Harken Battcars help raise, douse and reef your sail with ease and act as extra crew if you're sailing shorthanded. Below are answers to questions we're often asked on how to go about choosing the right hardware for your boat.
Photo: Onne van der Wal
General Information
A HARKEN BATTCAR SYSTEM is a simple, low-cost solution to a problem that seems bigger than it is. Battcars let you raise, lower, or reef at any wind angle while enjoying efficient sail shape underway. You don’t even need to take the mast down to install them. Adding a Harken Lazy Jack to your system makes dropping and reefing the sail even easier by gathering the mainsail on the boom.
Why should I install a Battcar system instead of an in-mast, or in-boom furler?
A Battcar system is simpler and offers better performance at a drastically lower cost. An in-mast furling system forces you to replace the entire mast, boom, standing and running rigging, and mainsail. Similarly, a retrofitted in-boom furler requires a new or highly modified mainsail with smaller area and a less efficient sail shape, as well as an electric winch to deal with the added friction.
Battcars save you 60 or 70% of the cost of a professionally installed in-boom or in-mast system. Battcars do not require new winches and you can continue to use full battens that increase the roach and maximize sail performance. Your mast, boom, and rigging will remain intact.
Will Battcars help me raise the mainsail?
Yes. They almost completely remove friction from the luff and headboard slides.
If I do a lot of singlehanded sailing or I sail shorthanded, how does a Battcar system help me?
One of the most difficult things to do safely when sailing alone or shorthanded is reefing the main. This is usually a two-person job—you either need one crew to pull the luff of the sail down to reef, or the skipper has to turn head-to-wind to lower the sail to a reef position.
You can lower Battcars at any time when the sail is not pressed against the spreaders—in any conditions, at any wind angle, and without having someone go forward. Just let off the halyard to one of the reefing positions you’ve marked on it.
What size does my boat need to be for a Battcar system?
You can find our recirculating ball bearing Battcars on boats as small as 6.5 meter Mini Transats (21 feet) and as large as 100-foot (30 m) megayachts. We make custom systems for boats to 200 or more feet (61 m).
Typical Boat Length |
Maximum Sail Area |
|||||||
Monohull |
Multihull |
Monohull |
Multihull |
|||||
ft |
m |
ft |
m |
ft2 |
m2 |
ft2 |
m2 |
System Size |
to 37 |
to 11.3 |
to 30 |
to 9.1 |
350 |
32 |
275 |
25 |
AA |
37-50 |
11.3-15.2 |
30-40 |
9.1-12.2 |
600 |
56 |
500 |
46 |
A |
50-60 |
15.2-18.3 |
40-50 |
122-152 |
900 |
83 |
700 |
65 |
B |
60-90 |
18.3-27 |
50-70 |
15.2-21 |
1940 |
180 |
1520 |
140 |
C |
How do you moor a boat with a Battcar system?
It’s easy. A Battcar system combined with a Lazy Jack lets you sail almost right up to a mooring. When you release the halyard, the sail drops between the Lazy Jacks into a neat stack and stays on the boom. You’ll have excellent visibility as you approach the buoy.
I sail in the South Florida and Caribbean areas where squalls come up with little warning. How will a Battcar system help me?
Battcars are perfect for these conditions. If you have to get your sail down in a hurry, let the halyard go and it will drop immediately. We recommend keeping a wrap on the winch to slow the takedown and maintain control.
Captive ball bearings |
How hard is it to remove the mainsail?
If you want to leave the cars on the mast, Battcar B and C systems have quick release pins for fast sail removal.
If you prefer removing the cars with the sail attached, all systems feature captive ball bearings, making it easy to remove both cars.
What are the benefits of installing a Harken system?
Battcar track attaches to your existing spar with slugs that fit inside the boltrope groove on your mast. If you’re handy with a screwdriver and hacksaw you can install the system yourself. Grooved aluminum production masts don’t need to be drilled or tapped, and you don’t have to reshape the mainsail.
What if I don’t have a grooved mast?
This will increase installation time and requires more rigging expertise, but Harken has track that can be drilled and tapped. It’s still less expensive than installing an in-mast or in-boom furler.
I have a full-battened mainsail. What modifications do I have to make?
Harken makes cars that accommodate most batten receptacles on the market. The only modification a sailmaker will have to make is the webbing installation on the intermediate luff cars.
How can I save money and still get performance using a Battcar system?
We recommend using ball bearing Battcars at the battens and headboard because these carry the highest loads. However, installing slider cars at the intermediate luff positions will reduce weight, cost, and stack height .
Links:
Compu-Spec-picks hardware for your boat
To Order: contact Tech Service
Manual
Dealers
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