| Mainsail batten tensioning devices on skiffs?? #16501 02/18/03 07:33 PM 02/18/03 07:33 PM |
Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 344 Arkansas, USA Kirt OP
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Posts: 344 Arkansas, USA | I just noted on the 49er website they are considering allowing "mainsail batten tensioning devices" which supposedly have been trialed successfully in other skiff classes. Knowing skiffs are somewhat similar to our boats (except for not having enough hulls ) I was wondering if any of the "skiffies" on the forum was familiar with these "devices" and could enlighten me I'm fantasizing about some sort of remote means of tensioning battens under sail w/ sail(s) raised There wasn't any kind of a description or figures/photos on the 49er site (that I could find)- Thanks! Kirt
Kirt Simmons
Taipan #159, "A" cat US 48
| | | Re: Mainsail batten tensioning devices on skiffs??
[Re: Kirt]
#16503 02/20/03 08:06 AM 02/20/03 08:06 AM |
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 612 Cape Town, South Africa Steve_Kwiksilver
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Posts: 612 Cape Town, South Africa | Kirt, I have a copy of the original class rules & "owners manual" for the Mosquito catamaran from 1977, in which a drawing for a system of tensioning battens on the water appears. I`ts actually more of a self-adjusting batten tension device - a 3mm st/steel wire running from the top of the mast down the leech of the sail, through plastic end-caps on the battens with holes which the wire passes through. The other end of the wire is attached to the boom - as you sheet in you increase the tension on the wire which forces the battens into the pockets, as you ease the mainsheet tension the batten tension decreases. I think i`ts a good idea in theory which in practice would never really give the desired result, which is why I`ve never seen it done. I`m sure it would also contribute to hooking the leech, unless the length of wire were adjustable to compensate for different wind conditions. If you`re interested, I could dig up the manual & post a pic of the drawing, just for a laugh. | | | Re: Mainsail batten tensioning devices on skiffs??
[Re: Steve_Kwiksilver]
#16504 02/20/03 08:57 AM 02/20/03 08:57 AM |
Joined: Jul 2001 Posts: 344 Arkansas, USA Kirt OP
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Posts: 344 Arkansas, USA | Steve- Thanks for the reply- The diagram would be interesting to see. These "automatic" devices are interesting but take a lot of initial adjusting I think to work just right. Like the "A" cat system whereby the mainsheet tension also influences the diamond tension- so as one sheets harder one gets more diamond tension which induces more "prebend" automatically- But getting the "right" amount of prebend at a particular sheet tension (for a particular sail and mast!) is the hard part. Perhaps some combinations of these "automatic" features would work better together than alone? Kirt
Kirt Simmons
Taipan #159, "A" cat US 48
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