Hi Andrei, Re: Sail Battens Sail battens should be tapered from the luff end ( thinnest section) to the leach end (thickest section). The idea of the battens is to keep the sail shape and extend it as far as the sail maker can; increasing sail area. So, at the luff end, you want a thin batten that will easily conform to the curve of the sail, but then get progressively thicker to add support at the leach end. Bought battens hardly ever - unless you can get good tapered ones from your sail maker - fulfill that requirement. I always bought ash stock, and then planed my battens to the thinness I wanted. You run the risk of breaking a batten in heavy winds, but under normal sailing conditions you have optimally shaped sails. What you want to avoid is having thick battens in your sails so that there is a hard break in the sail where the batten pocket starts.\ T'ain't good for the sail aerodynamics; and t'ain't good for the sail. Connie Andrei Caldararu wrote:

Dave,

yes, they are mckibben sails. I could measure them myself (thanks for the offer to measure yours), my question was more along the lines of "if I use thicker battens will that cause trouble?" (I don't actually have an acurate way of measuring the thickness of mine, but by looking at a ruler mine seem thinner than 3/16").

Thanks,

Andrei.

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