Sail Tails

[archerforkids]

I'm in the process of finishing up what I hope to be a decent set of wind flags. Having taken them out only once, I'm not happy with the safety flagging a used for a tail. Winds that day were consistent 8 to 10 MPH with gusts up to 15 on occasion. Dang tails stayed pretty much straight out the whole time.
I researched this site as well as a couple of other sites for a remedy. My understanding is ripstop material/vinyl is the ticket. My question for you fine folks.....are you cutting the material with a hot blade to fuse the edges to prevent fraying? What width and length would be appropriate for this type of material? I ordered a yard of 1.9oz material. I think this may be a little heavier than is needed. I think Mr.Lambert mentioned forming the material around a piece of pipe with a heat gun to give the tail some shape. How long will the material hold this shape after doing this?
I'll post some pics of the final product if I ever get through painting those darn wood balls.
Thanks for the help. Folks.

 

[Shooter13]

@JMayo might be able to help or you could just buy a set from him!!

 

[archerforkids]

I almost placed an order with him. He appears to be real top shelf kind of fella from everything I have read.
Good, Bad or otherwise my DIY kicked in. I'm hoping these sail tails aren't as big a PIA as the flags were. Guess we will see.

 

[Shooter13]

I almost placed an order with him. He appears to be real top shelf kind of fella from everything I have read.
Good, Bad or otherwise my DIY kicked in. I'm hoping these sail tails aren't as big a PIA as the flags were. Guess we will see.

I use his sail tails for the last couple of years.

 

[buckeye68]

I almost placed an order with him. He appears to be real top shelf kind of fella from everything I have read.
Good, Bad or otherwise my DIY kicked in. I'm hoping these sail tails aren't as big a PIA as the flags were. Guess we will see.

Not worth the time to reinvent the wheel. Just buy a set and forget it. They will come in a nice little box just waiting to be used and they work.

 

[JMayo]

Thank y'all for the kind words.
I have pink, white, orange in stock .
.75 weight & 1.5 weight.
I think they both do similar. Maybe the light ones react quicker in small wind.
The heavier is stiffer and the rides the wind more stable.
The curve comes from the roll. Cut it long ways as it comes off. leaving that curve in each 3x28" tail.
I store in rolled up targets keeping the curve.

 

[archerforkids]

Thank y'all for the kind words.
I have pink, white, orange in stock .
.75 weight & 1.5 weight.
I think they both do similar. Maybe the light ones react quicker in small wind.
The heavier is stiffer and the rides the wind more stable.
The curve comes from the roll. Cut it long ways as it comes off. leaving that curve in each 3x28" tail.
I store in rolled up targets keeping the curve.

I appreciate the council sir. If I might ask, are you cutting the material with any special tooling?

 

[JMayo]

I appreciate the council sir. If I might ask, are you cutting the material with any special tooling?

Not special. Thin blade, sharp cutter.
The heated blade things didn't do any better.
A straight ruler clamped on one end to a board that has straight grain. Mark 3" along the sides of 28" sheet. Pull it under ruler to the marks & cut.
The glue will stop pulling off your finger tips after 10 or 15 !

 

[BowChamp]

Mr. Mayo's tails are legit!!

 

[archerforkids]

Not special. Thin blade, sharp cutter.
The heated blade things didn't do any better.
A straight ruler clamped on one end to a board that has straight grain. Mark 3" along the sides of 28" sheet. Pull it under ruler to the marks & cut.
The glue will stop pulling off your finger tips after 10 or 15 !

So now I am confused(didn't take much). What glue might you be referring to? Do you hem the edges with glue?

 

[Fuj]

So now I am confused(didn't take much). What glue might you be referring to? Do you hem the edges with glue?

He makes a triangular fold then adds a brass grommet for a clip. It's the
fold he glues down. I've made several purchases, and will buy again. I like
to have a few extra's with me, for the guy's in need.

 

[archerforkids]

You guys are awesome. Thanks.
Just to be clear....Mr.Mayo has no competition coming from me. After what I went thru building those darn flags, it's blatantly obvious why folks charge $65.00 for them. Kiss that guy on the lips and walk away smiling with flags in hand. They are worth every penny.
I'm quite sure I'm about to learn the same things with these sail tails. My weakness is my restlessness with this damn semi-retirement. Drives my wife nuts.

 

[JMayo]

I do 31.oo for 6 shipped in a small box. You have to buy the tube yourself.
Darn tube is 10 +- & cost 15+ to ship. So yeah 65 might be correct that way.

All the fellows i knew of quit making them. I had to make my own. I offered the ones i didn't need for sale and next thing youknow I'm getting request for tails .... So i started filling the need. {I'm retired also)
I've met so many and i feel involved in the shooting world.
I've shot with Mike Ezell several times & use his flags. I call him a friend.
These tails work exceptional well with his flags as they do with many others.

 

[jpx2rk]

I store my tails in a piece of 1.5" pvc pipe of the appropriate length for the flags, with a smaller diameter piece of pvc pipe inside to help keep their curved shape. I glued one end cap on and just leave the other end open for my convenience. Rides in the truck bed/SUV well and keeps the flags from getting crushed/folded.

 

[butchlambert]

This is how I attach mine. They don't twist around. Just up and down.

 

[archerforkids]

This is how I attach mine. They don't twist around. Just up and down.
View attachment 1640353

That's a neat little clip

 

[archerforkids]

Mr.Lambert. Didn't you post in days gone by about forming your tails around a pipe? Does that put a "set" in the shape? Did yiu hem the edges are leave them as cut?

 

[butchlambert]

Made from sailcloth and formed by laying them on a piece of pipe and heated with a heat gun.

 

[archerforkids]

Well, that was a chit show. Material I received weighed 1/3 the flags i was using. Literally. I ordered 1.6 oz ripstop. No problems processing to size and making 1 test flag. Set it up outside with my previous construction flagging I had already used. Dang things performed about the same. I went in and weighed the material I ordered (33" x 58") and it weighed about where it should for 1.6 oz material. Am I missing something here? Did I order the wrong weight material? I haven't tried forming them yet if that matters.

 

[LHSmith]

I went down the same path- built my own flags, actually through several designs until I thought I had come up with the "perfect flag" using carbon fiber vanes. Used them a few seasons until I concluded they were not as responsive as Smileys' or Grahams' flags which were the most common back then, so I bought a set of Graham daisy flags.
Regarding the tails, I also concluded that the survey tape was at times unreadable to me in the average conditions we see at match venues, so I bought some of Snuffy's sail tails ( Howard Smith) in light and standard weight. I believe I got his last made tails as he passed a week after I received them. Well, the feedback I heard from the veteran shooters was that you have to be able to read those subtle tail flicks which is common with the typical survey tape. I wasn't convinced. I now use the light sail tails exclusively now. FWIW I tried both ball and daisy style and prefer the daisy -not to determine wind speed but it is easier to differentiate head vs. tail wind. In calm conditions (rare that the calm prevails throughout the match agg) I will use survey tape.