At Cruising World, we love a good DIY project. So we were thrilled when our friends at Harken invited us to Narragansett Bay to come aboard as they installed their Electric Winch System on a Sabre 36 that is currently undergoing a complete refit. Check out the video to see how it’s done.

To learn more about Harken’s Electric Winch System, visit harken.com or view this handy FAQ on the product line.

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On a recent windy romp through the British Virgin Islands, I found myself aboard a 45-foot charter cat, caught up in one of those moments that fellow sailors know only too well: All was going perfectly until it wasn’t. One minute we were successfully shaking a reef out of the main in anticipation of a long reach down Sir Francis Drake Channel to the Bight on Norman Island, and the next, the reef lines were incredibly tangled and the flogging sail was stuck in the mast track, unable to go up and unwilling to come down.

Instantly, a relaxing afternoon voyage became a lot like work as I scrambled up onto the cabin top and climbed up mast steps, hanging on with one arm, and clawing frantically with a boat hook in the other to pull down the sail so we could straighten out the mess. A tense few minutes ended well enough, but it was a good reminder of the forces at play when wind—lots of it—meets boat.

The engineers at Harken had similar—though larger-scale—scenarios in mind back in the 1980s when they created the first Battcar System for use on supersize record-chasing multihulls. The solution: affix sections of tracks to the mast and install cars with ball bearings to replace the main’s sail slides. This let the crew manage the enormous spreads of battens and cloth used to drive the powerful cats.

It didn’t take long for sailors aboard other top race boats to see the advantages of being able to safely raise and reef sails from the security of the cockpit, and today, Battcars are basic gear aboard pretty much all of the sailboats taking high-speed laps around the planet—or rounding the buoys in local waters, for that matter.

But what’s good for going fast can also be a welcome addition on cruising boats, where owners want to keep things safe and enjoyable, and where shorthanded crews might encounter a wide range of conditions to which they’ll need to react quickly.

There are other options, of course. Many boats today have in-mast furling, but their mainsails can’t carry battens and therefore have a hollow leach, which means less power. Or they rely on vertical battens that can be troublesome to remove should the sail need to come down in a hurry. In-boom furling is also available, and while these systems allow for full-cut sails with battens, they tend to be expensive, and they too require care when furling. And what do you do if you buy a boat without such systems?

Call me old-fashioned, but a traditional full-batten main not only looks good and performs well, but it also can be dropped easily—so long as you point the bow into the wind. Add a Battcar System, and it can be doused with control or reefed no matter the wind direction, thanks to the ball bearings in the cars that attach it to the mast.

Harken has designed its systems so that retrofitting them is a relatively approachable project for the do-it-yourselfer, and one that will be a lot less costly than buying a new furling mast or boom.

Since their introduction in the 1980s, Harken’s Battcars have evolved, though the basic concept is pretty much the same. Ball-bearing cars are loaded onto a track that runs up the mast. Instead of a boltrope or slugs, the sail is attached to a vertical pin on each car with a loop of webbing sewn onto the luff. On early cars, a cotter pin or ring was used to secure each pin, but current design employs a pushpin that locks itself into place. Older cars also relied on end caps to secure the ball bearings, and if those caps were damaged, the bearings could come loose and quickly disappear overboard. To prevent this, Harken developed captive ball bearings that are locked into place with retaining rings that can’t accidentally come undone.

Harken initially offered three systems—dubbed A, B and C—for boats from 35 feet up to about 60 feet. They’ve since added an AA line for boats down to 21 feet, and custom Battcar systems are available for larger yachts of 100 feet and more.

As a DIY refit project, installing the track appears fairly straightforward. On a smooth extrusion, holes can be drilled and tapped, and the track screwed into place. The ideal time to do this, of course, would be when the mast is down for winter storage, but it can also be done with the mast stepped, and in the case of a mast with a groove, it would require just one trip aloft using what Harken calls ‘Slug Track’ and a compliment of slugs. The required tools are fairly basic: hacksaw, file, drill and a couple of bits, Phillips head screwdriver, putty knife, crescent wrench, Allen wrenches, and a tape measure.

The slotted-mast installation kits include slugs that are fed into the sail slot. Then sections of the track get screwed loosely to the slugs and are pushed up the mast. The final piece of track gets cut to fit, and then an end piece is installed and tightened down. Once that’s done, someone takes a ride up the mast, tightening all the remaining screws as they go.

The system uses three different types of cars: one designed to hold the sail’s headboard, another to accommodate the battens, and intermediate luff cars that go between the batten cars. Installation-kit details are available in Harken’s online catalog. Select the number of cars and track sections you’ll need, install the track, slide on the cars, and you’re good to go. 

To adapt a sail for the system, all that’s required is to have a sailmaker replace the existing slugs with loops of webbing to attach to the Battcars’ pins.

With lazy jacks installed, dousing the main, even when sailing downwind in breezy conditions, means just letting go with the halyard, and reefing can be done from the cockpit, meaning no one has to go forward on deck. Safe and simple, right?   

To learn more about Harken’s Battcar System visit https://bit.ly/HarkenBattcarVideo

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“Throughout the years, Olaf and I have been approached by lots of good people interested in acquiring our business. The way we decided was simple. We turned down every offer that didn’t present a brighter future for our people than we could create on our own. We started this company to build the best sailing products we could at a fair price. We’ve had good success doing it, and that makes us proud.

What we might not have anticipated was how much the culture of this place means to its success. My brother Olaf, Art Mitchel, and I tried to build a place where people could take chances and not be afraid to fail. More and more it’s our people who have made this place the leader it is. Today, we’re acknowledging an ownership change. It’s time for those who have worked with us to own Harken.

I’ve got all the faith in the world in Bill Goggins, who is now CEO; Matt Malec, COO; and John Jensen, our CFO—along with the members of our Executive Committee made up of Andrea Merello, Managing Director at Harken Italy; Adriano Rubinaccio, Director of Operations at Harken Italy; and Stefano Castagna, Director of Global HR. These people we hired and developed have had their hands on the wheel for a while now, and I look forward to seeing them make their marks. I’ve always said the company is its people, and it’s all 400 worldwide that make this place great.

Three years ago when Harken turned 50, someone asked what we wanted Harken to be like when it turned 100. In 2067, we want it to be stronger than it is today. We hope it will still feel like Harken, but it needs to be doing more than we can even dream of today. This transaction is to help make that happen.

To our customers and collaborators: Take nothing about this news based on faith. These corporate announcements always sound like snow jobs. So, don’t believe anything about this based on anything I or anyone else says. Just keep checking out Harken products and buy from us until the second you find someone who can do it better—we won’t forget how to compete.

As for me…I’m not going anywhere! While the terms of this acquisition allow me to pretty much do whatever I’d like (who are we kidding, I’ve been doing that for years!), I’ll keep coming in because I want to. I like being with the people here…to see what’s going on every day, contributing where I can, and serving as a communication and sales ambassador in the field.

To the new owners: Olaf would be very happy today. I wish he was here to see this. But as I told you the day he passed away: no screwing around, he’ll be watching. So will I. It’s your watch now. Let’s roll!”

Bill Goggins, Harken CEO, said, “We have been preparing for a day like this for our whole careers. We have so much gratitude for Peter, Olaf, and Art for the trust they have shown in all of us. Today we raise our glasses to Peter Harken, Olaf Harken’s family, Rose Sorensen, and Art Mitchel. This company will always owe so much to them as our founders. It will always be Peter & Olaf Harken’s company, but starting today, it is in our care and custody.”

Matt Malec, Harken COO, said, “Historically, Harken has been a place where big things happen in uncertain economic times. We invested in a majority of our production capacity and built our headquarters and major centers of production during the Great Recession of the early 2000s. We’ve had strategic acquisitions as part of our goals for the last several years. Today, in the middle of this challenging year, we completed our most significant acquisition thus far. We hope there will be more. But today, Harken bought Harken.”

John Jensen, Harken CFO, said, “Over the last several years, we’ve prepared the company financially for a transaction that would shift its ownership. As a finance person, I’m very pleased with what we’ve done. First as an employee, and now employee-owner, I’m even happier we found a way to assure that as we grow this company it will continue to live its values.”

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Olaf Theodore Harken passed away peacefully at his home in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, on October 21, 2019. He was born on May 6, 1939, in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, and is survived by his wife of 47 years, Ruth, their 3 daughters, 4 granddaughters and 1 grandson.

Olaf Harken and his older brother, Peter, created the hugely successful rope handling business that bears their name, by working hard, delivering excellence, and having fun every day.

Harken, Inc. makes marine hardware, hydraulics and winch systems for racing and cruising sailboats of all types and sizes. Industrial hardware applications include the commercial marine, architectural, and rope access and rescue industries.

The brothers took a lot of chances over the years – and employees are encouraged to do the same.

When Olaf Harken was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2014 along with Peter, he explained the brothers’ business philosophy: “When trying new stuff our rule is to ask, ‘if it all goes bad, can we survive?’ Then we go to the bar and forget what we just said and do it anyway!”

Olaf and Peter quickly learned that the real fuel behind a company’s success is its people.

“Peter and I were not very smart,” Olaf said in his 2015 memoir Fun Times in Boats, Blocks & Business, “but we did know that success is linked directly to trust and treating people with dignity, and maybe a little sprinkling of humor.”

The Harken story has been full of twists, turns, successes, and reinventions, but through it all the goal of challenging the status quo and commitment to being at the front remains.

Today at Harken, Peter Harken told an assembly of Harken members:

“My brother did all the hard work so I could have all the fun.”

“During the days when the company was just getting going, Olaf was in charge of the money. He kept us in business. If I had been in charge of that we would have been in big trouble.”

“His legacy is in this culture. So, let’s just keep doing what we do. Just keep getting better. You are a great family. Thanks a lot. He’ll be watching you, so no sloughing off!”

Today at Harken, Bill Goggins, CEO Harken read this passage from Olaf’s autobiography in remembrance:

“Peter and I have long believed there is a word that should apply to almost every action and decision. That word is honesty. I got my first lesson in honesty shortly after we started the business—back when we were building those first six boats for Ohio State University. Like almost every boatbuilder, we were behind by quite a few weeks. When our customers called and wanted to know when we were going to deliver, I lied. I said they would be ready in about a week. Peter overheard me and was furious. He made me call them back and tell them I was wrong, that we were further behind and would not be able to deliver for a few more weeks. This was very embarrassing, but it taught me a good lesson. For one thing, I didn’t have to keep on lying each week. Taking the beating once is a lot easier than building one lie on top of another. It’s not easy to do and the customer is going to be angry or disappointed, but that’s the end of it.”

Goggins also said:

“You couldn’t have scripted a nicer weekend for Olaf than the one just past. Pewaukee Yacht Club honored Olaf on Saturday night with a Lifetime Achievement Award to a full house standing ovation. He rose, walked to the front and accepted the award with his usual grace and dignity. The evening was highlighted by Olaf and Ruth on the dance floor. Sunday was a simple Packer game with his family and then, a remarkable chance 30-minute walk with his brother in the sunshine. He died peacefully in his sleep with his loved ones nearby. The company mourns his loss; however the company celebrates his life by doing what we do…every day…into a bright future.”

Olaf Harken was born of Dutch and Swedish parents in Indonesia at the beginning of World War II. In 1941 the Japanese attacked Indonesia. During the fighting and nightly bombings, Peter, Olaf, and their Swedish mother managed to escape to Borneo. Their Dutch father, Joe joined the very small Dutch army and helped fight the Japanese until his capture. Joe was imprisoned for five years and was not liberated until the end of the war. Meanwhile, Peter, Olaf, and mother Ulla lived first in Borneo, were then troop-shipped to New Zealand for a year, to Australia for another year, and finally shipped to San Francisco in 1944. Here they were miraculously reunited with their father in 1946 after the war was over.

After studying at Georgia Tech, Olaf Harken took an engineering job in New York City, but in 1967 he returned to Wisconsin to help Peter build boats for the college market. “Why I made that decision then I’ll never know,” said Olaf.

Inside the office were a couple of doors on saw horses used as desktops, an old typewriter, a telephone, and a file cabinet. A plastic sheet separated the offices from the fiberglass and assembly area. Marketing consisted of all-night drives with Peter at the wheel and Olaf typing brochures in the back seat of an old Chevy wagon. That first year they made $3,800-together.

The Harkens aren’t sure exactly when the turnabout happened, but Olaf the engineer ended up running the business side of Harken Inc., with Peter the economist handling design and production. “Peter designed the blocks, and knew more about manufacturing than me,” Olaf said. “Olaf was more patient, better at the business than me,” Peter said. “Each of us was better at the other guys’ education. We kept it quiet, figuring people wouldn’t want blocks designed by an economist.”

Preliminary plans include a visitation and service Saturday morning, October 26 at Galilee Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, followed immediately by a celebration at Harken corporate headquarters. For overseas friends, another celebration of Olaf’s life will be held during the annual METS show in Amsterdam in November.

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The Harken/Jeanneau partnership on the Assisted Sail Trim (AST) product has been recognized with the inaugural 2015 IBI METS Trade Boat Builder Award in The Boat Builder and Equipment Manufacturer Collaborative Solution Category. This is a tremendous honor for this product and a vote of confidence by the jury in its power to change the way people sail today.

For all those who have ever wished for a little help at the helm, Harken and Jeanneau are pleased to announce the result of a three-year collaborative effort to re-imagine cruising and shorthanded sailing. This collaboration has produced an advanced system to make sailing easier for families, cruisers, shorthanded crews, solo sailors, and those with limited mobility.

The system, consisting of three OEM packages, is designed to enhance a relaxing day on the water by offering sensor-guided, push-button sail control.

The Auto Tacking base package adjusts the headsail for the new tack while you steer through the maneuver. Sensors detect wind speed and apparent wind for safety.

Auto Trim is the perfect complement to Auto Tacking for easy cruising. Set the initial trim, press the button to engage Auto Trim, and then let the system handle sheeting. The system monitors apparent wind for perfect trim while you relax at the helm. An integrated heel control detects gusts and limits heel to your desired setting for maximum passenger comfort.

The Sail Management package, which will debut in coming seasons, can hoist and douse the main or genoa. Load sensors detect jams and allow the halyard to be eased for safe operation. All functions, as well as push-button control over each winch, are operated from a cockpit display. Harken Rewind winches or Captive Reel winches allow the system to both trim and ease without manual intervention. All packages feature full redundancy and manual backup in the event of power loss.

Jeanneau will debut the Auto Tacking and Auto Trim packages on its Sun Odyssey range under the name Assisted Sail Trim (AST). The AST will be exclusive to Jeanneau Sun Odyssey during the 2015 season.

“It’s been a challenge to keep this project secret through years of development and on-the-water testing, but this finely-tuned system was definitely worth the wait,” says Davide Burrini, Harken International OEM Sales Manager. “By centralizing controls, integrating wind and equipment sensors, and allowing skippers to control all sheeting from the helm, this project has the potential to revolutionize cruising and shorthanded sailing.”

Erik Stromberg, Sailboat Product Director Jeanneau said, “This project has been a very unique collaboration. It has at times been difficult to tell where our Harken partners ended and we at Jeanneau began. The result is quite an elegant system, with room to grow its capabilities built right in. Our AST will give Jeanneau owners more of the relaxation they love about sailing, with less of the sail handling and adjustments that can sometimes intrude.”

For more information, visit the Jeanneau or Harken websites.

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