Batten lacing - help please?

  • 18 Nov 2021 18:01
    Reply # 12135674 on 12135152

    Thanks David - very helpful, I'll discuss with the sail maker and let you know what he thinks, much appreciated. 

  • 18 Nov 2021 16:51
    Reply # 12135549 on 12135152

    I found this photo of the way I did it on Weaverbird's hinged batten sail - not quite flat, but maybe bulging about ¼ of the batten diameter on the sail side, ¾ of the batten diameter on the pocket side. I reckoned this to be about as good as one could get - not quite as easy as sewing the pockets on dead flat, but it gave a better result. That's sized for a 32mm diameter batten

    1 file
  • 18 Nov 2021 13:47
    Reply # 12135315 on 12135152

    Thanks David, your pocket suggestion I may take up. I'm not exactly sure on what you mean by 'deep vertically and sewn flat into the sail'? Would you have a quick simple sketch by chance please?

  • 18 Nov 2021 12:06
    Reply # 12135160 on 12135152

    I've found that with hinges, the battens need to push into the sail so that they are lying on the vertical line through the sail panels (if cut flat). This avoids having the hinges slacken on one tack and tighten on the other. So two grommets, one above and one below the batten, is better than one, I'd say.

    But if you're having new sails made, why wouldn't you have pockets added - much more convenient and cost effective than lacings? In which case, I've found it best to make them deep vertically and to sew them flat onto the sail so that again, the sail is pushed out one way, the pocket in the other, and the hinges don't slacken and tighten.

  • 18 Nov 2021 11:25
    Message # 12135152

    I'm having new sails made and am going from battens either side to hinged aluminium battens on one side only. I plan to attached the battens using a socket plate at the leach and laced at the luff. My initial thoughts then were to lace the batten along its length using two grommets one above and one below the batten spaced about 18" apart. But the sail designer has pointed out this could tend to curl the sail around the battens destroying an otherwise flat surface. My next thought was to have just a single grommet to solve the curling issue. The second matter is how to lace? Would it be better to do one continuous lace - looping around the batten at each grommet or individually tie off at each grommet? The former is easier and quicker but if it fails then the whole batten could come adrift whereas the latter is more fiddly but prevents the single point of failure. Or does anyone have a better suggestion please?

       " ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats" 
                                                               - the Chinese Water Rat

                                                              Site contents © the Junk Rig Association and/or individual authors

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software