I'm replacing tne main sail of my Mac 26x. What is the purpose of full vs partial battens and basically, doe they improve performance?
Full or Partial Battens
- Thread starter Edwynn
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Performance is a delicate and hard to measure quality. Putting aside the boat and the skipper, in most cases they're pretty equal. The advantage of full battens is that the sail doesn't flog as much. The disadvantage is weight and possibly more difficulty raising the sail because of the dependency on good sail slugs and clean, waxed mast slot. Many full batten mains use sail tracks and cars in lieu of slugs.
The other issue with a full-batten main is that it may shift the center of effort further aft, resulting in more weather helm... you really need to get a sail that is properly designed for your boat.
If you have a backstay you can really add much roach.
Lowering a sail is generally easier, as it stays in a nice stack.
They tend to hold shape longer and last longer.
The hoist problem will not matter in a boat your size; only when they get bigger.
Dito the COE comment. I have seen nice boats messed up with unbalanced replacement sails, over-sized in the quest for speed. I want to up-size the main on my boat by changing to a square top, but I have not yet decided how to keep my COE right. I won't make the change unless I do something with the fore triangle at the same time.
I would think weight aloft might be an issue for you. It matter less on multihulls, since they are not heeling.
Lowering a sail is generally easier, as it stays in a nice stack.
They tend to hold shape longer and last longer.
The hoist problem will not matter in a boat your size; only when they get bigger.
Dito the COE comment. I have seen nice boats messed up with unbalanced replacement sails, over-sized in the quest for speed. I want to up-size the main on my boat by changing to a square top, but I have not yet decided how to keep my COE right. I won't make the change unless I do something with the fore triangle at the same time.
I would think weight aloft might be an issue for you. It matter less on multihulls, since they are not heeling.
The basic performance difference between the two are you can increase/decrease the compression load on a full batten .... and if the batten is tapered will radically affect the sail shape and the position of where the 'point of maximum draft' is located and the 'roundness' of the luff.
The POMD reflects the helm balance.
The more 'round' the luff entry shape, the more 'forgiving' the sail with respect to attack angle ...and the more powerful (but slower); the flatter the luff entry angle the faster the sail but the narrower the attack angle .. requiring a more precise helmsman.
If you are 'seriously' racing (campaigning) a boat with full battens, you will 'compression load' the battens for the days conditions and will have several sets (differing amounts and degree of taper ... and batten stiffness) all for differing wind/wave conditions. .... for 'flat water', for heavy chop, for light winds, for 'speed sailing', for survival winds, etc. etc. etc.
The POMD reflects the helm balance.
The more 'round' the luff entry shape, the more 'forgiving' the sail with respect to attack angle ...and the more powerful (but slower); the flatter the luff entry angle the faster the sail but the narrower the attack angle .. requiring a more precise helmsman.
If you are 'seriously' racing (campaigning) a boat with full battens, you will 'compression load' the battens for the days conditions and will have several sets (differing amounts and degree of taper ... and batten stiffness) all for differing wind/wave conditions. .... for 'flat water', for heavy chop, for light winds, for 'speed sailing', for survival winds, etc. etc. etc.
A better compromise for that is ..... 2+2 !!! Two full battens at the top and two loooong (but not full) battens lower down.
Its the long full lower battens that create all the friction (especially when the batt-cars 'toggle' in the luff track), etc. making it harder to raise the sail; plus, its the top two that really benefit from batten compression/shape adjustment - you can set up for a 'power' day or a 'fast' day more easily, set up for a full cruising load, set up for a daysail with no load, etc. etc. etc. etc. 2 battens are easier to adjust/shape than 4 (or 5) and its the two top battens that really need to be adjusted in accordance with the conditions of the 'day'.
Better than even that ........... is to install a "Strong track" ... http://www.tidesmarine.com/sail-track.html .... @ only $27.00 per foot. Then, virtually NO friction up or down, strong like bull ... plus since the sail slugs are totally FREE to slide virtually friction-free, will respond more evenly by either halyard tension or cunningham tension depending on how you are 'shaping' the sail once its 'up'. Without the halyard tension being 'equal' all along the luff a sailor-sailmaker can always pick out a boat that has a 'sticky' and high friction sail track on other boats ... as it sometimes takes 'hours' for the slugs on a sticky track to 'equilibrate'.
An often unmentioned - but very important - point is that the total stacking height of the little SS slides is _much_ less than Bat-Cars (either Harken or Selden).
I added a Strong Track to my then-new 05H36 to accommodate the custom suit of sails I had had Doyle make for me. (500sq-ft, 4-full-battens mainsail)
I can just reach the headboard to attach/remove the main halyard shackle, with no need for a mast step. Impossible with the Bat-Cars.
Even with the low friction of SS against the Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene of the track, the 1/4" mainsail downhaul I added is sometimes needed to finish pulling down that big mainsail without leaving the cockpit, as was the case in 30kts (triple-reefed, like the photo out by the Isles of Shoals in my icon) last Saturday.
However, normally the sail very rapidly drops unassisted between my lazy jacks.
After using one for more than 7,000nm between Nantucket and Penobscott Bay, I can say that if you have a compatible mast track, I think Tides Marine's Strong Track is the best thing since sliced bread.
Fair winds,
Al
s/v Persephone
I added a Strong Track to my then-new 05H36 to accommodate the custom suit of sails I had had Doyle make for me. (500sq-ft, 4-full-battens mainsail)
I can just reach the headboard to attach/remove the main halyard shackle, with no need for a mast step. Impossible with the Bat-Cars.
Even with the low friction of SS against the Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene of the track, the 1/4" mainsail downhaul I added is sometimes needed to finish pulling down that big mainsail without leaving the cockpit, as was the case in 30kts (triple-reefed, like the photo out by the Isles of Shoals in my icon) last Saturday.
However, normally the sail very rapidly drops unassisted between my lazy jacks.
After using one for more than 7,000nm between Nantucket and Penobscott Bay, I can say that if you have a compatible mast track, I think Tides Marine's Strong Track is the best thing since sliced bread.
Fair winds,
Al
s/v Persephone
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