Old main refurb using full length battens

Hi all,
I sail an E-Boat mini-tonner, and the main is pretty blown out on her. I dont race, just sailing for fun.
I was thinking about making full length battens for the old main, and sewing new pockets into the sail to hold them. The work is easy for me to accomplish.

Will this make my old main hold a better shape? Is it worthwhile? What will the benefits be?

I am Scottish, and therefore dont want to spend ANY money on it. I can do the batten mods for free.

Your thoughts please folks.....

Thanks,

Barry

 

While you might be able to get the battens on to the sail have you given any thought to how they will interface with the mast? Would you just put plastic cap fittings behind the boltrope (if you have a bolt-rope) or will you need sliders than can operate in compression?

As a general comment, the addition of battens isn't likely to renew your main to racing condition but it probably could improve some shape problems like hooking on the leech and wandering max draft. It will probably also reduce flogging and improve stability. If you can take on the project yourself it might be worth doing but don't expect miracles.

There are probably more experienced sailmakers on this forum but I do have a few years sailmaking experience.

 

If the cloth has permanently stretched (which it has) the sail has had it. You can get another year, maybe two out of it with a leech re cut, but you should probably start looking at another sail. You can find something similar in edge lengths and see about having it cut down to suit, if you are after cheap. Etchells and Soling mains would be the ones to look at, plentiful and cheap, as would any fleet raced one design in your area or the right size.
Full length battens won't make the leech stand up, it'll just motorboat between the battens. You'd be wasting your money no matter what you do to the old sail, it's already holding the boat back quite a bit.
I'm as frugal as the next person, but when a sail is worn out, it's senseless throwing money at it.

Regards, Andrew.