Batten takes a dive.

[Larry]

We thought we had everything ready.Battens secure in their pockets.Then the first gust of wind took one batten out and pitched it into the water. It sank like a rock.At first it looked like a spreader. But, I didn't see any shrouds hooked to it.Well, back to the supply shop.Any ideas how to prevent that from happening again?

 

[Henry Scurlock]

sew the pockets closed

that should do it

 

[Steve Dion]

Sew it into the sail!

Larry:As Henry stated, it can be sewed into the pocket if that is possible. If the batten is too long or that is not practical, drill a couple of holes in the batten and just sew it through the sail pocket. If you use heavy duty sailing thread, it should be fairly permanent.

 

[Bob Carlton]

Velcro

Try sewing velcro into the batten openings. That way you can insert and remove the battens when you install or remove the sail from the boat (i.e., for winter storage or cleaning) and the velcro closures secure the battens when underway.

 

[Les Murray]

Mine have double velcro closures

I had Doyle Sails add a couple of full battens to the top of my sail. They included a double overlapping velcro closure for each pocket. The original batten pockets actually have zippers for closures. I doubt I will be loosing mine any time soon.Les Murrays/v Ceilidh86 C-36 #560

 

[Rick Webb]

String Tie

I put a hole in the end of mine and tied a piece of string through the hole and around the velcro flap have not lost one since. I lost two before I got around to it, so suckers really fly when they get loose.

 

[Paul Akers]

Sail Repair Tape

I use sail repair tape to close mine. I tape about 5" and wrap from one side if the sail to the other. Peel it off to remove or replace it.