need to. And thread is by far less expensive than RTV.
 
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