How do I get the best out of my......

[robbieg]

... fully battened main.

OK I've got a dracron fully battened main on a 34ft boat with a fractional rig. The sail is a few years old but the sailmaker says it is still in good shape. Its got camber lines, adjustable battens, a cunningham, bolt rope and outhall and 3 reefs.

Normally quite happy to put it up, trim it to the leach tell tails and let it get on with it. However may try a bit of racing this year & so I'm getting more interested in how to set it up to get the best out of it -particularly going to windward.

I find the cunningham is usefull in moving the draft forward but wonder how usefull the outhaul and backstay adjuster are in flattening the sail when the battens are holding the shape in-as far as I can see they have no significant effect.

Any words of wisdom appreciated on setting up a f/b main -in particular how do you set up batten tension? Also wondering if a loose footed f/b main would be better than one attached to the boom with a bolt rope-the outhaul may be able to flatten the bottom of the sail better?

Thanks all...

 

[charles_reed]

Definitely better to have a loose footed full-batten main - otherwise you'll be stuck with a very flat sail. Use the outhaul and (if a bendy mast) the backstay to change shape - Cunningham far less use, except to take up halyard slack. Use a non-stretch halyard - wire or Dyneema - Vectran is too stretchy and Kevlar too fatigue-prone.

Camber lines are really go-faster stripes on f-b mains, unlike soft mains where they're a definite tuning tool.

Tell-tales on the leech are extremely valuable - black spinnaker fabric trailers at the end of each batten pocket. You need to get all of them flying.
You'll find far less mainsheet tension required and the need to reef earlier to balance heeling and drive most effectively.

Batten tension - much more required than you'd think, especially on the lower battens - no creasing close to the cars when hard on the wind.
And.. you'll need to tension up at least once during the season.

If you're racing a fully battened main will attract a heavy handicap!!!

 

[srevir]

Not being a regular racer can you explain what a Camber Line looks like on a sail please.

I understand camber in the aerodynamic sense but dont recall hearing anyone describe one on a sail

Thanks

 

[john_morris_uk]

Camber line = thin black line which is stuck/stitched horizontally across the sail so you can see the curve (camber) better.

 

[srevir]

Thanks John

Always something to learn in this sailing game

Have fun