Batten Width?

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Batten Width?

Postby hriehl1 » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:09 am

The Class Handbook does not say anything about batten width; only length.

My battens, who knows if they are correct, are 5/8 inch wide, yet the pockets would seem to accommodate 1-5/16 (the next size up that Defender sells). Certainly the wider battens would be stiffer.

Does anyone know what they "should" be. Would the wider stiffer battens be too stiff, and stress the pockets too much?

Any advice appreciated.
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Location: New Hampshire Seacoast

Postby GreenLake » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:37 pm

I think this depends on how the sails and battens are constructed.

The set of sails my boat came with had battens over one inch wide. Some or all of the original battens seem to have been lost, because some were clearly home-crafted strips of wood. The two shorter ones weren't fitting the pockets very well. I made replacements for those, one from painters' stir sticks (for 5 gal buckets) and one from a strip of thin plywood. Those seemed to work well (or well enough for those old sails). Most of the wear on the batten pockets came from inserting and removing the battens.

The plywood wasn't up to the job, and I probably cut it the wrong way as well (with the top veneer at 90 degrees to the long direction). It shows definite cracking and as a result is softer. In a really strong wind it might have snapped. Oh well, one learns.

My new sails (Jotz) came with much narrower battens, but also narrower pockets. The battens are from some plastic and are somewhat more springy. The sailmaker recommends rolling the sail and leaving the battens in place to save on wear on the batten pockets.

My conclusion from this is, one, that I'm not sailing in ways test the battens or their performance to their limits. If that's true for you, you might also not observe any difference. :D

My second conclusion would be that that 5/8" battens from the right material might be plenty stiff/strong for your needs.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Batten Width?

Postby IslandFarmer » Mon Jul 13, 2020 2:08 pm

I recently purchased a DSII (1983) with the Neil Pryde main white, black, bright blue, light blue, white sail as pictured.
Rigged on trailer_0t20lM_600x450.jpg
Rigged on trailer_0t20lM_600x450.jpg (19.56 KiB) Viewed 3763 times


Elastic for the third batten pocket (from the top) was shot and I was reviewing DIY redos this weekend when my sister emailed to say that that batten flew out of the sail into Little Narragansett Bay (CT/RI). Reading my handy-dandy manual from Roger Conrad (that I had bound into a great little book), the paragraph (8.9) on battens says that the max length is 40.5". I'd rather buy a new batten than glue narrowed paint sticks together.

Looking for reassurance and a little input on my plan.

Defender sells Bete-Fleming 3' and 5' battens so I guess I need to buy the 5' (and two caps) — for about $12 — cut it down to proper length and super glue on the caps. One drop each I read. (I will go in person so no S/H.)

Width: Battens that came with the sail appeared to be 5/8" and GreenLake suggests that the 5/8" should be fine, so I guess that's what I'll do. (I will also scrounge around in the barn to see if something should turn up for free.)

Length:
- Cut to 40._" so length with caps is 40.5"? (Not sure how much to allow for the caps...)
- Or cut to be a certain amount shorter than the length of the pocket?
- Or, match batten #2?
- Or all of the above.

I've decided to roll my main along the leach and store onboard under the cover I ordered from Sailors' Tailor. I'm keeping it on a mooring.

I am not racing except for occasional for-fun in the Stonington Harbor Wednesday Night series. Plan to keep these sails for as long as possible -- have put on Dacron stick patches (both sides) that I now have UV thread to sew on to keep them from peeling off.
1983 DSII 12250
Stonington CT
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Re: Batten Width?

Postby jalmeida51 » Mon Jul 13, 2020 2:24 pm

The width of my battens are 1/2 an inch. My sail is a year old Neil Pryde. D&R sells battens. My battens are fiberglass. John
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Re: Batten Width?

Postby GreenLake » Mon Jul 13, 2020 4:36 pm

It's clear that sailmakers use different sizes and materials for their battens, and to get the perfect replacement you'd have to work with your sailmaker. I think the plan of getting a locally available one an cutting it down in length sounds like the easiest solution and will probably be acceptable. If you are worried and able to compare, I'd try to check whether your substitute looks like it's about as bendy as what you are replacing.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Batten Width?

Postby IslandFarmer » Mon Jul 13, 2020 4:47 pm

Thank you John and GL.
I think I read about D&R Marine when I was in a blur a couple of weeks ago. Have now bookmarked it.
Will bring the other battens with me on my trip to Defender in Waterford. And the sail, too, I guess.
1983 DSII 12250
Stonington CT
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Re: Batten Width?

Postby GreenLake » Mon Jul 13, 2020 4:53 pm

Sounds like a plan. Not worth overthinking this; sails are a consumable, after a few seasons of regular use you may well want new sails anyway.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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