Removing battens from jib?

I have a very old boat with somewhat newer Hobie sails. I have a jib batten that is snapped in two places (and another one that is totally missing). This jib does not have any kind of adjustability on the battons, they appear to be sewn right into the sail. Am assuming I need to rip a few stictches out of the edge to pull them out and make the replacement.

Am I missing something, or is this common on older sails?

Thanks!

You're confusing us...your 1st sentence says it's an older Hobie w/ newer sails, but then your last sentence says ....older sails. Any damaged batten should be removed asap to prevent damage to the dacron sail (batten pocket). To my knowledge Hobie never sewed battens into a sail where they could not be removed easily. If you look at the leach (trailing edge) of the sail, you should find there is a small opening where the batten can be pulled out. If you don't have this opening you may want to verify the sail is a genuine Hobie product. One way to "adjust" a jib batten is to trim off (cut) the end sticking out of the pocket. But, keep in mind, as the sail ages, it will stretch and you will have minimal to no room for future adjustment. Any tension put on a batten by using an adjustment string at the leach should be released after each day of sailing (keeps the stretch to a minimum).

Rick, sorry to be confusing... it's all relative, I guess. Boat is circa 1973; sails are newer than the boat, but they are hardly recent. I'm guessing they're at least 15 years old as well. Well worn, but in good enough shape for recreational sailing. They appear to be Hobie sails - both sails have Hobie tags sewn on down in the first panel.

Anyhow, as I look again, I suspect the pockets have been sewn closed. Here are two photos... didn't embed them into the board so others don't have to download them just to read this thread.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Thanks for your help!

ag

Somebody sewed them in. Wierd. Looks like the grommet that is used for tying off the batten ripped out, or was removed.

You can remove the stitching replace the batten, and sew it back up.

Send it to a sail loft and have the grommets replaced, (if possible), and get it to the way it should be.

Or, buy a different jib, hopefully with battens. This is the route I'd take. Check Craigslist, and ebay for a different jib.

I agree w/ Karl. Probably best to bite the bullet and go visit a sail loft. The vertical stitching is definitely not from Hobie.

Rick and Karl,

Thanks for the advice! I think you're both quite right. I will fix the jib by ripping out those stitches and then will sew in a replacement batten, that way I won't miss next weekend. But I'll also go on the lookout for a better jib and see what I can come up with.

Before you "sew in" another batten, visit your local marine store or google a sail loft and see if you can find grommets that you can fit into the holes where the old ones ripped out. If so, order your new batten and some end caps/batten ties and put the battens in correctly. If all you are doing is sailing recreationally, why spend $100 or more for a jib when $5-$10 worth of parts (and then your new battens) will have you back on the water the way you should be

If your main is the same way, fix it at the same time.

BTW...the adjustable endcaps are used to put tension on the sail and hold sail shape. But they also stretch the sail over time. If your sails are in good shape (even if old), go ahead and undo the batten tension each time you put the boat away. It is a bit of a pain, but it will extend the life of your sails. The Hobie catalog will show you how to thread them and they really can go pretty quickly.

Drej - I am guessing this was a cheap/easy fix to for the previous owner... every grommet is missing from both sides of the jib, save the first batten. And that one has a screw through the grommets and the batten is trimmed short, so that batten needs to be replaced, too. Meanwhile, the main is fine - as it should be with the end caps, etc. Go figure.

Your suggestion is definitely worth considering... but nearly all the batten pockets have to be reinforced so I have something to connect the grommet to. I may try and do this myself (made a bunch of boat canvas projects in the past), and see how that goes. I am not so sure it's worth the cost of going to a sail loft. If it costs me $200 to get it fixed at a loft, I will be dumping half the cost of a new sail into a tired old sail.