best wind indicator position and reference arm angles

[DrSnapid]

Just finally got a wind indicator. Where best to position it and what angles should I set the reference arms? The box says 60deg but there is no way my boat can point as high as 30deg so I was thinking I should set them wider?

[korwich]

Are you sailing cat or sloop rigged, we normally don't worry about the ref arms, just leave them in the box.

[DrSnapid]

fractional loop rigged. Unsure whether it was worth mounting up on the mast above the hounds but expect the mast itself to interfere with wind from some directions. My Caper Cat has a beam from bow to bow so I think there would be best althoug I need to avoid fouling the jib bridle and also, that's a low position so not sure if best.

 

Ref arms may or may not be useful, i thought i'd see what others did. When you say 'we' do yo mean cat sailors in general?

 

Also would you agree 30deg to wind is a big ask for a cat with no daggers?

[CTMD]

The 30 degree to the wind is the apparent wind angle.  If you're going 6 knots at 50 degrees to the wind on a 10 knot day then your apparent is at 31 degrees. So 30 degrees sounds about right as a starting point.  Use that the first time and then adjust at the end of each day until its right.  Remember that the angle you can achieve will be wind strength dependent so if you want to use them you either need to adjust each day for wind strength or go with a typical day then mentally adjust.

[DrSnapid]

Great reply, thanks!

 

I'll start with 60 and work from there (if I use them, i try to feel these things, never had a indicator before)

 

I think i'll give the front beam a try and see how it goes. It may have to be off-centre but i think it will still be visible from both sides

[tonyquoll]

On the cat-rigged Paper Tiger, I have one mounted to the lower-forestay pulley; that is about 1m in front of the mast and 2m above the water. I'm the only one in our fleet that does this; most PT guys mount it on the mast head.
The best thing is that it's really sensitive, so in very light winds I study it constantly and quickly react to changes in wind direction.
The other good thing is in light stuff I might sit with legs under the boom, trying to get weight to leeward and forwards as much as possible, which makes it very hard to see the sail. Instead of watching the tell-tales for steering, I watch the wind indicator and steer off that.

 

My last one had the arms set about 90degrees. Coming out of a tack I might line up the arrow with the arm to accelerate, then sheet in tighter and pinch up to that the wide bit of the arrow was inside the wide bit of the arm.
Just trying to say it doesn't matter where the arm is; it's just a loose reference point to line up.
That wind indicator jumped overboard at Jervis Bay, and the new one doesn't have arms. No problemo; it's still fairly easy to guestimate angles and steer off it

[knobblyoldjimbo]

For interest, I've been through a few wind indicators!  I put them at the top of the mast on my Mari.  Every time I capsize (this was at Manno where the water is relatively shallow and there is millenia of dark, slimy goo at the bottom) I lose the indicator.

 

Lesson here is don't put it at the top!

 

Having said that, what I changed to was to put a streamer of tape (data backup tape) into a plastic tube, then stuff this into a plastic tube that was taped to the mast (bought from a modelling shop).  With Marko's guidance the streamer is quite high off the top of the mast.

 

Basic information this gives is for downwind running.  Since most 14ft cats are "blow downwind" boats (Frank Betwaite) the streamer or indicator is very useful to identify that you are running dead downwind, or if you lift slightly you can see when the breeze changes from pushing from behind to flowing across the sail.

 

I don't think it'll help you upwind because the indicator/streamer/shroud telltales will always be flowing straight back.  Then, it's the feel of the boat as to whether you're pointing too high, going too low or moving just right.