All RBS battens come coded with either "F", "C"
or "R" to insure proper batten placement.
Discussion:
Flex Taper - The flex taper is used on all leech or partial batten sails.
The soft tip of the flex batten allows the batten to bend or conform to the shape
of the sail without causing a hard spot where the leach batten front terminates
in the batten pocket. The flex battens allows for a smooth transition from the
sail to the roach/leach supporting battens resulting in better sail shape and
increased sail longevity.
Compression Taper - These tapers are used for full batten jib or mainsails
that need a more draft forward position. Compression tapers have a straight line
taper from tip to the end of the taper. With this taper, the draft position is
more likely to move forward under load producing a draft pocket. This pocket can
be manipulated with different compression taper dimensions.
Reverse Compression Taper - This unique tapering process allows for the
front of the batten to be full thickness, essentially reversing the taper. Instead
of a convential up taper, we're tapering down for 15% of the length of the batten
to reach it's narrowest cross section where we then climb out to the desired tapered
length.
Using this tapering technique results in a flatter thus cleaner entry to the sail
securing the draft in its proper position. As the wind builds and the sail powers
up the entry remains flat, resulting in a stable draft position to maximize power.
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