There’s a rich variety of Mainsail Management Systems out there. It’s a sign of the long-term vitality of Sailing. We naturally welcome this prolific innovation, even if it does present us with a challenge or two.
From the perspective of stabilising mast ladders, Batten Car Systems fall into three categories:
- Running on external track that doesn’t have a Luff Groove built into it.
- Running on external track that does have a Luff Groove built into it.
- Running on the mast using its conventional Luff Groove.
Categories 2 and 3 present less of a problem. We simply have to match a sail slide to the groove. We’ll also need to check that there is an accessible gateway to allow entry into the groove. If there isn’t, this can usually be arranged by the customer relatively easily. Category 1 may require a little more work from us. Getting on and off the track can be one of the main challenges here. We look at three possibilities:
- Sourcing an available external track slide.
- A bespoke clip-on sail slide made by us.
- Using the batten cars themselves - a possibility with some systems designed for quick sail changing. All three may involve some extra cost. We’ll be happy to quote when we’ve been able to look at the details of the system in question.
It’s also worth mentioning that with the mainsail down, as batten cars stack one on top of the other, it’s often not a practical proposition to stabilise the bottom section of the ladder using the sail management system, where the cars are in the way. The bottom section of the ladder can and should be stabilised by tying off and pre-tensioned using the sewn eyes at the bottom of the ladder. Extra sewn eyes can be added a few rungs up from the bottom to facilitate tying-off and pre-tensioning with a full sail-pack and batten cars. We love a good challenge, so please get in touch with whatever information you have.
Bespoke clip-on Sail Slides and tool made in the Kinleven Marine R&D workshop, for a mast with a Facnor Facslide System.
