Broke one of the cam battens on my 2012 HSM GPS 8m. It broke about 2cm back from the tip that engages the cam. Therefore, when pulling the batten out from the rear, the small, 2cm long snapped off section remains firmly stuck right up the end of the batten pocket. I've slit the batten sleeve just slightly In the hope of reaching in with some needle nose pliers and extracting the batten tip but to no avail -the pliers seem to just crush and splinter the batten and it doesn't really budge.. Its almost as it its glued or sewn in.
Can anybody offer any help or suggestions?
Mark
Just repaired the same problem on the same sail myself. Followed instructions given in a thread this week in General Windsurfing. Used the hammer and punch approach to slowly move the piece toward the cut I made in the batten sleeve. Shouldn't be too hard.
Finally got the tip of the batten out. It was never going to come out by tapping it backwards because it has a small, flattened, flared section right at the tip. Had to slit the batten sleeve stitching along the top, right at the reinforced stub and pull the batten out from the top. Now for the replacement. Anybody know where to get a replacement front section? Its 73cm long, round at one end graduating to rectangular at the other. The round end sleeves inside the remainder of the batten by about 7cm.
Whether there is a "standard" batten or I was just lucky, but, I was able to use donor battens from a Fanatic beginner sail I had siting in the shed. Sail sets perfectly. I think it's a matter of durability, just need to last till I get HSM replacements.
Thanks for all the tips. Batten now repaired and awaiting a test rig. Amazing how Common much of the Componentry is after having ripped the batters out of some old sails I had. Seems every batten is a Combination of 3 basic Components: large diameter hollow rod, Small diameter nolid rod, and small diameter solid rod tapering into a flattened rectangular section. Just add the front tip appropriate to your cam / brand and rear tensions appropriate to your brand, and you are set,. Ever with up to ten years difference in age, everything Was still same dimension , completely interchangeable,
Yes, howerever depending on the length of this pieces and the stiffness of these parts you can achieve different effects, i.e. change /influence your sail's performance ... The best showcase is when normal battens are replaced with carbon ones ... So just check, at least, the stifness of the mid hollow rod, and tapering of the front part.
