Last time out I could not tack the top batten at all. No amount of violence would do the trick. I have read everything I can find on the subject, but some of the things I have read seem contradictory. With the sail up but with no tension and the boom help up then the sail sits with the top batten dead straight. Let go of the boom and the top batten assumes a deep curve. I am sure what I need to do is make the curve less deep with the sail under reasonable tension. 

My current hypothesis is what I need to achieve is a lot of bend in the top part of the mast, which I think will reduce the pressure on the batten. Would the recipe for that be lots of tension on kicker and lowers to force the bend into the upper part of the mast?

Do you think there is a possibility that the sail is so shot that this problem cannot be solved by pulling string?

Many thanks for any advice.

David

Who was the sailmaker who made the main?  Some seem to much more difficult to tack than others.  Also is your mast deck or hog stepped and was the sail cut for that type of mast?

I don't know who made the main sail, I'll go and check ASAP. The boat is relatively new to me and so I don't know much of its history. The boat was converted to a deck stepped mast some time ago. I don't know for sure that the main was cut for a deck stepped mast. The main sail is "kevlar" allegedly FWIW, and to my mind feels a bit soft around the luff.

Use the forum search facility (on forum homepage) to look for previous discussion on this subject. Main points are to add kicker, learn technique of roll tack to 'pop' batten, and check batten tie string tension.

Also check the batten cross section - if it's a cruciform one as on some older Rowsell mains it's possible that the ribs have started to crack from the spine near the luff end.  I had this problem once and simply replacing the batten did the trick.

You must have a soft, probably tapered batten in there.  Get a stiff one and your problem will disappear!

Or stick two battens in; that's what we do.

Thanks for all the tips. I'll definitely get that top batten out and have a look. A cheap fix would be great as I suspect my broken traveler car will be anything but cheap!

Thanks again

David

David,

One thing I would suggest, as I had a similar problem some years ago on a CT's, and that is obtain a softer top battend. The batten I had in the sail was Stiff or Extra Stiff. P&B suggested a softer version and it worked a treat. No more violent jabbing of the boom to flick the batten, it just popped when coming out of the tack.

So, there you have the definitive information: 
 - Get a stiffer batten 
 - Get a softer batten.

Let us know which you decide and how it works out!

At the moment I am inclined to replace the top batten with something that doesn't bend at all. Then at least I can get on with enjoying the sailing. I expected some problems dealing with the Merlin Rocket, problems like coping with a tippy boat with a lot more power and three sails instead of one... I won't say we aren't having problems with the kite, but at least practice will fix that one!

David

My old mylar Batt main top batten was a real pig to tack.  The current crop of sails seem to have got it sussed, but in light winds my P&B main can still be tricky.

The coping strategy is:

1) Prior to tacking, apply a bit of kicker tension, enough to get the batten end to stand up to windward slightly 
2) on the new tack, with the main sheeted to the normal position for upwind, heelthe boat slightly, get on the side deck and energetically bounce the boat flat.

As the mast head comes up to windward the top batten should flick across.  The key is getting the mast head to move quickly to windward.

No kicker tension is a killer and guarantees that the top batten will not tack!

I had this problem with a Hyde main and one thing that helped was to pull a little more outhaul on. 

I think the mains which have the batten more horizontal are worse that those which are at more of an angle.

It was you saying that the top batten bent under just the weight of the boom that suggested the batten was far too soft.  Sometimes there are tapered battens (correctly used lower down the main) stuck in the top batten pocket.  The top batten should be parallel sided and curve evenly under compression.

Where can I get a super tough batten from? 

Many thanks

David

Rod battens are far stiffer and available up to 20mm, which I am sure would be sufficient! (actually I probably want 10 or 12mm?) The problem is that I can't find anyone who sells it online. Ideas?

David

Try Speed or P & B. Always very helpful

Finally cracked the top batten thing. When you said pull on the kicker, I never thought it was *that* much! I still managed to get a reasonable sail shape and managed to tack the top batten every time in 5-7 kts wind. Kevlar sails are weird to someone used to dacron. I'm still finding the sail hard to "read". Thanks for bearing with me. 

David

You can always get the crew to hook an arm around the main body of the kicker (just under the boom) after a tack when you yank the mainsail to pop the batten. That saves having loads of kicker on all day.