Telltales on main sail inside the leach

[cmedsailor]

The leach of my in mast furling sail, due to the leach line and due to the lack of any battens is always slightly “bend” on one side. So any attempt to install telltales is hopeless. Any idea if it makes sense to place them a small distance inside the leach (one at each side of the sail)? Will that work?

 

[lpdsn]

What you're looking for is the leech of the mainsail stalling, allowing you to judge whether the sail is oversheeted or the twist is wrong.

You need to see where the flow reverses and the best way to do that is to have the telltale attached to the leech and watch for it disappearing behind the sail.

If they're short of the leech, then the leeward ones will be useful, but you're not going to be able to see them from the helm position, so they'd be pretty impractical. You could put windows in your mainsail to see the telltales, but they'd not last long if you allowed the leech to flutter, so again not that practical.

 

[lpdsn]

The leach of my in mast furling sail, due to the leach line and due to the lack of any battens is always slightly “bend” on one side.

Btw, do you mean 'hooked'? Easing the leech line should solve it if it's a new sail and the leech isn't stretched out of shape.

 

[cmedsailor]

Btw, do you mean 'hooked'? Easing the leech line should solve it if it's a new sail and the leech isn't stretched out of shape.

I am not sure if you can see on the photo what I mean. The leech is slightly pointing towards the port side. Yes, I guess it's a bit stretched out of shape and this does not allow the telltales to point very well.

 

[cmedsailor]

If they're short of the leech, then the leeward ones will be useful, but you're not going to be able to see them from the helm position, .

Now I am lost! Why not be able to see them?

 

[lpdsn]

Now I am lost! Why not be able to see them?

You're suggesting that you put them on either side and a short distance for'd of the leech (if I understand it correctly). The ones on the windward side of the sail won't give you much useful information at all. The ones on the leeward side are always going to be on the opposite side of the sail from the helm, whichever tack you are on. They will be the ones that would enable you to see the reverse flow indicating the stalling of the sail but they'll always be on the 'wrong' side of the sail for viewing.

Your sail doesn't look old, so easing the leech line should allow you to reduce the hook. On an old sail, the leech often flutters if the line is eased enough to get rid of the hook. Hooked leeches are surprisingly inefficient.