I want to install a full set of telltales by using yarns and a needle through the sail. Will making this small hole start a point of weakness on a modern Dacron sail that might lead to trouble?
Yarn telltales
- Thread starter Quoddy
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I doubt it, especially if you used a round needle, rather than a triangular one. A round needle will push the fibers in the sailcloth aside, where a triangular may cut them. If you have any doubts about doing this, you could always add a small circular reinforcing patch to the sail on each side where you're doing this.
Use acrylic yarn, as I believe it does not absorb water like the polyester yarns can.
Use acrylic yarn, as I believe it does not absorb water like the polyester yarns can.
I used adhesive-type tell tales in the past on a boat I no longer own. The adhesive tell-tales held for the 5+ years I owned the boat. No sewing necessary.
Better
I think sewing is very good idea,I have stick on yarn ones on the jib and and another boat also but they seem to stick to the sticky some times I guess from furling up.
I added tell tales stick on to my furling main and one or two came off but they are the wider type tell tales and like them better maybe I will try sewing the stick on patch next time just a idea.
Nick
I think sewing is very good idea,I have stick on yarn ones on the jib and and another boat also but they seem to stick to the sticky some times I guess from furling up.
I added tell tales stick on to my furling main and one or two came off but they are the wider type tell tales and like them better maybe I will try sewing the stick on patch next time just a idea.
Nick
Putting a hole in the sail is fine, if you are talking about the luff of a headsail, for example. Then tie a knot in the yarn on each side of the sail fabric so the yarn stays in place. Another way to do this is use a couple of round stickers. That way you can use two colors, red for port and green for starboard. If you are going to put tell tales on the leech of the mainsail, then either using a sticker or sewing them on is best. That's my 2 cents.
Tell Tales
IMO I think that the ribbon type are better as they do not snag on the sail seams .. Use thin ribbon and round stick on patches .. Just had new sails from NORTH Sails and this is how they do them .. Old sail has wool and whoever fitted them put them so near seams etc. so they snag . Even worse if it rains they get wet and just stick ..
IMO I think that the ribbon type are better as they do not snag on the sail seams .. Use thin ribbon and round stick on patches .. Just had new sails from NORTH Sails and this is how they do them .. Old sail has wool and whoever fitted them put them so near seams etc. so they snag . Even worse if it rains they get wet and just stick ..
why not just place some light plastic on the shrouds and or stays? they tell the direction of the wind better than something inside the sail , in my humble opinion....havent steered me wrong yet...and ye dont have to make holes in the sails.....i use th ered plastic tie from garbage bags--lol--and i cut the ends into 3 tails each so there are 3 telltales in the breezes---one set on each side----works great--cheaper than worrying about the sail and replaceable readily.....
If you use yarn, just locate them so they won't hang up on a seam thread. I like the stick on kind better. You can stagger one side above the other so you can see both windward and leeward at same time and you can use two colors... as in red for port and green for starboard.
One advantage to using the stick on approach. You can change the telltale height so that you can differentiate the port and starboard ones, so that you can read both when the sun is shining on the sails by seeing the shadow of each... knowing which is which by their position. If you use a single yarn for the tell tales, it is harder to read them.
Putting telltales on your shrouds will indicate apparent wind direction on the windward side, but they won't tell you anything about wind flow over your headsail.
I have a couple of yarn telltales, and a few plastic telltales. The yarn ones seem to hang up on the telltale window seams and other seams. I'd stick with the plastic ones.
Dave
Dave
not so unique--i was taught to sail that way in antique sailboat by an antique tallshipman and i do NOT EVER race--i donot NEED yarn or whatever ON THE SAIL..LOL..to tell me what the wind is doing across my sail--i watch the sail performance by how it fills for my point of sail....that isnt unique--using thingies on the sail is unique. thankyou very much lol....i look for wind direction into my sails only--is all that is important with cruising my boats..LOL....
Quoddy -
If you use a 'ball-point needle', not a triangular or sharp point needle, and 'work' the needle through the dacron you wont have any problem. 'Working' the ball point needle will tend to separate the thread fibers apart, instead of tearing or breaking them. Even if you tear a few fibers, tales are usually placed on areas that get relatively little fabric stress.
Better is to use already prepared "stick on" tales made of heat-knife cut ripstop nylon - "Air Flow Tell Tales" by Davis are the most common. For tell-tales used in 'super light winds', just break up a small audio 'micro-casette' and stick the 'tales' onto the sail with 'sail repair tape', etc. You can also use old VHS tape as the tale - but 'wrinkle it' before you apply it.
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?group=790
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