Yakaholic and
Kepnutz have come up with some pretty nice enhancements for the standard sail by adding boombats. Here you can see the details:
http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=7158
I finally got a chance to try it and agree, it's well worth the effort.
I wanted to use one full length piece and was surprised to find that the Hobie sail batten was exactly the right length! Additionally, it comes with one end rounded so there is no need to worry about catching on material.
Finally, at 1/8 " diameter, it slips right in the bottom seam of the sail without making any holes! My concern was that it might be too flexible for the job, but was so easy, I had to try it anyway.
I liked
Kepnutz's custom wire nut handle, so found one to match the sail and screwed / epoxied one on the end. Here's what it looks like and also shows how it slips right in the seam:
I finally got the chance to try it out today in the Adventure and, would you believe it, there was no wind. The best I could do was make my own headwind, but I needed to see how it worked downwind!
Not to be put off, I decided if I could make headwind, I could just as easily make some tailwind! By reversing the Mirage drive, I was suddenly in business! These next pics show the boat wake coming off the bow and the nice "downwind" sail shape:
Eventually I found some real wind and was able to see some better downwind angles. These last two pics the sail was almost downwind in about about 5 - 8 MPH breeze:
I think both Yakaholic and Kepnutz, using stiffer rods, get better performance out of their sails, so I would never want to race them! But for those who want an off the shelf light duty downwind sailing enhancement, this baby boombat or "boomlet bat" does a nice job (Hobie part # is 84511). You don't even need a custom grip -- just order it and stick it in. Or you can save some money if you can find some nearby fiberglass rod and dress it up yourself (I couldn't find any long enough). To make sure it slips past the mainsheet grommet, you might borrow your other sail batten for a quick fit.