Batten Tie Ins

[leisterf]

Puff, a 1988, has a full batten main.  To keep the battens in one has to tie them so.  This creates a knot that extends either on each side of the leech or from the leech straight out.

These knots catch on the topping lift or the lazy jacks.  

Is there another way to keep the battens in while keeping a smooth edge along the leech?

PS.  I have lost three expensive battens trying to use smaller knots.

Re and Frank Puff #691

[jentine]

Try wire ties with the fastening inside the gromet.

[c34member]

I'm not familiar with your set up, but that never stops me from commenting.  Mine have large strips of Velcro that wrap around the end of the batten and secure it.  For your system, is it possible to add a hole in the batten several inches inboard of the leech and then sew it in place with sail repair thread? (figure-of-eights with the hole being the center and the thread passing outside the batten edges above and below a dozen times or so).  Be sure the sail is well reinforced where the threads pass through; should not be an issue as batten pockets are usually pretty well supported.  I have found that knots in sail thread hold indefinately if I lightly touch the knot with a knife that has been heated with a butane lighter (or a rope cutting tip on a soldering iron).  Just enough to melt some of the adjoining fibers together.

Another solution would be to have SailCare redo the existing pockets with a better closure system.

[leisterf]

Both are good ideas.  Has anyone tried the wire tie method.  I think what he said was take a typical plastic wire tie, like one used to clean up the wiring, snug it around the batten and then twist it so the little knob is inside the batten.

Are the ties strong enough for that?