How do I get the other half of a snapped baton out of the baton pocket? I have tried wiggling it from the pocket, but it wont budge, is there a trick?
Sail is a 08 Neil Pryde Alpha, its the top baton...
Please help, looks like I may need this sail on Saturday, Sunday!
worse case senario, you put a tiny cut in the pocket, pull the batten , and cover back up with stick on sail cloth.
supa-glue or blue-tac (or something sticky) on the bit that you do have; stick it into the pocket and push it hard up against the broken end.... leave it a while to get stuck, then carefully pull.
I've seen a sailmaker just push on the front end (thru the pocket) and push it out .... being careful to keep the pocket straight so splinters don't penetrate it. With care it is pretty easy.
Else, just unpick the pocket and get it sewn back up will be a 20sec job to sew for anyone with a big industrial machine (= what like $10 labour?)
If it's a rod that's snapped, then you can cut the head off a screw and screw it into the old rod, slide it into the pocket, twist it so that the screw bites in, then carefully pull it out.
Carbon splinters getting stuck in the batten pocket are always an issue though.
Last time it happened to me I did what Landyacht suggested, just cut the batten pocket where the batten is broken and pull it out with needle nose pliers. There's no stress along the batten pocket, a cut won't make any difference. If you're worried about it then cover it with some stickyback to make it look better.
As Mark said, I've used that technique and it works. Lay the sail on a flat solid surface start tapping / pushing the front of the batten through the batten pocket. You can use another piece of flat baton or any thing solid but not sharp.
i have broken a couple of bottom battons on my rs6,you will find the batton is hollow so if you get a piece of wooden dowl and point the end then jamm the dowl into the batton and pull it out ,
yer Mark has both spot on, try the first one then if that don't work get the unpicker out..
Buy the way if anyone needs a sail repaired for summer P.M me, i work out of the Severne loft in perth...
Thanks for the tips everyone, I have successfully retrieved the broken end of the baton by using a hammer to gently tap the end from the mast pocket while laying the top of the sail down on a flat surface, was a bit tricky at the end with the fibres wanting to dig into the final part of the boton pocket, took about 15 minutes of gentle tapping.....all good,
I may need some new batons though, my 'harvest sail' and 2002-3 Sabre is a bit empty now :(
cheers
). Going to have a go at shaping one from a larger yacht sail batten...
You should be able to get "generic" battens from most windsurfing shops. In Victoria, RPS was able to supply me with something useable for a North freeride sail.
If you are really stuck, you could try contacting KA Sail (in Melbourne) and asking for a length. They even have carbon tube which is a bit harder to get.
what is the length and shape, if its under 1m I can mail one . many of the sails people have donated to the landsailing sail recutting program have good battens.
I should be able to match the profile and length.
