Sail Tell-Tales Positioning

LittleSister

LittleSister

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At the risk of neck ache and missing the sailing/scenery/cups of tea because I'm looking up all the time, I'm intending to fit some tell-tales to my sails. Can anyone advise me on the best positioning - i.e. distance back from front of genoa; heights for genoa tell-tales; heights for main tell-tales; - and also length for mainsail tell-tales.

The boat is a 23 foot heavyweight long-keeled cruising sloop.
 
Can anyone advise me on the best positioning...

Certainly: At the very bottom of your deepest locker; they don't work! When we bought a new mainsail it had tell-tales fitted and it didn't seem to matter what I did, I just couldn't get them all to fly horizontally for more than a few seconds and achieving even that was a rarity - After about six weeks I cut them off I felt much better
 
I find telltales a great help and find I can get them to fly quite easily. I recently spoke to Crusader sails and I will be having extra telltails fitted for when the Genoa is part furled.
I think they don't need to be too high up the sails as, IMHO, the lower (longer) part of the sail gives the most power to the boat.
Allan
 
Make the tell tails using old audio tape or similar, about 7 inches long. Stick to each side of the sail with one inch squares of "sticky back"

Main sail, 3 will do half way back the chord. the lowest one about 4 feet up from the foot, rest evenly dividing the sail. Couple of leech tell tails are handy as well. Genoa will depend whether you are using hanks or foil or a roller. Probably about a foot back on the luff. bottom one at eye level, two more evenly up the luff. One more about half way back on the chord to use when reaching.

Having 3 indicators on the genoa at eye level, first one about a foot back and the others about 9 inches spaced back will be handy to pick wind "trends". Some experimenting may be required.
 
See HERE for advice on Genoa tell tales. Luff furling gear upsets them a bit so better with that to fit them a little further back than you would otherwise.

Mainsail tell tales go on the ends of the batten pockets. Use lengths of wool. 15cm or something like that should be OK . May not need them that long

If it's only to avoid looking up at a burgee or windex, telltales on the shrouds can be useful.
 
I find them a waste of time on the main, You can tell when it is not tight enough because it "liftf" just aft of the mast.

On the genoa, fit at least two sets, the first at eye level, the second half-way up the luff. Each set consists of one about 12" behind the luff and two more at 12" intervals along a horizontal line. They are very useful in telling you whether your sail is trimmed right (when off the wind)) or whether you are sailing as close to the wind as possible (when beating.) The reason for the upper set is to reveal whether the sheet fairlead is needing moved forward or aft.

After you have fitted them you need an article on how to use them, such as the ones in PBO by John Chisnel (I think.)
 
My main tell tails are pretty much at the end of each batten. EDIT>> as Vic already mentioned.

I fitted tails to my old genny, according to the pack I bought at the chandlers, I forget now, but mine were near identical to the factory ones on the new genny I bought..
 
main sail telltails on the leech are fine for indicating whether you have too much main sheet tension, they suck back to the lee side. Tell tails in the middle of the chord are used when reaching. Too many yachts over sheet the main reaching.
 
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I find them a waste of time on the main, You can tell when it is not tight enough because it "lift" just aft of the mast.

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I disagree - for fine tuning the main, the tell tails are essential.

If you just trim by how much the main's luff lifts, how can you trim for twist and tightness of the roach? If you are aiming for a smooth laminar airflow over the sail, then the telltales let you know what is happening at each height of the sail. The correct trim of the mainsail is a bit more than pulling it in until it stops lifting at the luff. You will go faster is you get it right.

Further to other's posts on where to put mainsail tell tails, they are usually at the batten ends so that any flutter of the leech as the main gets older and stretches doesn't upset the tell tales so much.

You also need at least THREE up the luff of the genoa - again to check genoa car position and twist of the genoa.

Why get the sailmaker to put them on? You can buy stick on ones at most chandlers, or use bits of wool. Put the wool through the sail with a sailmakers needle, and tie a knot either side is another way technique. Mainsail ones are usually bits of (red?) ribbon sewn on the batten ends.
 
PBO has excellent booklet by Mr. Chinery (think I have spelling correct).
Despite the posts below which somewhat differ from his advise - we have found his to be spot on.

Genny : at 3 equidistant levels up luff and about 1 foot in from luff. Telltail each side. We added a further line of telltales based on a furled sail of 70% still in use.

Mainsail : Single tell tail at 70% height or usually 3rd batten level at leech.

We did as above and he was right.
 
The only other matter to add to the discussion is luff tension. The tuffs will only give the correct information if the Cunningham eye or halyard tension is correct for the wind strength.
 
I find tell-tales very useful indeed - and would agree with most of the positive comments here. A second full set on the genoa which is about 12 inches from the luff AFTER YOU HAVE 3 ROLLS IN is also useful.
BUT - when placing them - avoid stitching in the sail, as they get caught up in it.
ken
 
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The only other matter to add to the discussion is luff tension. The tuffs will only give the correct information if the Cunningham eye or halyard tension is correct for the wind strength.

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Considering that most cruising boats do not play with cunninghams or luff tension, I find the comment irrelevant to be honest. Tell tails are there for average conditions and to help average yotties get reasonable from sails. Hubby and I are race experienced and can play with all sorts of halyards, lines, luffs etc. but when on our present cruising boat never play with luff tensions etc. - waste of time, as we wish to enjoy a cruise. But the tell-tails help to get good from the sails whatever.
KISS - is the best way.
 
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