Dee Bee
Member
I can get my fully battened sail home for storage without taking the battens out. Is there a reason that I should take the battens out?
Full length battens
- Thread starter Dee Bee
- Start date
Boathook
Well-known member
None that I'm aware off. Maybe release the battens to ease any tension on the sail.
I have to take my battens out to fold up the main and then roll (1.5m diameter circle) the battens up for storage either on board or to take home.
I have to take my battens out to fold up the main and then roll (1.5m diameter circle) the battens up for storage either on board or to take home.
dunedin
Well-known member
No need to remove battens if sail is small enough.
If like ours the battens are very long and need to be removed - consider storing them inside the boom (provided well tied on). Ours are too long to fit anywhere inside the cabin, and after repeatedly tripping over them finally saw somebody suggest the inside the boom solution. Perfect
If like ours the battens are very long and need to be removed - consider storing them inside the boom (provided well tied on). Ours are too long to fit anywhere inside the cabin, and after repeatedly tripping over them finally saw somebody suggest the inside the boom solution. Perfect
Sandy
Well-known member
Please take the battens out otherwise the sail will never fit in the sail bag.
Dee Bee
Member
I have a full length sail bag and can get the sail in my car with the battens in. Bloomin heavy getting it to my car though.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
I have a roof rack. I take one half of the extending ladder. Tie that to the roof rack & then tie the sail, inside the sail bag, on to the ladder. It does overhang a bit but that is at the back & can be tied down to prevent flapping. Takes 2 of us to lift on & off the ladder though.
I leave the battens in place, but they only add minimal tension to the sail. Battens are not there to provide sail shape , only support the leech & support the sail correctly on the drop into the lazybag.
I leave the battens in place, but they only add minimal tension to the sail. Battens are not there to provide sail shape , only support the leech & support the sail correctly on the drop into the lazybag.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Some of us have decent quality sail bags. Hyde have supplied me with one that could easily be altered into a sail lazy bag when my old one wore out, if I felt so inclined to play with a sewing machine. Similar one for my laminate jib from optimum sails. The sail can be dropped & flaked straight into the bag & zipped up ready for the next hoist.
Cspirit
Active member
On my last boat (36’) I would take the battens out and zip tie them to the guard rails for the winter. (Also did this when we went through the canals to the Med.) Current (small) boat has short traditional battens. Much better.......
Concerto
Well-known member
What sort of full length battens do you have? Old design ones are rod, but modern ones are flat. If flat then they can be rolled into a loop about a metre in diameter, that was how my new battens were delivered with the new mainsail. When removing the full length battens the cars are not adjusted, so they will be exactly the same tension when refitted.
William_H
Well-known member
No reason to remove them unless it is to facilitate transport or storage. ol'will
Roberto
Well-known member
Wear gloves if you remove or handle them.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
We just roll the sail up, battens and all. As it’s loose footed, if you have someone undoing the car couplings as you go, you can keep control of it and roll it up still attached, put some sail ties on the rolled sail before you take it off at the clew and tack. It might be worth a try if you’re not loose footed, just take it off with care at the end.
dunedin
Well-known member
That must depend on the sail and batten car design. On our North sail the flat batten tension is set by the tension at the outer end of the batten pocket, and this needs to be undone to remove the battens. No adjustment needed / possible at the Ronstan cars.
ashtead
Well-known member
I cannot imagine controlling the sail on deck with battens in -rolling it might be a solution so you end up with a very long sausage shape but moving the sausage might take 3 people and once on the pontoon it might be unweildly to transport even if say you had a transit with a roof rack. Clearly the sail is somewhat larger those found on a 26ft centaur. It must be ann area thing though Even if we did it what advantage is gained by not removing as I doubt it helps storage surely? As for washing it with battens rather depends on space I guess.
Concerto
Well-known member
Yes, my experience is with the Ronstan cars where this applies. I have no experience of fully battened North mainsails, so I stand corrected.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
The advantage of removing the batten from the car end should mean that the leech is flush with zero projection. My Hyde mainsails do not snag on the lazy jack lines on the hoist. I could imagine it being a pain, if there were even just the slightest of batten extending from the leech.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Much easier with battens in. The sail stays as a nice tube & can be slid straight into the boom groove, from the sail bag,between the lazy covers.Then thread the sliders in the mast.
As I said in an earlier post I carry mine on a Renault Kango tied to a ladder on the roof rack.
Mainsail is about 40-45M2 from memory
When removing we drop the sails into the bags. Carry on to the grassed area in the marina. Lay the sails out, check for damage in case they need to go for repair. The flake neatly & place in the bag complete with the lazy bag from the boom. The whole thing can be stored in the loft at home or in the garage sail store.
Last edited:
Ian_Edwards
Well-known member
I'm not sure what size of boat you have, and the length of the battens
If it's small, it's probably easier to keep the battens in and roll the sail, then transport it in the car or on a roof rack using a ladder to stop then flexing, as suggested above.
If the boat is big, you have no option but to take them out, the sail will be too difficult to handle.
At some boat size there will be a crossover when the sail is too difficult to manhandle, then taking the battens out makes life much easier.
The lower batten on my boat is over 5m long, so it won't fit inside the car without being bent, and it is surprising how far you can bend them.
The photograph is of the main and self tacking jib load in the car, jib on the right, main on the left, with the main sail battens bent through 180deg. They go from the footwell on the passenger side, you can also see the rod battens for the self tacking jib.
the main sail is about 75square meters, and weighs nearly 50kg, the jib 55 square meters and weighs about 40kg.
I'm 76 and and with thought and careful handling I can rig and de-rig both sails and get them into and out of the car, single handed.
If it's small, it's probably easier to keep the battens in and roll the sail, then transport it in the car or on a roof rack using a ladder to stop then flexing, as suggested above.
If the boat is big, you have no option but to take them out, the sail will be too difficult to handle.
At some boat size there will be a crossover when the sail is too difficult to manhandle, then taking the battens out makes life much easier.
The lower batten on my boat is over 5m long, so it won't fit inside the car without being bent, and it is surprising how far you can bend them.
The photograph is of the main and self tacking jib load in the car, jib on the right, main on the left, with the main sail battens bent through 180deg. They go from the footwell on the passenger side, you can also see the rod battens for the self tacking jib.
the main sail is about 75square meters, and weighs nearly 50kg, the jib 55 square meters and weighs about 40kg.
I'm 76 and and with thought and careful handling I can rig and de-rig both sails and get them into and out of the car, single handed.
