Ask SAIL: are Two Full Length Battens Enough?

Author:
Publish date:
Updated on
Conventional battens are lighter and create less friction than full-length batterns

Conventional battens are lighter and create less friction than full-length batterns

TWO FULL-LENGTH BATTENS ENOUGH?

Q: Can you resolve a debate I have been having with a fellow sailor? He insists that I should have full-length battens in my mainsail. But I read somewhere that just two full-length battens at the top is a better way to go. Which is the proper number and type of battens?

Tracy Carson, Chicago, IL

BRIAN HANCOCK REPLIES

37582

Like much in sailing it’s a matter of opinion, and while I’m sure your friend feels that he is right, it’s my opinion that he is wrong. I prefer a mainsail with two full-length battens up high and standard length battens through the reef area. The full-length battens up high stabilize the fabric and make the sail more manageable if you are using some kind of lazyjack system. Leaving them out down low, however, gives you much better control over sail shape. Fewer battens also means a lighter sail. If you are concerned that a sail with only two full-length battens will not work well with lazy jacks, don’t be. In fact, the sail will probably work better, because there will be less friction from having fewer full-length battens.

Brian Hancock is a sailmaker, whitbread race veteran and creator of allaboutsails.com

Do you have a question for our experts? Submit it to sailmail@sailmagazine.com

September 2015

Related

Tilly-1
Apparel and Accessories

Gear: Tilley Polaris Hat

A True Blue Tilley Sailing is all about fun in the sun, but it sometimes doesn’t take long to get too much of a good thing, especially when on a prolonged cruise or offshore passage. Enter the Tilley Polaris, the latest lid developed by iconic Canadian hat-maker Tilley. ...read more

Sand-TOWEL_MODEL-3
Apparel and Accessories

CGear Sand-Free Beach Towel

Sand Be Gone! The summer is hot and full of terrors—not the least of which is the sand that sticks in your beach towel in the hopes of a free ride back to your car or boat. Fortunately, there's now the CGear Sand-Free Beach Towel, engineered in polyester to not only dry quickly ...read more

01-Blowup-Tiwal2_sailing-(3)
Sailing Gear

Gear: Tiwal Inflatable Sailing Dinghy

Blow-up Boating A few years ago, the French company Tiwal arrived on U.S. shores with that most improbable of products, an inflatable sailing dinghy that actually sails the way a boat is supposed to. Now, nearly 1,000 Tiwal 3’s later, the company is back with its Tiwal 2, an ...read more

Koozy
Apparel and Accessories

Gear: 22 Below Koozie

Killer Koozie For all that sailors love the warmth of this time of year, that same warmth can also wreak havoc on their otherwise icy-cold beers. (Unless, of course, you drink them very, very fast. But we won’t go there.) To help deal with this terrible hardship, North ...read more

Cool-Specs
Apparel and Accessories

Gear: Gill's Race Fusion Sunglasses

Wicked Cool Specs Is there anything in the world of sailing more fun than a cool pair of shades? Heck, no! And it would hard to find a cooler pair than these new Race Fusion specs from longtime weather-gear manufacture Gill. In addition to looking great, they include a number of ...read more

North_new
Apparel and Accessories

Gear: North Sails Waterproof Pack

A few years ago, North Sails made a big push into the apparel business with all kinds of sharp-looking button-down shirts, shorts and fleeces. That doesn’t mean, though, that the North Sails Collection isn’t still plenty practical, as is evident in its new roll-over waterproof ...read more

TOTW_PromoSite
Sailboat DIY And Repair Tips

SAIL's Tip of the Week

Presented by Vetus-Maxwell. Got a tip? Send it to sailmail@sailmagazine.com Sort the charts  Lying here on the cockpit seat is my iPad, loaded with Navionics charts. It’s a classic example of the benefits of GPS-assisted paper chart navigation and the wonderful electronics ...read more