Hi Bill-- I haven't seen this topic in here yet so thought I'd throw it out. I've seen the issue debated a lot on internet BB's regarding the advantages of one or two full battens at the top of the mainsail with the lower battens standard partial battens vs. the advantages of all full battens (and the disadvantages of both arrangements). For a standard cruising boat, what's your opinion of the various batten arrangements? Is having all full battens really the best arrangement, especially when compared to the additional cost and weight (of the battens, plus additional luff hardware)? Or will 1, 2 or 3 fulls with the rest partials do the trick? Thanks! I've really enjoyed reading your responses here. Sara
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Great Question!
When it came time for a new main on my h34 I sprung for a full batten sail and came to regret it. It cost more to buy and maintain but it didn't seem to improve performance. Of course there is more money to be made by the sailmaker on one so the professional response will be interesting.
When it came time for a new main on my h34 I sprung for a full batten sail and came to regret it. It cost more to buy and maintain but it didn't seem to improve performance. Of course there is more money to be made by the sailmaker on one so the professional response will be interesting.
Full Batten Pros and Cons
Sara, The primary purpose of battens is to support the roach and maintain a clean exit off the leech of the sail. Full battens have the added capability of inhibiting the flogging action that can accelerate cloth breakdown and shorten the life of the sail. There are pros and cons to full battens. Pros: 1. Minimize cloth damage due to flogging 2. Ability to support a large roach 3. Helpful in flaking since they keep sail stretched out at 4-5 points. Cons: 1. Full Battens cost more 2. Full Battens weigh more 3. Potential for slides binding in mast track due to full batten compression 4. Full Battens somewhat inhibit ability to shape sail For the above reasons the 2+2 or 2+3 combinations are attractive. The top 2 full battens stop most of the severe flogging and create the fewest slide compression problems since they are the shortest. Also the most of the roach is in the top half of the sail so that is not an issue. By changing the long bottom battens from full to partial you save the most weight and cost without giving up performance. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
Sara, The primary purpose of battens is to support the roach and maintain a clean exit off the leech of the sail. Full battens have the added capability of inhibiting the flogging action that can accelerate cloth breakdown and shorten the life of the sail. There are pros and cons to full battens. Pros: 1. Minimize cloth damage due to flogging 2. Ability to support a large roach 3. Helpful in flaking since they keep sail stretched out at 4-5 points. Cons: 1. Full Battens cost more 2. Full Battens weigh more 3. Potential for slides binding in mast track due to full batten compression 4. Full Battens somewhat inhibit ability to shape sail For the above reasons the 2+2 or 2+3 combinations are attractive. The top 2 full battens stop most of the severe flogging and create the fewest slide compression problems since they are the shortest. Also the most of the roach is in the top half of the sail so that is not an issue. By changing the long bottom battens from full to partial you save the most weight and cost without giving up performance. Thanks, Bill C. Doyle Sails
More Information
With regard to battens there are some other things to consider: If you have to do any motor sailing - like going through Agate Pass, Rich Passage, or the Swinomish Channel, and leave the mainsail up then it's nice to have full battens too in order to keep the leach from flogging. With regard to Bill's comments he's spot-on. If you like performance the larger roach is really important, especially around here with our fairly light air, however, not knowing the kind of boat you have one doesn't know how close the backstay is to the existing leach. If it's allready close then there isn't much more roach one can add. If nothing else the full battens at the head will help to maintain sail shape up there. Weight-wise I don't thing the lower full battens necessarily add a significant amount. An easy way to find out is to go to the sail loft and actually hold a batten in your hand of the approx length that will be used. Figure there will be a strip of sailcloth about 2 or 3 inches wide (if it's folded over on the ends) plus thread - anyway, it doesn't seem all that heavy to me. If you aren't extreemly competitive then, for a short-handed crew, there are so many other things that are more important to boat speed than getting the last 0.01 out of sail from sail trim - like strategy, catching the better currents, winds, etc., that one should be concentrating their time on that instead of fiddeling with the nuances of trim. Get the boom angle, leach adjustment, and twist down then don't sweat the small stuff.
With regard to battens there are some other things to consider: If you have to do any motor sailing - like going through Agate Pass, Rich Passage, or the Swinomish Channel, and leave the mainsail up then it's nice to have full battens too in order to keep the leach from flogging. With regard to Bill's comments he's spot-on. If you like performance the larger roach is really important, especially around here with our fairly light air, however, not knowing the kind of boat you have one doesn't know how close the backstay is to the existing leach. If it's allready close then there isn't much more roach one can add. If nothing else the full battens at the head will help to maintain sail shape up there. Weight-wise I don't thing the lower full battens necessarily add a significant amount. An easy way to find out is to go to the sail loft and actually hold a batten in your hand of the approx length that will be used. Figure there will be a strip of sailcloth about 2 or 3 inches wide (if it's folded over on the ends) plus thread - anyway, it doesn't seem all that heavy to me. If you aren't extreemly competitive then, for a short-handed crew, there are so many other things that are more important to boat speed than getting the last 0.01 out of sail from sail trim - like strategy, catching the better currents, winds, etc., that one should be concentrating their time on that instead of fiddeling with the nuances of trim. Get the boom angle, leach adjustment, and twist down then don't sweat the small stuff.
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