Telltale PlacementBy Bill GravesI see people recommending placing telltales about 12" aft of the boltrope. I agree that's a good place to put them if you're mostly concerned about luffing. What if you're more worried about airflow stalling over the leeward side of the sail? It stalls first near the leech, so telltales near the luff don't help much. I like to put telltales near the point of maximum draft on my H17, about 1/2 way between luff and leech. I find I can "feel" the boat pinching up too high (boat goes slow, no power through the waves), but it's harder to feel a stall. Note that on the 17, Hobie put little triangular windows right where I'm talking about so you can see the telltales on both sides. I guess they like them there, too. Bill Graves H17 1144 |
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