What's the best way to keep full battens from popping out from under the Velcro straps? I keep losing the long one (2nd from the top) from our H212 main.
Batten Retention
- Thread starter 2baBob
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Drill holes through the battens and sew them into place. You can also burn a small hole thru the fabric or just sew through the fabric (dacron/velcro).
I'm old school. I use waxed thread, needle, and a palm guard. (Had to sew a canvas ditty bag to pass for Able)
Put a few stitches in the end of the pocket at the start of the season. Clip them out when you store the sail for the winter.
As an alternate, you could use lines sewn into the sail to tie the pocket closed. This would allow you to remove the battens each time the sail is lowered.
Put a few stitches in the end of the pocket at the start of the season. Clip them out when you store the sail for the winter.
As an alternate, you could use lines sewn into the sail to tie the pocket closed. This would allow you to remove the battens each time the sail is lowered.
If it is a full length batten,
it is good to be able to tension
the batten pocket and add a
slight compression bend to the batten.
If you add an end cap to the batten that
widens towards the tip, so that it is nearly
as wide as the batten pocket, the batten
will be unable to slip past the velcro flap.
This will also spread the load from the batten
across the flap, so the batten does not point
load and chafe its way through the velcro
flap.
it is good to be able to tension
the batten pocket and add a
slight compression bend to the batten.
If you add an end cap to the batten that
widens towards the tip, so that it is nearly
as wide as the batten pocket, the batten
will be unable to slip past the velcro flap.
This will also spread the load from the batten
across the flap, so the batten does not point
load and chafe its way through the velcro
flap.
I was loosing mine from my H-22, went to a local sailmaker for replacement batton material,told him of my problem and along with the new batton strips he gave me some sail tape and suggested to just tape over the slot, which I did and it's held fine all season-no problems. Mike
The velcro straps on the batten pockets of my North main have short pieces of nylon line at their ends. Once pushed into the pocket to keep the batten in place, these lines are then tied to a loop sewn into the aft edge of the pocket. If you don't already have such a system, it would be relatively easy to make one. I've never lost a batten.
Thanks all! I'll be using one (or more) of these suggestions.
I had already tried drilling the batten and sewing it down with waxed thread, and that did work for a year or so. However, here in North Carolina I rarely take the sails off the boat, as we sail year-round (Glory! We moved here from Rochester, NY.), and I wasn't watching it. We're on a lake with twitchy, gusty winds, and I guess that flogging the main sawed through the thread.
The use of sail repair tape across the strap at the leach sounds like an interesting approach. Thanks again.
I had already tried drilling the batten and sewing it down with waxed thread, and that did work for a year or so. However, here in North Carolina I rarely take the sails off the boat, as we sail year-round (Glory! We moved here from Rochester, NY.), and I wasn't watching it. We're on a lake with twitchy, gusty winds, and I guess that flogging the main sawed through the thread.
The use of sail repair tape across the strap at the leach sounds like an interesting approach. Thanks again.
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