As you can see from the picture my bottom two battens are curved the wrong way. My local sailmaker is puzzled. I tried stiffer battens with no luck. Now I am trying full battens. Any other ideas?
My battens curve the wrong way
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As you can see from the picture my bottom two battens are curved the wrong way. My local sailmaker is puzzled. I tried stiffer battens with no luck. Now I am trying full battens. Any other ideas?
This is a stock Doyle sail that sat in a sail cover for 6 years. It had been used only a couple of times. I got the boat in January and noticed this problem soon afterwards. I don't think the the sail lost its shape folded up on the boom for all that time. The batten lengths seem okay, not too tight or too loose. The sailmaker only saw the picture and my description of how there's a crease in the sail that starts at the 'h' in the middle of the 2nd batten and extends down through the forward edge of the 3rd batten and directly through the middle of the bottom batten. It could be that the sail was cut or sewn incorrectly but I don't know how to fix it. I tried it loose-footed letting the clew rise up off the boom but the crease was still there. Have any of you ever experienced this? Or am I unique?
I've seen this in a main that has been bound up inside a sail cover for a looong time. The others kinda hit on it. Is the batten straight when it is out of the pocket? Wouldn't be surprised that the constant bend exerted on the batten over the years hasn't put a permanent warp in it.
The battens are very straight, not warped at all. I tried tightening the leech line and all I got was a lip on the leech. It didn't help turn the battens back the right way. I'm trying to avoid the expense of a new main. This one is 8 years old but has very little use. Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm still listening...
I suspect your main is OK. If the batten is straight when out of the pocket, the pocket may have shrunk a little over the years. I've had rope luffs in a main do that and make it impossible to get the wrinkles out w/o have some sail surgery done.
Another possibility is the leech is too tight. Make sure it is not overtensioned - raise the tail of the boom by hand and see what it does for the leech and battens.
IF the lower battens are straight outside the pocket, then I'd take 1/2" off the lowest one and see what that does. You'll not ruin anything by doing that and it may be just enough to keep the batten from bowing in the wrong direction. Just be sure that it is straight and flat under no load.
Another possibility is the leech is too tight. Make sure it is not overtensioned - raise the tail of the boom by hand and see what it does for the leech and battens.
IF the lower battens are straight outside the pocket, then I'd take 1/2" off the lowest one and see what that does. You'll not ruin anything by doing that and it may be just enough to keep the batten from bowing in the wrong direction. Just be sure that it is straight and flat under no load.
The battens are not very tight. If anything, the batten pockets have stretched. Sail surgery sounds like what I need, but my local sailmaker seems too puzzled.
The way I read the photo is:-
1) The sail is probably dacron and needs its luff and foot pulled out quite hard and stretched - unlike a modern hi-tech plastic film sail which has virtually no stretch.
2) There is little luff tension as evidenced by the crows-feet creases at each slider and the luff sagging away from the mast between sliders.
3) There appears to be excessive draft near to the mast indicating need for outhaul tension.
4) The creases towards the clew indicate the boom is sagging down.
My suggestion is to put quite a bit of tension on the luff and stretch the bolt rope, having first made sure the vang and sheet are not tight. This will lift the boom and should remove the clew creases.
Then see if the outhaul needs tensioning also.
Then pull the mainsheet on and take another look.
Then see if the mast needs some pre-bend to take out the excess draft.
1) The sail is probably dacron and needs its luff and foot pulled out quite hard and stretched - unlike a modern hi-tech plastic film sail which has virtually no stretch.
2) There is little luff tension as evidenced by the crows-feet creases at each slider and the luff sagging away from the mast between sliders.
3) There appears to be excessive draft near to the mast indicating need for outhaul tension.
4) The creases towards the clew indicate the boom is sagging down.
My suggestion is to put quite a bit of tension on the luff and stretch the bolt rope, having first made sure the vang and sheet are not tight. This will lift the boom and should remove the clew creases.
Then see if the outhaul needs tensioning also.
Then pull the mainsheet on and take another look.
Then see if the mast needs some pre-bend to take out the excess draft.
Your topping lift is too tight in your picture, it should be looser when sailing. I looks like it is intefering with the battens.
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