Mainsail Leech Problem

Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
Wow @Bill19233 that is a bummer of a story on the sail and loft service for sure!
You reminded me that there was thread a couple years ago on all the problems with my then new sails.
Leech Flutter
I got most of right, I remembered a few details wrong. Made in Sri Lanka, not Singapore.
If you read nothing else in the thread, you have to read my last post that ended the thread.

I had another sail loft fix all the loose stitching on the jib leech last month and replace the broken leech line. All the fluttering tore it up and the leech line broke way up inside the sail.
All the battens have adjustable length on my sail, the partials and the fulls. I will get more information on them this weekend.
 
Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
I had my new main and Genoa made in the Far East a couple of years ago. Had the “local” sailmaker make his own measurements. Problem is not Far East cut/ assembly. Problem is having your local loft stand behind their product. Very disappointing to hear this about “your” local loft. I will keep this in mind when looking for sails, covers, etc and on referrals since we are in the same area. Hope ur able to get this resolved to your liking.
 
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Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
How do you adjust batten tension? Mine are all full and seem shoved all the way in the slot with velcro on the leech.

This is a good learning experience for me, I like the idea of a raised clew cut foot sail as mine is also close to the bimini.
They are partial battens..... their purpose is to support the leech and will have little effect on sail shape. However, if they don't fit the pockets correctly they might not support the leech completely.... and the only way to correct that is to change them out.... You can buy or fabricate battens to a specific size... but your best bet is to have a sailmaker look at the sail.

btw, If you had full length battens then increasing tension would force an increased draft.. for light air situations. Multi hulls are often set up with all full length battens that can be somewhat easy to adjust... My Nacra 5.2 beach cat, for instance, has 10 full length battens with end cap adjusters that protrude from the leech.... making them easy to access and adjust.
 
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HMT2

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Mar 20, 2014
899
Hunter 31 828 Shoreacres, TX
Hey Baytown Bill,

You might want to chat with the folks at Banks Sails over In Kemah. They may have some ideas about how to economically refit your sails. They are good folks and all sails are made in their loft right there. They have made a few sails for me and done repairs on the old set of sails. I have been very pleased with their work.
 

JRacer

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Aug 9, 2011
1,331
Beneteau 310 Cheney KS (Wichita)
Hey Baytown Bill,

You might want to chat with the folks at Banks Sails over In Kemah. They may have some ideas about how to economically refit your sails. They are good folks and all sails are made in their loft right there. They have made a few sails for me and done repairs on the old set of sails. I have been very pleased with their work.
Another one to consider consulting is John Bartlett in Austin, Bartlett Sails.

Also, curious, have you had any discussions with the manufacturer (franchisor) up the food chain from the local loft? Kind of late in the game to start that given the normal wear and tear the sails have seen in the bay but it might be worth a phone call. And, because you can document the discussions and issues you have had from day one they might be sympathetic to the issues and offer a solution or put the squeeze on the local loft to make good on it.
 
Last edited:
Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
Hey Baytown Bill,

You might want to chat with the folks at Banks Sails over In Kemah. They may have some ideas about how to economically refit your sails. They are good folks and all sails are made in their loft right there. They have made a few sails for me and done repairs on the old set of sails. I have been very pleased with their work.
Thanks, Banks actually fixed the loose stitching and replaced the leech line on my jib last month. I bought a code 3 from them in 2017 that was made in their loft, not on the other side of the planet. I should have had them make my new main and jib back when, but I fell for an email promising a huge off season discount or something like that. If the main does need a repair/recut, I'm sure I'll take it to Banks.

Also, curious, have you had any discussions with the manufacturer (franchisor) up the food chain from the local loft?
I did send an email to the name brand. I don't think the local loft was concerned even if they were contacted. I have met other local bay sailors who have had similar issues with them. I'm sure if you're buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of racing sails every couple years, your service is much better.

Never had brand new sails and I'm concerned with the issues I'm already having and worried how long they will last. I'm not out crossing oceans in a perpetual gale, but I do race a lot and the sails are up almost every weekend. The UK sails the boat came with were over 15 years old when I replaced them.
 
Nov 26, 2012
1,653
Hunter 34 Berkeley
If there is no backstay then I am seeing the topping lift in the 1st photo and it is taught. It shouldn't be. That means the vang is not pulling the sail tight. That does not explain the inflection in the sail as shown in the lower draft stripe. That is usually a result of a blown out sail.
 
Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
If there is no backstay then I am seeing the topping lift in the 1st photo and it is taught. It shouldn't be. That means the vang is not pulling the sail tight. That does not explain the inflection in the sail as shown in the lower draft stripe. That is usually a result of a blown out sail.
I know it looks like the topping lift is tight in the cropped photo, but it's loose. Here's the whole photo that shows the sag in the line. The vang was eased a little, we had some twist in along with a reef, winds we're close to 20 knots. The two photos that I started the thread with were taken on different days.
20190926.jpg
 

JRacer

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Aug 9, 2011
1,331
Beneteau 310 Cheney KS (Wichita)
FWIW, I got my main and 150 from that same loft whom I had used for my J24 sails for years. I did all the measurements according to their measurement form. Measured twice/three times before I sent it to them - measure twice, cut once. I have had no issues with the product and they fit perfectly when received.
 
Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
IMG_6885.JPG


Compare the leech in this top photo to the first one in the thread. I adjusted the length of the bottom two partial battens and the leech looks pretty good now. I went all the way in on the adjustment screw, so it's a little too much, needs fine tuning. So, after all the tacks and jibes the screws had worked their way loose and the battens were too short. But, only by a quarter or three eighths of an inch or so, wouldn't think that much would make such a difference. So, the problem wasn't the vang or the leech line or the topping lift or a blown out sail.

IMG_6881.JPG
 
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