Hobie Cat Forums

After seeing a post by Kayaking Bob mentioning these, I got some, on a whim. My God, they are actually USEFUL, unlike those pathetic bits of wool which stick to the sail in anything less than a gale. I tried following Hobie's advice and trimming the sail to where the windward telltale just went from streaming to dancing and sure enough, the boat would accelerate every time. The thing that impressed me was that there would be a few seconds delay before this happened, so, I was missing this sweet spot when I was adjusting the trim of the sail continuously.
All this is probably elementary to the experienced sailors on this forum, but I heartily recommend these telltales to other relative newcomers, like myself.

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A friend of mine just bought a new Multi 23, a fast, light trimaran. We were out trying to figure out how to make it go in very little wind last Sunday, but having no Windex atop the mast and almost no telltales on the sail made it difficult. As we put the sails away, we covered them with a bunch of telltales, so next time will go better.

What makes the Black Beauty different from wool Chris other than they don't stick to the sail, and where did you get them?....Pirate

They are a light nylon ribbon and much more responsive to lighter breeze and to changes in the wind flow. Got them from my local Hobie dealer. $A 14 for a pack of 14. I'll mail you a couple if you like

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The Black Beauty telltales are probably the best bang-for-buck upgrade you can make to the AI.
I have never understood why the standard Hobie kayak sail has them yet the AI only comes with the useless bits of wool?

Hmm - sounds like something else I need
Mickey

Thanks Chris for the offer but you keep them for your sails. I will order some from Pete Manley who has some other stuff on order with me already.
Has anyone sketched a sail layout showing the telltales in their optimum places?...Pirate

Pirate,

The instructions that come with the telltales have a diagram and instructions to put 3 sets, 12" back from the luff and 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 of the way up the sail, but these instructions seem to be referring specifically to a jib. I just put mine exactly where the original ones had been and they worked fine.

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Yep, they do work very well.

If the ribbons wear out too soon, I've had good luck using regular ribbons from stores like Walmart, sewing shops or craft stores (Ben Franklin). They don't work as well in very light wind, but last very long. I'm still on my 1st pair with little wear (1 year). They also add more color to the sails.

Kayaking Bob

Kayaking Bob,

How do you attach the WalMart telltales?

Keith

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I sail: S FL, Key Largo, Everglades to Cape Romano, Ft Desoto, Cedar Key

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

Using the Black Beauty stick-on "disks". (14 per pack)

It's pretty easy to reuse the disks when changing out ribbons too.

The Black Beauty's should last well for most people, but when sailing year round, the ribbons are working better for me. Plus I can choose colors.

Kayaking Bob

Ta guys. Now have you added additional tell tales to work down the luff of the sail when it is furled to various extents? If so where have you put them?...Pirate

I'm guessing that if you are already furling the sail to depower it, it would be less important to get the trim perfect???

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It all helps Chris and also works to help identify wind shifts that have just happened...Pirate

Because the paddle is pretty much useless on an Adventure Island, and this way you have something to do with it - free your telltales.