When putting away my square-top main for the winter, I eased the tension off on all the battens and removed the top batten. When I started my sailing season in June, I re-tensioned the battens, but I'm having trouble with the top battens staying inverted on tacks and gybes. I've tried easing the tension, which has helped some, but now I seem to be getting a pucker in the sail from down and in from the front of many of the battens. DOES ANYONE HAVE A METHOD FOR SETTING THE CORRECT BATTEN TENSION, or suggestions on whether to go tighter or loser depending on conditions or issues with the sail function or shape as I've described?
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Wētā North America
weta trimaran weta sailboat one design high performance sailing dingy
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Batten tension is one of those topics where it’s hard to get definitive advice. It tends toward, “not too tight, not too loose”—not too helpful, is it? You are right, if the top battens don’t pop over to the other side when you tack they are too tight. So lighten up until that stops happening. After that you may just want to call it good, or you can go through a great deal more trial and error, your call. It’s hard to discern what’s optimal. Pucker along the luff rope is pretty normal, you can use the downhaul if you want but be careful, you can overdo it. Better to leave a little pucker. I own the same sail—the comments regarding the Melges sail aren’t particularly applicable to this one.
My Weta does not have North sails, but my Melges 17 scow has North. I can suggest a few things that usually eliminate puckers here and there. Ugly things.
The obvious things first:
1. Make sure your Cunningham is pulled down/adjusted as appropriate for the wind you have that day. Check it while under sail.
2. There is probably a small diameter leech line that can be adjusted/pulled at the sail's clew. The line runs up along the leech and is contained in its leech pocket. If you have an adjustable leech line it will keep the roach from cupping forward and really screwing up the flow off the sail.
3. Some North batten pockets have a slit across the pocket near the batten entry into the pocket near the roach. It is there to enclose the roach end of the batten. A piece of the end of a batten should not be showing extending out of the pocket. The batten should be end-to-end fully contained in the pocket. (Again, I'm guessing at the North sail for Weta.)
4. Some battens from any manufacturer will sometimes be a tad too long which can make them not as quickly to respond after tacking. See if that batten is just too stiff in the pocket. Reaching up to shake the sail to pop that batten is annoying. So, as a last resort try putting the batten in a miter box and trim the end (shorten) a little to see if that makes a difference. Sometimes 1/4" will be enough.
5. Make sure when the main is hoisted that it is properly set in the cleat up there at the head of the mast.
6. If the batten is prone to sliding out completely, have a spare one back on the beach. (I won't say how I know that will save your outing.)
North Square-Top new in March 2020.
Which sail maker of your sails?