National 12

General Boards => General National 12 chat => Topic started by: Martin on 23 Apr 2006, 10:37

Title: Flicking Top batten
Post by: Martin on 23 Apr 2006, 10:37
Title: Re: Flicking Top batten
Post by: grazz on 23 Apr 2006, 10:51
Martin, N12 top battens are quite long so can be a bit tricky to flick. There is a certain technique which generally involves landing on the windward side and pulling the main at the same time. The combination of the two generally flicks the batten pretty quickly then you don't need to give the main a huge pump. My other initial thoughts are

1. You can try reducing the batten tension, this will make it easier to flick but too little tension will result in less curvature in the top of the sail.

2.  Is the top batten tapered / what sort of thickness is it?

3. How much kicker are you using? In light airs we usually have the kicker set to prevent the boom rising too much. With the kicker too loose the boom rises up and the batten is really hard to flick.


Title: Re: Flicking Top batten
Post by: Martin on 27 Apr 2006, 04:57
Kicker is  tight enought to stop boom lifting.  The batten is the standard one that comes with a P&B Kevlar Main.