Andrei: For what it's worth (probably not much)...I don't think any of the H16 battens have ever come from Hobie tapered (could be wrong). I taper the top three (6th through 8th per your nomenclature) just so that (when desired) I can get some kind of shape into them without having to honk too hard on the batten ties (which leads to other problems). I have no idea what the deflection load is, but I know that the top few battens are extremely stiff, because they're so short. From your description, it sounds like your 7th one is way overtapered.
With all that said, I'm not sure that tapering or not makes a damn bit of difference on the mainsail. The tapering I've done does seem to help make the top main tell tale act better over a variety of conditions, though, which makes me feel better at least! I know some really good H16 sailors who taper all their main battens and some who taper none. Personally, I think that on the H16 the overall condition of the mainsail itself overrides batten tapering/tension factors in most instances. Now the jib is a totally different story....... Jerome Vaughan Hobie 16 "RATTLE 'N HUM" Clinton, Mississippi --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "apsoft4u" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > That's the article I mentioned in my original post but in different > location. And besides the theory which is certanly absolutely > relevant for H16, it tells specifically about H14 battens deflection > load giving the numbers. Having both H14 and H16 I happened to know > how much bigger H16's main is and how much longer and heavier the > battens there. > The problem is that applying as much downhaul as possible and > sheeting main block to block, does NOT make the sail around that > weak 7th batten flat. There is too much of a draft even with almost > no wind. I can imagine what 20kn would do with that draft. > > Does anybody do anything with H16 battens? > > Andrei > > Group Home http://www.TheBeachcats.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beachcats/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/