[quote=benedict]You're right, it could get pretty thick pretty fast. But that's actually why I started this thread before sticking telltales on my sails. I wanted to get input.
It's funny seeing how each skipper looks for different things in their telltales. I just finished re-reading Rick White's "Catamaran Racing" book. If I remember right, Rick White only ever really talks about telltales on the jib. Some of the other authors mention mainsail telltales, some even mention leach telltales on the main, but some of those don't mention telltales on the jib. Piecing together a good comprehensive plan for telltales is a little like trying to reverse-engineer the jib sheeting system on the P-Cat.
So no, I appreciate your posting about Arvel Gentry's system. And I look forward to reading about your experiments.
Your second to last paragraph says something that caught my eye: So your plan is to measure the angle of your boat off of vertical while at the best attitude of sail (windward hull just kissing the water, I'm guessing transoms just coming out of the water), and use a laser level to indicate a level-with-the-water line across your sails (jib and main, both?). This line across your sails would be the line along which you'd want the 3" end-to-end Gentry telltales to be placed. Is that right?
Please do let me know how this turns out. This is really intriguing.
Tom
P.S. Wait a sec... Arvel Gentry was with Boeing in Washington? Cripes, he may have used the same wind tunnel I did. THAT'S COOL![/quote]
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