Jib Batten question

I just got my first used 1981 Hobie 16 and took it out for the first time the other day and the jib battens seem to be to long. When coming about the jib doesn't want to cross the mast. The middle battens get caught on the halyards and mast. Are these battens to long? are they not tensioned enough? any ideas?
Thanks

This is normal and I am sure you can find discussions in the archives. When rigging, I always pull the jib halyard back toward the downhaul and tie a line to hold it there. I remember that there used to be a clip available to put on the mast to clip the halyard back but tying it works for me. The main halyard should be brought around the starboard shroud before cleating it to the mast. That should keep it out of the way. In a decent breeze, the jib should come across without a problem. Other times, you need to push on the jib to get it across.

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Howard

Welcome to the Hobie 16. What you have described is very common and just on of the 16's little "quitks".

Basically you want to tension the jib battens to the point that there are no wrinlkes in the batten pockets. There may even be a slight horizontal "pucker" in the cloth just above and below the batten pocket. Once you've tensioned the battens as described, take a look at the aft end of the batten. If anything more than just the batten cap is exposed, then you need to trim the batten. Mark the batten right at the edge of the leech. Then measure the distance from the forward edge of the batten cap to this mark. That's how much you need to trim the batten.

Once you have the battens trimmed properly, the only time they will really hang up is in light air.

sm

I like the super battens...... cut short enough to not be a problem..........

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Bill 404 21SE

Thanks for all the tips. I appreciate it.

I recently began sailing an H16 and the former owner said be never uses battens on his jib. Does this work?

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It will "work" - in the same way a car with out-of-balance tires will "work".

The trailing edge of the sail will flutter badly and wear out quickly. If you can't deal with the stock battens, then get the super battens, batten hinges or the furling jib.

Thank you so much. I had it out today and noticed how badly the sail fluttered. I'll look into your suggestion. Is There a preferred batten?


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The stock (blue fiberglass) battens work well and the cost is usually right (free - they came with the boat). However, unless you trim them down so they barely protrude from the leech of the sail, then they will snag the halyards in a tack.

Tacking the jib with the stock battens requires proper technique. When there's not enough wind to blow the jib across completely, you can't just drag the jib across with the sheet. An OK method is to grab the leech of the sail about at the first batten and drag it across (with loose sheets). The best method is to grab the end of the bottom batten and push forward (creates a big bow in the sail) and then across to the new side (again, with loose sheets).

I've never used the super battens, but they are more flexible than the stock battens and require less effort to tack. They are not class legal for racing.

Batten hinges do not appear to be available anymore. I used them many years ago, but they wear out (don't snap back straight) and wear a crease in the batten pocket.

If your battens are getting hung up on your halyards, you can pull the halyards back further so they are no longer a problem.

You can use Hobie's "Halyard Grip", part 114.

I use a halyard grip to hold my jib halyard (non-Aussie) back and use the leftover line on my 3:1 downhaul to tie the main halyard back to the downhaul cleat on the other side of the mast.

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Tim
84 H16
82 H16
87 H14T
Tortola Sails: 115222
Blue Prism Sails: 88863
Clearwater, FL