What is this batten?

[ash2020]

My Hunter Medina mainsail has this batten at the top. Am I right in thinking its the sort of thing you get on a fully battened sail? The other 3 battens are normal short ones in sewn pockets. Why?

 

[KevinV]

A picture would be really helpful

 

[dunedin]

Not unusual to have one full batten at the top to hold the leech of the sail, plus partial battens lower down.
Masses of dinghies have this and some cruising and racing yachts.

 

[Boathook]

Has the sail a large roach at the top ?

 

[ash2020]

Not unusual to have one full batten at the top to hold the leech of the sail, plus partial battens lower down.
Masses of dinghies have this and some cruising and racing yachts.

Thanks. Never seen it.

 

[ash2020]

Has the sail a large roach at the top ?

Yes it does, a big heavy thing, almost smashing the washing machine to bits!

 

[ashtead]

Is it possible a previous owner lost the original batten and replaced it with current one as that was all they could buy? The pocket on the sail slider side looks odd in that the batten goes into the top as opposed to centre of the holder.

 

[Boathook]

Is it possible a previous owner lost the original batten and replaced it with current one as that was all they could buy? The pocket on the sail slider side looks odd in that the batten goes into the top as opposed to centre of the holder.

The batten is to narrow for the pocket but won't any difference to the sail shape imho.

 

[thinwater]

Yes it does, a big heavy thing, almost smashing the washing machine to bits!

You put a sail in a washing machine? That's a fast way to wear a sail out, like flogging for hours. Soak in a tub with sail cleaner or Oxiclean (at only the recommended concentration--more is not better), agitate only by hand, srub the few bad spots on a non-abrasive surface, out flat. Oxiclean is the ONLY bleach you should use for sails and is approved for all sail fabrics, including laminates. A weak acid, like citric acid, can be used on rust stains (NOT on nylon sails).

Yes, that looks right, although the hardware is oversized (why the luff end is not centered) for that batten. But that is OK. Yes, the original was probably misplaced, or more likely, flew out when flogging because it was not secured properly. What Boathook said.

 

[Bodach na mara]

Yes it does, a big heavy thing, almost smashing the washing machine to bits!

That's the headboard!

The photo shows the normal arrangement for a full length top batten except that the batten in place is not the correct one. It's too narrow. The outer end pocket also doesn't look right. It should be a plastic holder like the other end. And the inner end is usually designed for a batten car. If that were my sail I would have showing it to a sail maker to get advice.

 

[dunedin]

That's the headboard!

The photo shows the normal arrangement for a full length top batten except that the batten in place is not the correct one. It's too narrow. The outer end pocket also doesn't look right. It should be a plastic holder like the other end. And the inner end is usually designed for a batten car. If that were my sail I would have showing it to a sail maker to get advice.

Cloth end pocket at the outer end, rather than plastic, is not unusual. Our fully battened North mainsail doesn’t have plastic at the outer end - just pockets and strings.

On a bigger sail / boat would definitely want a roller car at the inner end, but probably been like that since new? Mast may not suit a roller car.

 

[ash2020]

Is it possible a previous owner lost the original batten and replaced it with current one as that was all they could buy? The pocket on the sail slider side looks odd in that the batten goes into the top as opposed to centre of the holder.

Quite possible.

 

[ash2020]

The batten is to narrow for the pocket but won't any difference to the sail shape imho.

I agree, It doesn't look like the right batten but I think it'll make very little difference to me.

Cloth end pocket at the outer end, rather than plastic, is not unusual. Our fully battened North mainsail doesn’t have plastic at the other end - just pockets and strings.

On a bigger sail / boat would definitely want a roller car at the inner end, but probably been like that since new? Mast may not suit a roller car.

It's a very small mast/boat.

 

[thinwater]

Roller cars really are not needed until it is a full batten sail and the boat is >35'. My PDQ has full bettens and a lot of roach, and I can pull the main up in seconds without grinding. It drops like a rock. The keys are:

• Clean the mast groove at least annually. Takes a few minutes.
• Use the correct slugs, attached correctly (not shackles--easy, but not flexible enough).

 

[KompetentKrew]

It's a Rutgerson batten holder: rutgerson batten cars

I don't think they make this type any more.

 

[Plum]

My Hunter Medina mainsail has this batten at the top. Am I right in thinking its the sort of thing you get on a fully battened sail? The other 3 battens are normal short ones in sewn pockets. Why?

View attachment 208363

as others have said, not the correct batten but I expect that the leech end of that pocket has, or had, a leech/batten tensioner, something like this

 

[William_H]

It is possible that the leach end of the batten is held in by a velcro loop over the end of the batten and attached internal to the batten pocket. I have some like that means no thing extendimng out the leach of the sail. The velcro is released by using something like a ruler to slide into hook and pile joint. ol'will

 

[dunedin]

It is possible that the leach end of the batten is held in by a velcro loop over the end of the batten and attached internal to the batten pocket. I have some like that means no thing extendimng out the leach of the sail. The velcro is released by using something like a ruler to slide into hook and pile joint. ol'will

Yes. Velcro straps round the end of the batten work well. As you say needs a flat strip to fit and remove - ours is an off cut of a thin batten.

 

[Puffin10032]

Looking at a few online images the Hunter Medina does have a full length top batten although that is clearly not the original one which would probably have been about 30mm wide from the look of the pocket. I think William_H and Dunedin are spot on about the tensioning method.

 

[ashtead]

Our battens plastic pockets which attached to the roller cars are the most annoying part of re rigging the mainsail. In each plastic part is a tensioner controlled by a screw at end -in the OP post#1 it seems there is no tensioner screw as it would be where the shackle is but often to release the batten tensioner device you end up having to undo the retaining screws around the edge of the pocket to access the tensioning ram piece which is holding the batten in. It might be just the type of pockets we have but I think the idea is that by releasing the tensioning screw the batten should be removable but often it jams in pocket-I mention in case the OP is thinking of replacing the pocket pictured with one that takes his narrow batten correctly . Maybe when next having the sail cleaned take it to a sailmaker like Kemps or suchlike (who then send on to Tiptop the actual cleaners) who can replace the pocket .