Prevent battens tearing through luff near plastic pockets

I just took a new 16 mainsail out on its maiden voyage and four of the battens tore out through the luff just next to the plastic pockets that are sewed into the luff and that are supposed to hold the battens in place. All the battens were freshly tied in under tension, so I cannot explain how they popped out enough to get out of the caps and tear through the sail.

How much tension should I be putting on these? Did I put too much tension on? Or not enough?

Interestingly, they all tore through the same side of the sail.

Do I just repair with sail tape?

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Broward County, FL
1984 Hobie 16, Olympic Edition (kept in NY)

This happens mostly from a power jibe, that is a jibe in really high wind. What I do is put a little duck tape around the front of the batten to give it a little more friction keeping it the pocket better.

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Bodhisatfa

You forgot the fourth choice - "It depends".

Sounds like you didn't seat the battens firmly into the luff caps when you first installed them.

Or, sometimes when you loosen the battens to store the sail, they can back out just enough so that when you go to tighten them again, they don't seat fully.

You can mark the batten at the leech of the sail with a Sharpie so that you know when it's seated fully.

Battens should never be "loose" when sailing. At the very least, they should be snug. In light air & chop, they should be as tight; backing off the tension until they're just snug when the dogs are blowing off their chains.

i reinforce my batten pockets with sail tape

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1981 Hobie 16
1982 Hobie 14 turbo (sold)
1996 SeaDoo GTI
1999 Hunter 340

New sail? Made by Hobie or another loft? I can't imagine the Hobie made sail tearing in one outing even with loose battens. The Hobie material is 5.6 oz and really quite robust. The newer luff caps are deeper as well. Really windy? No luff batten caps maybe? Sharp ends?

Review the tie procedure: http://www.hobiecat.com/support/pdfs/batten_tie.pdf

It is possible to cleat the lie incorrectly and have the line slip.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

What was the wind speed and did it happen in a jibe?

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Bodhisatfa

Also check the screws in the caps to make sure that they are tight - thats what stops them going through. Most of the time it is not centering batten correctly in cap.

You may also want to try using Hobie's luff caps for your battens as shown on page 15 of their catalog. In order to get the battens to fit into the luff caps, I had to taper the battens which increases the risk of them splitting lengthwise, so I wrap them with electrical tape.

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

Hi guys-

thanks for all the replies.

It did happen in a jibe, an "unplanned" jibe. I think that's why all the tears were on the same side. The sail is brand new, but not made by Hobie (yet still made to Hobie specs). The battens and batten caps are a little different however. The battens are thinner than the Hobie standard battens, and the caps have just one hole, not two, and don't have a groove in the end.

Yesterday, I cleaned up the tears with alcohol, and patched them with sail tape. I shed a few tears over the new sail, but I'm sure it'll be OK.

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Broward County, FL
1984 Hobie 16, Olympic Edition (kept in NY)

Somehow, I don't think that's the case. I've put new Hobie sails through some pretty evil conditions and haven't had a batten poke-through in over 15 years.

@MBounds - what do you doubt is the case?

I'm not sure it was the jibe that did it, of course, I was just theorizing that.
But the sail really is brand new, and all the measurements are the same as the Hobie-made main.

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Broward County, FL
1984 Hobie 16, Olympic Edition (kept in NY)

I suspected a high wind jibe, I have done the same, once, if your jibe was in as big of wind as what i got caught in then you were having BIG fun..

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Bodhisatfa

Having the same measurements as a stock Hobie sail is not the same as "built to Hobie specs". Hobie uses a deeper, riveted luff cap and a heavier material than most aftermarket sails. They have a Teflon-impregnated bolt rope and INOX heavy duty grommets. They are really quite durable. I've owned five sets of new Hobie brand sails (3 H-16, 1 H-14, 1 H-17) in the last 11 years that were raced hard - and I never had a batten poke through.

I guess you're right . . . I'll keep my fingers crossed that I don't get any more tear-throughs.
Paris.

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Broward County, FL
1984 Hobie 16, Olympic Edition (kept in NY)

Most of time you won't blow the battens out of the pocket, but if the wind is 20 to 40 knots and gusting, and the jibe, (which I do not recommend in that wind), is uncontrolled the dacron will stretch enough to pop a batten out. Not to throw racers under the bus ,but most races are called in that wind speed. I was fortunate enough to learn Hobie sailing with some guy's that would still go out in 40 knot wind and have at it. One of my buddies always said let's go if the boat breaks ,well that's what they make parts for. It is also why I have an 18. Did your traveler car make it through the jibe?

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Bodhisatfa