BATTENS IN HEADSAILS, TOO
Q: Battens are obviously the norm on mainsails. But what about jibs? I feel like the vast majority don’t have battens, but I’ll come across one every now and then, sometimes aboard small boats with fairly small headsails. What gives?
— Ben Reynolds, Lorrain, OH
BRIAN HANCOCK REPLIES
Battens on jibs make a big difference. A jib is a non-overlapping headsail, and because it is non-overlapping, it’s a good idea to maximize sail area: in other words get as much sail area into the foretriangle as possible. On a conventional jib, the sailmaker will hollow out the leech to make sure it does not flutter. Th is takes away a fair amount of sail area on an
