Which Battens to Get?

[knot smart]

good morning all,

I bought a used sail. the sail didn't come with battens ( I guess for shipping reasons).

luff 38' 6" foot 13' 10" its a North sail

boat is going on is a Beneteau 352

I went to a local sail loft and was told that the classic wider battens ( and less expensive) I was expecting to get were too soft and flimsy

and that I should get to newer style ( thinner but more ridged) at more than twice the money..

I know (think) that the purpose of battens is to reduce flutter.. so are the classic wider style just not good enough?? will there be any noticeable difference??

this sail doesn't have a big roach that needs a lot of support. this is my first boat and im not racing..

thanks

Jason

[JRMarine]

Call RBS and get an opinion from them directly if you can. I'd also talk to North, they might still have that sail in their design computer if you have enough info for them to look it up, they would have all the information about the original batten design.
Is the sail full batten or partial?
I'd still go with RBS tapered battens no matter what, they produce a much better sail shape, and will actually allow your sail to hold its shape for a longer life. HOWEVER, if the sail has already lost its shape (not sure how many hours are on it), then it may not be worth it..

[knot smart]

Originally Posted by jbugbee

Call RBS and get an opinion from them directly if you can. I'd also talk to North, they might still have that sail in their design computer if you have enough info for them to look it up, they would have all the information about the original batten design.
Is the sail full batten or partial?
I'd still go with RBS tapered battens no matter what, they produce a much better sail shape, and will actually allow your sail to hold its shape for a longer life. HOWEVER, if the sail has already lost its shape (not sure how many hours are on it), then it may not be worth it..

I went directly to North, theyre only 30 min from me.. its full batten..they estimate the sail to be 5-6 yo ..

[svTOTEM]

Battens primarily support leech roach. The amount of support necessary depends on 1) amount of roach 2) how stretchy, or not, the sailcloth is 3) sail depth relative to girth (flat, fat, or in between).
So, measure the roach (stretch out sail, pull string from head to clew, measure string to widest part of leech edge) – and roughly speaking, if the max roach is about 1” or less per foot of the foot length, then as you say there isn’t much roach.
Next, make best guess at sailcloth stretchiness by feeling the cloth. Assuming its Dacron sailcloth, the softer the cloth is, the stretchier it is. It’s hard to explain sailcloth “softness”, but basically if it’s easy to flake, bends without crease easily and causes no anxiety when trying to crease then it’s probably softer cloth, with little to gain by a bigger investment in stiffer battens.
Measuring mainsail depth, well, without battens you cannot do. You can however, just go with the cheaper battens because being a 2nd hand, non-racing, and not a big roach sail on your first boat - will work just fine. Save the money for better things and enjoy sailing!