Have you considered and tried removing Battens 2, 4,6 ?
Leach might have to be cleaned up if four remaining battens
work reasonably well.
Let a good sailmaker take a look. He can remove cloth easily but not add cloth..
The sail could easily be changed to 1 and 3 long and make 5 and 7 shorter.
The #7 batten must 24 ft or so long and take an army to handle !
You did not indicate what design slides and track are used.
You also did not indicate the general shape and condition of the cloth.
Granted, I didn’t consider the equation of morefull battens = less flogging. But, honestly, how much do we let our precious (and priceless) sails flog ? Like a minute, 30 seconds, maybe ?? When I raise sail, yes, it flogs for a minute until I start to bear off. When I tack, it flogs for a few seconds as I get into the wind. When I reef, well … yup, it flogs for as short a time as I must stay pointed into the wind. (I don’t reef “while sailing” - too hard on the track, the sail and the slides … and ME).
I don’t like a fully battened sail especially on a rig where things can get snared up in cradle lines and/or not drop like a stone when you need it to. (The latter issue causes LOTS of flogging. Heck, I’ve seen skippers flogging EVERYONE on board when THAT happens. Not a pretty sight …).
I know… I have a 22’ boat and have no experience with a Nonsuch longer than 26’ but I still believe that our boats do better with a maximum of two full top battens out of four. (I still prefer only one, on top.) Furthermore, I’d be keen to chat with the person who built that extraordinary 7 batten sail on Jim Denmark’s boat.
Hi Ernie. I’m still raising sail manually and although with the bigger 2-speed ST winch, it’s basically good aerobic exercise, it does take a bit longer than it does for you sissy electric drill types With the previous smaller, non ST winch it seemed to take an hour. I agree good sailors can normally avoid long periods of flogging. I do like the ability to sail slowly on a broad reach with sail luffing quietly and boat moving slowly, even in high winds - great for single hander emergencies. And I’ve only had battens hang up when I tried dropping sail in a narrow channel where I couldn’t head up into wind - the boom being able to move freely through large angles combined with the usual sail movement caused the problem.
If I had a #30 2-speed ST winch in the first place, I would have been fine. I have a #16 single-speed ST winch. And, my old shoulder is shot. It was either buy a new/used winch (lotsa moola up here in Canadaland) and do some marine cosmetic surgery, etc. or just spend way less and own a darn good drill AND apparatus to raise the sail and grind any winch.
Totally kidding you - never know reasons people make choices so I don’t judge.
Sorry about the shoulder - one of those things that’s never again quite right. I’d call that a great reason. Mine’s fine and I never get enough exercise so I like combining exercise with fun. And thanks again the winch recommendation. It’s perfect.
BTW, the pair of “jammers” are proving a very satisfactory substitute for rope clutches and far cheaper AND much easier to install than clutches. Don’t know if they’d work for Nonsuches larger than a 22.
Agreed, They MUST have load taken off before they can be released. Strong warnings by manufacturer about that “feature”. No argument that’s an advantage for the clutches.
Because of that “feature”, I thought long and hard before I installed jammers. Here’s why I think I avoid problems. If you see a flaw in my thinking, please let me know. BTW: If I were cruising the ocean or similar serious sailing I’d get clutches. Sure liked them on my NS30U.
The only lines my halyard winch (self tailing) can also be used for are a first or second tack reef or Cunningham.
Case 1: Using full main and no Cunningham. Get a tight luff with winch and use jammer to take load but but leave halyard on winch ready to take load off jammer. Yes, it adds a few seconds if you have to put winch handle in and crank a half turn or so to release jammer, a definite opening for Murphy to step in. In a dire emergency you could always cut halyard - I keep a knife on side of companionway.
Case 2: I need to use Cunningham, or a tack reef.
After hoisting main and using jammer to cleat, I take halyard off winch and winch the other line.
Once finished and Cunningham or tack reef line is tight, cleat that line with jammer.
Release load on winch and remove tack or Cunningham line.
Reload winch with halyard and you’re back to Case 1 effectively.
Note: There is no need to release a tack reef or Cunningham line to drop sail. That action will also automatically release the load on the jammer in which line was cleated.
Hmmm … I can see using the winch to tighten the cunningham but, especially on N22, cannot see the need for it on either the 1st or 2nd tack reef. (And my newish sail is still stiff like a board). What I do is with the left hand, I slowly ease off the main halyard WHILE tightening the tack reef line. I get it drum tight. The clew reef lines do have to be schlepped a little and fiddled with but they never go on a winch.
Oh … and Brooks… I KNEW that you were kidding, Buddy !! Don’t stress.
When I had a 30, there was a discussion here which I recall (so could have errors) recommending:
marking halyard such that you could lower and cleat halyard when it was at the “right” height for reefing,
then tightening luff by simply tightening tack reef line, ideally bringing tack reef almost exactly to its ideal point.
Idea is it’s easier to get nice tight luff pulling down on tack reef than pulling up on halyard.
And a tight luff greatly reduces any tendency for sail slides to pull track away from mast when clew is tensioned with combo of choker and leech reef line.
Potential problem: end up with tack reef cringle too far above ideal which also raises clew reef cringle too high so clew can not tensioned at correct angle - will have too much of a down component. You have to be kind of stupid to do this - yeah, guilty.
However, in my case this error was compounded by a too short, main clew to boom connection - foot of sail would get very tight and still insufficient tension on clew reef cringle. Lengthened this connection and great sail shape now, reef or no reef.
With the previous smaller, non ST winch it seemed to take an hour. I agree good sailors can normally avoid long periods of flogging. I do like the ability to sail slowly on a broad reach with sail luffing quietly and boat moving slowly, even in high winds - great for single hander emergencies. And I’ve only had battens hang up when I tried dropping sail in a narrow channel where I couldn’t head up into wind - the boom being able to move freely through large angles combined with the usual sail movement caused the problem.