Tips, Tricks & Thoughts:
Given my concerns about the added momentum and chafe with full-length battens on junk-rigged boats, you would think that I would be against them on all boats. But, then again, I’m a big believer in this quote:
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds…
Ralph Waldo Emerson
So let’s take a look at full-length battens for mainsails on Bermuda-rigged boats, both the disadvantages and benefits.
Lets start with the former:
The modern junk rig has been used for yachts since Blondie Hasler rigged a Folkboat that way for the first Observer Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic race way back in 19601.
Since then the popularity of the rig has waxed and waned, without really catching on. But there has pretty much always been a few proponents tirelessly evangelizing the benefits of the rig, claiming simplicity, low cost, and ease of reefing, among other things.
And said evangelists tend to gather a group of disciples who follow their exploits and dream of building their own junk-rigged cruising boat. That’s fine, there are indeed advantages to the rig, and there is no question that many successful long voyages have been made under it.
That said, there are also drawbacks to the junk rig that tend to get swept under the carpet by the fans that it’s as well to know about.
How do I know this?
While we were discussing preventers, a couple of members mentioned being worried about the boom end dipping in the water while restrained by the preventer, particularly if the preventer is attached somewhat inboard on the boom to oppose a centre boom mainsheet.
Certainly a rational worry.
Here’s what to do about it:
While I was researching for my recent tips on buying sails I came across a great page over at North Sails explaining the tradeoffs of pretty much all the fibres used in sailcloth.
One quote jumped out at me:
Ultra PE fiber [Spectra/Dyneema] is expensive, but very long sail life ensures high value in these sails.
But then of course it would, given that it corroborates my choice of favourite offshore voyaging sailcloth.
The other big takeaway is that Pentex™ is not a good idea for cruising sails because:
…PEN fibers are found only in combination with PET (aka “mylar”) film in laminate cloth for panelled sails. PEN does not come in woven form.
Anyway, definitely worth a read:
Since I have recommended sailcloth made from high-modulus (low-stretch) fibres for cruising boats, I’m thinking I should expand on that to avoid confusion. Let’s do that:
Back around the end of the time I was sailmaking, a new sailcloth burst on the scene that promised to pretty much banish shape-robbing stretch.
It was made from Kevlar® and it was literally bullet proof1, incredibly strong, and enabled sails to be built that weighed far less than the Dacron equivalents.
So what’s not to like?
Let’s continue my Tips series on sails with my recommendation on the fabric to select, at least for those who follow my recommendation to spend the extra bucks for radial-cut sails.
A question from a reader made me realize that we have some gaps in our sail recommendations that will be best filled with a few Tips.
Let’s start with whether or not to spend the extra money for radial-cut sails, where the panels are generally triangular and oriented in the same direction as the loads, usually from all three corners.
