wool tell tails

I need to replace my tell tails. The ones on my sails are frayed, creased and the same color as the sail panels making them difficult to see. I found some wool tell tails online that claim not to fray or crease. Anyone here have any experience with wool tell tails (or any other material for that matter)?

I don't like the wool telltails. They get stuck on themselves and are also heavier than ones made of spinnaker fabric or whatever that nylon stuff is. They are probably better than not having any at all though.

Spray down the wool tels and the sail around the tels with Sailkote. Problem will be solved.

For some reason I thought they would be wide and flat like the nylon telltails. I looked at some wool telltails at West Marine and they are just short pieces of yarn. Not sure they would be very easy to see.

That SailKote sounds like some great stuff!!!! On the website they mention using it on alot of things on the sailboats including the Hull to make it faster and easier to keep super clean. Nowhere on there does it mention using or not to use it on Polyethylene or other plastics. Anyone sprayed it on the hull of a kayak? Would it work or help on the Hobie sails? or damage them. Just wondering.

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2010 Hibiscus Adventure Island

Sailkote is safe for sails. It's a dry teflon lube.

We normally spray it on the Hobie mast and/or bolt rope to make raising the sail easier. I spray it on the masts for my big windsurfing sails. For in-mast or in-boom roller furling mains, we hose down the entire sail before installing the sail the first time.

I've heard of hard core raceboat sailors spraying down the hull. But that would get awfully expensive since water will eventually wash Sailkote off.

I'd use 303 Protectant on the bottom of Kayaks.

Thanks for the Reply. I am currently using 303 on my kayaks with great results. Wonder if the mirage drive would benefit from the sailkote to lube and protect some from the saltwater.

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2010 Hibiscus Adventure Island

You're probably better off just cleaning the drive after every use in saltwater to prevent "gunk" build-up. Because of how the drive is currently designed, it's pretty much a self-lubricating & corrosion resistant assembly.

Not to hijack my own thread but....I think Sailkote is way overrated and, at $12-15, is way overpriced. Teflon is an electrochemical process so spraying it on anything is only temporary. For temporary lubricants I have found that a $3 can of spray silicone is just as effective in nearly every application on synthetic materials (sail curf, sheaves etc). I also use WD-40 on my cams/cam cleats, travelers, rudders and other metal objects. I believe the WD-40 really helps preserve these areas in the salt water environment. I never thought about spraying my tell tails before but I think I will give them a shot of silicone and see if that helps keeping them unstuck.

Personally, I would not spray silicone on my sails.

WD-40 contains 15 to 20% petroleum-based oil - which is a marvelous attractant for dust, sand and grit. I would never use it on a sailboat. Especially one stored on a beach (sand) or trailered (road grit).

Silicone spray, PB "The Dry Lube" (a Teflon spray), or Sailkote are best to use on a boat.

Silicone spray also attracts dirt and grit. Not something I really want in my luff track attacking the sail.

But hey... You guys do what you want. We build sails too.

I use pure silicone spray that I buy in the automotive section of Walmart. It attracts no dirt and leaves no residue that I have ever seen.

WD-40 over time turns into black slime that gets on everything.

Oh and I use the Black Beauty Tell tales from Hobie cat. The black ones seem to be the easiest to see. When I put them on the sail where there isn't a window I stagger them vertically so I can read the back one better. All tell tales seem to fray and need to be replaced every year or so.

cheers
Bill

I'm not sure there is any temporary lubricant going to repel sand and salt. If it is sticky enough to adhere to an object or material then sand is going to stick to it. Regardless of whether I use Sailkote, silicone or WD-40 it almost always needs to be reapplied after a rain storm (boat stays on the beach). I'm sticking (no pun) with the three dollar silicone.

It's not about repelling... It's about not attracting.

But hey. What do I know? All I did is ask the guys in the loft for their recommendation. I'm guessing they have a bit more experience on this front than most of us.

Like I said. Do what you want. The advice was free and worth every penny.