sail numbers

Ten steps to making nice cheap sail numbers:


Step 1: Find a sailmaker. Seriously, it's well worth the effort.

Step 2: Buy a metre of "Stickyback" or "Sail number material". It's like a woven cloth sticker material. A metre of stickyback costs something like $20-30 and will do about 5 sail numbers. Book contact is cheap, available in supermarkets, and falls off as soon as salt water touches it. How do I know?

Step 3: In Powerpoint, design your numbers. Set these up to be one number per A4 page, in a font that you like. I used Arial, bold, wordArt, slightly italic, outline.

Step 4: Print out your 6 pages.

Step 5: Cut out the numbers.

Step 6: Put the cut out numbers (IMPORTANT!! Make sure they're backwards) on top of the paper side of the stickyback and trace out the numbers.

Step 7: Cut out the numbers from your stickyback.

Step 8: Clean your sail where the numbers will go with methylated spirits.

Step 9: Lay out the numbers on your sail, and run a line of electrical tape so that you have something to line the other side of your numbers up to (one side uses a batten).

Step 10: Peel the paper off part of your number and fold it underneath, line up the un-sticky part of the number with your electrical tape, press down on the sticky part, and then slowly peel off the paper from underneath, pressing down as you go.

Voila!

The product for sign vinyl is Avery 700 premium film

www.gamart.com.au/products.asp?tid=62


Cost is about $10.00 per metre for 610mm wide film. I put my numbers on to a white background as that is the international rules for formula and slalom these days. Just make an image of each individual letter and print it on an A4 page (see dimensions below) and then cut them out and use it as a stencil on the film.

The new rule is as follows:

Sailnumbers for windsurfing racing classes
RS:X, Formula Experience, Raceboard, Slalom and Techno293
New rule, valid from January 1st 2009 till December 31st 2012
as approved in ISAF Submission: 228-07
Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012
Appendix B
NEW B2.4 Identification on Sails
(b) Rules G1.3(a), G1.3(c), G1.3(d) and G1.3(e) are changed to
The class insignia shall be displayed once on each side of the sail in the area above a line projected at right angles from a point on the luff of the sail one-third of the distance from the head to the wishbone. The national letters and sail numbers shall be in the central third of that part of the sail above the wishbone, clearly separated from any advertising,
The national letters and sail number shall be black in colour and applied "back to back" on an opaque white background to the sail. The opaque background shall extend a minimum of 30 mm beyond the national letters and sail number. Between the national letters and sail number a "-" and normal spacing shall be applied.
To summarize this new rule
- Black letters on white opaque background
- the sailnumbers will be applied back to back
- National letters and sail numbers shall be in capital letters and arabic numerals.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
- Only typefaces giving the same or better legibility than Helvetica and arial are acceptable.
- Between the national letters and sail number a "-" and normal spacing shall be applied
- The white opaque background shall extend minimum 30 mm around the letters and numbers
- Dimensions
- minimum height of letters and numbers: 230 mm
- minimum distance between letters and numbers: 45 mm
- Width of numbers and letters (except "1" or "I"): 150 mm
- Width for M and W: 160 mm
- Thickness letters and numbers: 30 mm

Ive been using black vinyl from Woolworths for 26 years and it has never come off, 1.5m roll about $6.