__batten down the basics_____________

Battens are used to support a sails shape.

Commonly used to extend the sail area of Bermuda style sails that have a curved outer edge (affectionately called its roach) without the batten, the sails roach would simply fold over with the wind.
They can also be used to simply flatten the outward edge of a sail so that it attains a good foil shape.

The traditional ‘stiff’ batten is a wooden strip that slips down inside a pocket sewn into the sail. The end of the pocket folds over itself (like a sandwich baggie) locking the batten inside, or there is a grommet on the sail and a length of line on the batten that ties it in place. Stiff battens are usually about 2 to 3 times longer than the span of the roach that they support.

They can be removed when folding up the sail for storage.

Wood battens have mostly been replaced with flexible modern materials such as fibreglass. Of course, battens originated in the orient, with the full batten junk rig. Full battens, that span the full width of a sail, can also be found on modern western sail

Crafting battens for your model sailboat....

This example shows how to set up some supporting battens on a typical roached sail, just like the one supplied with your kit. Although the plastic battens, either cut from the ones supplied with your kit or the ones you make, will have flexibility, the example assumes they are stiff.

Establish the roach of the sail, (on a paper pattern) drawing a line from the clew up to the head.

The length of a batten should be about two thirds longer than the roach the batten is supporting. Lets start by placing a batten about a third of the way up from the boom, (see illus.)

Note: battens usually cross over the ‘roach line’ at a 90deg angle, the bottom batten (first one up from the boom) will often be seen to be parallel with the boom so that when the sail can be reefed (reduced) without having to be removed.

Once the batten is in place, the line that defines where the sail will fold changes, (the fold line is shown in red). It now is between the head of the sail and the top of the lower batten.

And so, our second batten, set in the middle, establishes a new fold line.
The third batten finished the project.

__Using polyethylene tubing in rigging_____________

Polyethylene tubing, used in plumbing, can also have many uses in crafting your model. Sold in building supply stores, it comes in different size diameters that conveniently match the diameter of our mast steps and some dowel sizes, namely one quarter inch and three sixteenths of an inch.
(A sample of each size tube is now supplied in our full kits.)

This type of tubing is easy to recognize, it has a "milky white color" it is easy to work with, and yet is stronger than the clear vinyl type, used for aquariums.

The 1/4 in. tubing has an inside diameter (I.D.) of 1/4 inch, so it will fit around
a 1/4 inch dowel.

The smaller 3/16 in. tube has an outside diameter (O.D.) of 1/4inch and an inside diameter of .17 inch that will snugly fit
over a 3/16 in. dowel.

I tested this tubing in several applications, and it works well, many more uses for the stuff will come to light as time passes. Here are some uses for the 1/4 in. tubing used around the mast. As a gooseneck, slice off a piece about 1/4 in. long, the ring can set above the deck.

A small ring can also be used to support a gaff. When a line is slipped down through the ring, there is enough tension (in most cases) that the line will stay put, yet can be adjusted with a light tug.

A ring sliced down one edge will clip right over a mast, and with a small notch, will hold a line in place for rigging a spar for a sprit rigged sail.

The smaller diameter tube can be sliced into 1/8 in. wide rings and used to join two skewers for crafting lateen sails, (MKII models) plus they can be easily taken apart!

The small size tube can also be used to make a wooden boom out of a 3/16" dowel. This may seem a bit heavy for a MkI, but it works well for the MkII and MkIII. Two small rings on each end are used, note that a short length of line is tied to the end (clew) of the sail, that short line is slipped through the ring, and the sail can be adjusted by pulling the line as needed.

The 3/16 in. tube, with its 1/4 in. outside dia., will fit down into a mast step. This allows you to make a lightweight mast out of a 3/16 in. dowel. It works very well on the MkI, letting you go design a taller mast without all the weight aloft that you get with a 1/4 in. mast. You can also use this method on a MkII model, particularly on mizzens.

__Lacing sails________________________

Here is a completely different way to “bend on” or, attach a sail to a mast. It gives a traditional look to your crafted model, and is not too difficult to do.

A large eye needle, will be very handy (see our article on a mini-marlinespike) here.

The idea is simple, reinforce the luff edge of the sail, and lace it to the mast with some rigging line.
There are two ways to do this, one is to use reinforced tape, (that’s the 'impossible to rip' stuff used in packaging parcels). Reinforced tape has strips of fibreglass string embedded along the length to give it strength.
The other method is to tape on a length of line as a reinforcing spine using
common (3/4in.) cellophane tape.

Work on a clean surface like a kitchen counter top, pull a strip of tape longer than the sail is high, sticky side up, and tack it down with a couple of small strips at the top and bottom. (see illus.)

It is important to lay the edge of the sail down evenly, and right down the center of the tape, on the first try. A method I use is to lay a long ruler, or a length of cardboard, close to the edge of the tape, the sail is carefully placed on top of it, with the edge of the sail setting above, but not touching the tape. Once the sail is in position, touch down on the sail lightly in a few places to tack it in place, then remove the ruler and continue pressing along the sail.

Reinforced tape comes in different widths, about 1/4in. is all you need.
-The roll I have is 1/2in. wide, so, after the sail is in place, I take a single edge razor, or hobbie knife and then slice off the extra tape along the edge of the sail.

A short length (1in.) of reinforced tape can be used at the head and down at the tack of the sail,when the strip is folded over the edge, the reinforcing strands now form a grid. With these in place, the rig can now withstand vertical stress and strains.

If you are not using reinforced tape, cut a length of rigging line, a little bit shorter than the height of the sail. (cut the line with a candle or lighter flame to heat seal the ends)

Carefully set the line down the middle, then, even more carefully, set the luff edge of the sail down onto the tape right beside the length of line. Try not to stretch the sail when setting it in place, otherwise you will distort the sail shape.

Lightly press along the luff of the sail, then, cut off the bits of tape at the top and bottom of the strip and fold over the edge and press in place.

Real sails have metal grommets, you don’t need them, but you should punch some holes along the length of the sail before you start lacing.
Set the sail down onto some (corrugated) cardboard, then take a small finishing nail (or some other pointed thing) and punch in your ‘grommets’. To make the holes distanced equally apart, you can measure the length and divide, or just put one at the top and bottom, then one at the middle, keep dividing the in between spaces until you have enough. About an inch or inch and a quarter apart is all you need.

There are different methods of lacing the sail, some use a simple hitch between each grommet, etc. I use simple spiral lacing as it creates less problems, and it is easy to adjust.

Spiral lacing is just that. Starting at the bottom, lace the line through the grommet, go around the mast and up through the next, and spiral your way through to the top. Then secure the line to the mast head.

Spiral lacing lets you lower and raise the sail without the line tangling, that happens often when you use some of the other methods, (I will save descriptions for another day) just undo the top of the line from the mast head and slide it down to the boom. This comes in handy if you want to transport the model with the mast in place.

At the bottom (tack) of the sail, the line can be tied off at the first ‘grommet’ and the loose end can be set down into the mast step, or tied to the mast.

The sail should not be tight up against the mast, the lacing should be loose, with about 1/8 to 1/4 inch between sail and mast.

Reducing, adjusting the laced sail.....
This rigging method works best when using a boom made from a wooden skewer or light dowel. The draft (or camber) of the sail is adjusted at the clew.

The sail can be reduced, similar to our other method, by using a length of plastic straw (sliced along one edge) or a plastic bread bag clip. The sail is twirled around the mast, something like roller reefing, and then clipped against the mast.

___Making Vinyl Sails________________________

By far the most effective sail material is the polyvinyl material used in the shopping bags you bring home all the stuff you buy in. ‘Free’ and impervious to water, and ultra light, when rigged, the very act of walking past a model will cause the sails to respond.

One common material you can use as an alternative, is thin vinyl. It produces a less fragile sail that displays well.

You can buy the stuff in discount department stores, in the form of shower curtain liners. Depending where you go, the cost can be really low, you don’t need or even want the more expensive kind, what you want is the most thin (cheap) you can find. (about $5 or less!)

The thinner the better, because of the weight. Sheet vinyl weighs (at least) three or four times as much as high density polyvinyl found in bags. Consider how many sails you can make from a curtain, certainly a lifetime supply for a few dollars.

The up side... and the down side...of vinyl sails.

- Because of the weight, I would recommend a more modest sail plan than what you can get away with using high density poly bag.
- The vinyl sail is slightly stiffer, and less responsive in very light wind.
- Aside from the weight, it has many of the characteristics of poly bag material that lets you craft a superb sail. It is easy to slice with a blade, cellophane tape sticks to it, and it sheds water. Also, two pieces can be fused together to make pannels (they come in colors)
- The shower curtain liner typically comes folded into a small package, that leave deep creases where the material has been folded. The sheet will need to be smoothed out before you use it.

A method I found that works is to use a clothes iron. You first set an iron to the lowest temperature possible. Lay out a cloth of some kind, like a pillow case, or T-shirt, underneath the vinyl, and then use another layer of cloth on top. With the vinyl sandwiched in between the clothyou iron away until the wrinkles disappear. Vinyl melts, so to avoid a real mess, start off with as low a temperature as you can get, crank it up a bit if needed.
Other methods probably work too, like clothing steamers... I have a heat gun..somewhere...?

Note: We are now offering a sample sheet of vinyl that you can order with our kits, smoothed down with enough to make about six (or more) sails.

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