I have a late 80's Hobie 17 which is in very good shape after my work on it last year. Broke down and purchased a new sail this year but want to work on the battens. I believe I have "standard" fiberglass battens that have not been altered - they are pretty uniform in thickness the entire length. After reading Rick White's book Cat Racing for the 90's I need make them thinner. When I checked them last year with a digital scale (only good to 0.5 lb accuracy) they registered 5 to 5.5 lbs to get a decent bend.

My question is two part.
1. Where do I sand them down - forward 1/3, 1/2???
2. How much do you thin the battens - for 3 lb pressure bend?
One more piece of information - I am well over the minimum weight limit - but going to get lighter. My goal is 180-185.