I am new to sailing and recently purchased a 1985 MacGregor 25. The boat is in fair shape overall but does need some TLC which will keep me busy over the winter months. The main sail appears to be original and is in good shape but is missing the three battens. The slots for the battens appear to be large enough to hold up to a 1" x 25" batten. Being new to sailing, I'm not sure if battens are critical items but, if they are, I would appreciate any advice for sizing replacement battens.
Replacement main sail battens
- Thread starter Bruce20841
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We lost a batten last summer and I was able to find a replacement at West Marine. As I recall the cost was nominal
I'm just up the road
and on the coast from you. I sail a Mac 26, maybe not to the best performace (sail shape, etc.), as I'm also new to Mac sailing, but my battens have stayed in the cabin, never used them so far. On my Hobie 18's, there was a lot of batten pocket wear I thought, needing more sail repair. To me I'm still doing what I consider good "over the water/ground speed without them. May I ask where you are going to sail? We spent the summer at Lake Almanor, but did'nt get to take the boat, it looked like a good place sail. They really dropped the level after Labor day. Eagle lake, looked like a great place to sail also. Fair Winds..........Mel
and on the coast from you. I sail a Mac 26, maybe not to the best performace (sail shape, etc.), as I'm also new to Mac sailing, but my battens have stayed in the cabin, never used them so far. On my Hobie 18's, there was a lot of batten pocket wear I thought, needing more sail repair. To me I'm still doing what I consider good "over the water/ground speed without them. May I ask where you are going to sail? We spent the summer at Lake Almanor, but did'nt get to take the boat, it looked like a good place sail. They really dropped the level after Labor day. Eagle lake, looked like a great place to sail also. Fair Winds..........Mel
Battens and Sail Shape
I have a 26C with the original main. I have sailed with and without the battens. There are wind conditions wherein you don't need the battens, but here is a hint for when you do need them...when your leech line won't remove trailing edge flutter. I saw this problem the last time out and I put the battens back in. The wind was really blowing and the leech was not supported enough without them..YMMV John S Boise
I have a 26C with the original main. I have sailed with and without the battens. There are wind conditions wherein you don't need the battens, but here is a hint for when you do need them...when your leech line won't remove trailing edge flutter. I saw this problem the last time out and I put the battens back in. The wind was really blowing and the leech was not supported enough without them..YMMV John S Boise
cut to fit.
I got a long batten, then cut it to fit. made several from one lenght of stock. got mine from sailorman, but any 1" stock should work. I have lost several when raising the main, so now use sailtape to keep them in.
I got a long batten, then cut it to fit. made several from one lenght of stock. got mine from sailorman, but any 1" stock should work. I have lost several when raising the main, so now use sailtape to keep them in.
Sailing Spots
We have a slip at Oak Bottom marina at Whiskeytown Lake which will serve as our home base. We wanted a sailboat which could be trailered and launched by our RV so we could visit other sailing spots. We plan to eventually visit Shasta (15 miles), Trinity (50), Eagle (112), Almanor (115) and Clear Lake (166). Maybe even go into Oregon to Emigrant Lake (136) <grin>! If GB is Gold Beach then you are on our favorite RV route. We (wife, yellow Lab and 2 Beagles) travel from Redding to Eureka, Brookings, Gold Beach, Bandon and out to I5 back to Redding (sometimes we go all the way up the coast to Astoria). We love the Oregon State Parks and almost always stay in them (they are dog and RV friendly!!). Do you sail along the Oregon Coast? If yes, what ports do you visit?
We have a slip at Oak Bottom marina at Whiskeytown Lake which will serve as our home base. We wanted a sailboat which could be trailered and launched by our RV so we could visit other sailing spots. We plan to eventually visit Shasta (15 miles), Trinity (50), Eagle (112), Almanor (115) and Clear Lake (166). Maybe even go into Oregon to Emigrant Lake (136) <grin>! If GB is Gold Beach then you are on our favorite RV route. We (wife, yellow Lab and 2 Beagles) travel from Redding to Eureka, Brookings, Gold Beach, Bandon and out to I5 back to Redding (sometimes we go all the way up the coast to Astoria). We love the Oregon State Parks and almost always stay in them (they are dog and RV friendly!!). Do you sail along the Oregon Coast? If yes, what ports do you visit?
We sail out of
Gold Beach, when the Bar lays down, and out of Brookings with the Chetco Yacht Club..I'm pretty cautious of the ocean as I was more used to the lakes/res in the Central Valley..on the lakes here we spend a week or so on TenMile. This year my goal is to do the coast between GB, Brookings, Port Orford. I've only been out about 12 miles a few times, and the Mac seems very stable, in the big swells (no breaking seas). Would love to get down your way as we hear Whiskeytown is good. In the next few months plan on San Francisco Bay, after taking an intro to Bay sailing......either before or right after the Sail Expo in Jack London Sq, in April
Gold Beach, when the Bar lays down, and out of Brookings with the Chetco Yacht Club..I'm pretty cautious of the ocean as I was more used to the lakes/res in the Central Valley..on the lakes here we spend a week or so on TenMile. This year my goal is to do the coast between GB, Brookings, Port Orford. I've only been out about 12 miles a few times, and the Mac seems very stable, in the big swells (no breaking seas). Would love to get down your way as we hear Whiskeytown is good. In the next few months plan on San Francisco Bay, after taking an intro to Bay sailing......either before or right after the Sail Expo in Jack London Sq, in April
Whiskeytown in the dark
Bruce, what is the real policy on Whiskeytown towards overnighters? Officially I think you have to keep moving, but a lot of places don't enforce all the rules if you don't bother anyone. My wife and I like to overnight on our Mac 25 and usually sail on Oroville. Whiskeytown is too far for a day trip and Invader Zim is our only RV
Bruce, what is the real policy on Whiskeytown towards overnighters? Officially I think you have to keep moving, but a lot of places don't enforce all the rules if you don't bother anyone. My wife and I like to overnight on our Mac 25 and usually sail on Oroville. Whiskeytown is too far for a day trip and Invader Zim is our only RV
cheep batten material
Having bought several sailboats without battens, I found a much less expensive substitute. At Home Depot or any large building supply store there is a section with 8ft lengths of white vinly 1" strips called dividers. They are for covering the joints in panels of 1/8" thick paneling. They have the necessary flexabilaty of fiberglass battens and you don't have to cry when one goes overboard. I stich the ends of the pockets shut for the season so losses are rare anymore. Unlike wooden battens, they never break. Try 'em, you'll like 'em!
Having bought several sailboats without battens, I found a much less expensive substitute. At Home Depot or any large building supply store there is a section with 8ft lengths of white vinly 1" strips called dividers. They are for covering the joints in panels of 1/8" thick paneling. They have the necessary flexabilaty of fiberglass battens and you don't have to cry when one goes overboard. I stich the ends of the pockets shut for the season so losses are rare anymore. Unlike wooden battens, they never break. Try 'em, you'll like 'em!
Cheap battens
I have replaced battens on my 14' C-Lark daysailer with thin, flexible wooden yard sticks from Lowes. Just take a sander to the corners and edges so there are no pointed or rough spots rubbing against the material. Don't know if it will work on a Mac, but it worked for me.
I have replaced battens on my 14' C-Lark daysailer with thin, flexible wooden yard sticks from Lowes. Just take a sander to the corners and edges so there are no pointed or rough spots rubbing against the material. Don't know if it will work on a Mac, but it worked for me.
Batten Use in Mainsails
Bruce, It will definitely be worth your while to google mainsail battens and read about their purpose in shaping and supporting. Your Mac was designed with simplicity in mind, and your mainsail needs all of the help it can get, because of the lack of an adjustable outhaul, traveler, boom vang or cunningham. These controls help to shape a mainsail, and without them, your mainsail only has its cut and the battens to shape it. Basically, your battens (being partial type) help to support the roach, or that portion of your sail on its trailing edge that is aft of an imaginary line that extends from the top of your sail to the bottom aft corner. This added sail area will flutter without support, and the flutter is very disrupting to the creation of smooth airflow over the wing that your mainsail becomes when air passes over it. I am bringing this up, not to confuse you with technical terms during this start up point in your sailing carrer, but to at least aquaint you with the idea that there is a lot more to shaping your mainsail than just pulling in the main sheet. Even at this stage of your sailing skills, you have some variables in batten usage: the rigidity of the battens in your sail and how much tension is put on your battens when securing them in their pockets. Lighter airs/less wind would require less rigidity in the batten and less tension in the batten pocket. Then there is "batten poke", a negative (to smooth airflow) situation wherein your battens cause a crease in the mainsail at the forward end and disrupts smooth airflow. The battens at the head of the sail are especially critical in this regard. I have a friend who sails a Ventura 25, and in light air he inserts fiberglass fishing rod pieces in his batten pockets to avoid "batten poke". So, for your contemplation over these cold nights, consider that you need battens, you may need battens of different rigidity, and you may want to secure those battens in a manner that allows different tension to be placed on the batten end when installing them in the wing/sail. John S Boise
Bruce, It will definitely be worth your while to google mainsail battens and read about their purpose in shaping and supporting. Your Mac was designed with simplicity in mind, and your mainsail needs all of the help it can get, because of the lack of an adjustable outhaul, traveler, boom vang or cunningham. These controls help to shape a mainsail, and without them, your mainsail only has its cut and the battens to shape it. Basically, your battens (being partial type) help to support the roach, or that portion of your sail on its trailing edge that is aft of an imaginary line that extends from the top of your sail to the bottom aft corner. This added sail area will flutter without support, and the flutter is very disrupting to the creation of smooth airflow over the wing that your mainsail becomes when air passes over it. I am bringing this up, not to confuse you with technical terms during this start up point in your sailing carrer, but to at least aquaint you with the idea that there is a lot more to shaping your mainsail than just pulling in the main sheet. Even at this stage of your sailing skills, you have some variables in batten usage: the rigidity of the battens in your sail and how much tension is put on your battens when securing them in their pockets. Lighter airs/less wind would require less rigidity in the batten and less tension in the batten pocket. Then there is "batten poke", a negative (to smooth airflow) situation wherein your battens cause a crease in the mainsail at the forward end and disrupts smooth airflow. The battens at the head of the sail are especially critical in this regard. I have a friend who sails a Ventura 25, and in light air he inserts fiberglass fishing rod pieces in his batten pockets to avoid "batten poke". So, for your contemplation over these cold nights, consider that you need battens, you may need battens of different rigidity, and you may want to secure those battens in a manner that allows different tension to be placed on the batten end when installing them in the wing/sail. John S Boise
an excellent source
Visit www.sailrite.com for anything connected with sails, canvas or common hardware needs relative to those items. Knowledgeable people, fast service. I've long been one of their happy customers.
Visit www.sailrite.com for anything connected with sails, canvas or common hardware needs relative to those items. Knowledgeable people, fast service. I've long been one of their happy customers.
Yard sticks
Just get some 3/4 oz fiberglass cloth and wrap them once . Cutting them to the right length should be easy enough and the will (dare I say ) measure up to the task . I did this for a temp fix two years agao anf they are still in the sail
Just get some 3/4 oz fiberglass cloth and wrap them once . Cutting them to the right length should be easy enough and the will (dare I say ) measure up to the task . I did this for a temp fix two years agao anf they are still in the sail
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