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PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 9:15 am 
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Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 1:47 pm
Posts: 17
Location: Southern Colorado USA
Hey Matt?

I got tired of reaching up and clawing the jib battons back and forth accross the mast every time we came about so I ordered the hinge kit.

Question is, the instructions say nothing about placement depth or method of attachement. I assume I should simply epoxy on but how far in from the tie off tip??? Won't placement effect ability of wind on sail to reestablish "home" position??

Thanks,

Mitch


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:04 pm 
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Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 12:24 am
Posts: 143
Location: Edmond Oklahoma
Mitch, I bought a used set of Jib battens with them already installed. They look like they around 12-16 inches from the batten pockets. I still get hung up not as much Hope this helps

Todd


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:00 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 6:39 am
Posts: 470
Location: Finger Lakes, NY
Here are a couple ideas that can be used together or separately that have proved useful.

1) There are small open-faced delrin clips that can be screwed onto the mast a few inches back from the front of the mast to "tuck" your halyards behind. I am not sure where I got them from. Sorry :roll: Anyway they are "U" shaped and you mount them on the mast about 2" back from the leading edge with the open part of the U facing aft. They keep the halyards alongside the mast rather than right in the front where they get hung up.

2) Put the jib battens in place just tight enough to get some airfoil to the jib then put an aluminum rivet completely through both batten pocket grommets and the batten. Cut the batten off completely flush with the leech. File the rivet as needed to make it as smooth as possible. File the cut edge of the batten to round it off. Finish off with sail-tape over the "assembly" to assist in smooth transitions across the mast and keep the rivets from scratching the mast. This works REALLY well by the way.

So, is invention the mother of necessity or is necessity the mother of invention :wink:

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:14 am 
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Location: Finger Lakes, NY
I said to cut the batten off flush with the leech. Actually, if you fold the batten pocket back and cut the batten as far inside as possible you really eliminate the hang up

Which brings me to:
3) Again, figure how tight you want the battens and mark them at the leech and mark the point where the grommet is. Remove the batten, cut and file smooth and drill a small hole where you marked the grommet. This hole is just there so you can shove a small screw or nail through to hold the compressed batten in place while you sew the batten pocket shut. Sew the batten pocket shut, remove screw or nail. Finish off with sail-tape as before to help prevent wear.

The hard part is keeping the batten compressed. Remember, patience is a virtue :roll: and you really don't need a lot of compression. You really don't even need battens as evidenced by roller-furling jibs. Jib battens do little to change the shape of the jib in heavy air, but they make the sail shape in light air.

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 3:19 pm 
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Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 5:39 pm
Posts: 433
Location: West Texas
Doesn't having the battens permanently compressed make rolling up the jib more difficult? :? How do you deal with that?

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Warm regards,

Jim

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 Post subject: Rolling the jib answer
PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:53 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 6:39 am
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Location: Finger Lakes, NY
Not really Jim. Fiirst, your rolled up bundle is bigger than the camber of the battens and, second, they really shouldn't be too compressed anyway. In my opinion and experience the battens only really help maintain shape under extremely light conditions. For example, going downwind or off-wind on a light day you want your weight balanced and forward anyway (to lift the rudders and increase wetted surface along the hulls) so the crew or you can sit on the forward cross bar and act as a human jib-pole by holding the clew plate in a manner that "bends" the sail a little. Under high winds, the shape of the Jib tends to be less critical or controllable as the Main, so the battens don't matter that much.

Have a great day! It finally hit 50 up here 8)

Peace out

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The fact that this windy world is largely covered in water obviously means that man was meant to sail.


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 Post subject: Jib Hinges
PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:19 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 20, 2004 1:47 pm
Posts: 17
Location: Southern Colorado USA
Hey Guys,

Thanks as usual for all the experienced opinions. I don't think I want to permanently shorten the battens to avoide the 'scrape' as I may move to a non Hobie mfg jib sail (on hand) later and I'm not sure pocket lengths are compatible. I'll just try setting the hinges about 6"-8" in and see how it goes.

The weather is warming here too though we're just melting out of a 8" snow and the lake still has pockets of ice. I've never watched conditions as much as I am since buying this thing last fall. I have a line on another H16 at $500 but need to sell my motorcycle first to keep peace with my beloved. After reading about the guy that lost his left hand in the bike accident, I'm more motivated than ever. I definately want to ba able to handle things when running solo this summer.

Mitch


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 Post subject: Batten hinges in general
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:16 am 
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Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2003 2:47 pm
Posts: 7
Location: Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada
I recently acquired a set of batten hinges because I get the "hung up" blues with the mast and halyard as well. The instructions with the kit say to take a fine toothed saw and cut your battens a particular distance from ends and take out a "waste" of about an inch.

I'm sorry, but after careful consideration, I'm going to need a real good argument from someone to make me saw my battens in two. So far, I haven't heard one. I also have a set of "super battens" that aren't class legal. I haven't tried them, but will this summer.

Any thoughts one way or the other on this topic?

By the way, I thought I saw the delrin halyard clip in the hobie catalogue.

(P.S. It really isn't such a pain to reach up and bring the jib across if I have to. )


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:44 pm 
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Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 12:24 am
Posts: 143
Location: Edmond Oklahoma
Here, Here, If the wind is that light a good tug with good timeing works great :!: It also helps with skipper crew relations go with what works and sail fast.

Just wana go fast now :!:

Todd


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 6:28 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 12:28 pm
Posts: 14
Mitch, installed and used the hinges for years on my last Hobie 16. Worked very well and as advertised. My battens extended beyond the jib leach with quick release batten caps. Seldom to never hung up.

I used silicone glue with the hinges.

One suggestion I will make...file all of the sharp corners and edges down.

Those areas are all wear points and eventually will poke through the batten pockets.

Had an interest in the super battens but never tried them.

Sail fast, Tom G


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