Spring 2016
Sail Markings, numbers and class insignia...General information

T37 Class Rules now require that the mainsails of competing boats display the Class 
Insignia and the boat's hull number. 

Markings should be placed on both sides of the mainsail with starboard above port.   
Class insignia should be 2 ¼” tall with starboard side ½” above port side.  
Sail numbers (all digits of hull number) are 3” tall in a “condensed” (i.e., narrow) bold 
block font, such as Impact.  Place starboard numbers 1” above port numbers.  
By class rules, country of origin not necessary, and no markings required on the jib.   

Find the insignia and numerals 0-9 in Impact font link on PNMYC.org or directly from:
 www.sailset.com/PNMYC/SailFontandInsignia.pdf
 www.sailset.com/PNMYC/SailNumbersFont.pdf
 
There are several techniques for placement of sail markings: 
	Insignia Cloth stick-on numbers, 
	Sharpie Tracing, and 
	Sharpie Stencils.   
	Other techniques have been tried with mixed results.

Insignia Cloth is the same adhesive-backed cloth that sailmakers cut for big boat 
sail numbers and class insignia. Although the Insignia Cloth technique yields nice 
numbers, in cold air the numbers contract more than the T37’s thin cloth sail fabric 
and the sail will wrinkle around the markings.   PNMYC no longer supplies cloth 
stick-on numbers for members.  However, your favorite sailmaker probably has a 
bin of scraps you can pick from.

Sharpie permanent markers do not affect sail contours, but do fade over time and 
have to be touched up periodically for best appearance.  Two Sharpie techniques 
have been used, Tracing and Stencils.  

With either tracing or stencils, bleeding of the Sharpie ink into the porous fabric 
fibers can be a problem on close inspection.  Diluted latex Tape Seal brand liquid 
sealant prevents the bleeding through the fabric and under the stencils.   

Sharpie Tracing technique takes a steady hand, but can result in nice numbers.  
For sharpest results with the tracing technique, first trace the border with a fine 
point Sharpie Oil Based Paint Pen. This seals the periphery of the marking 
against ink bleeding outside the lines. Use Paint pens only for the border, as large 
areas of paint affect sail contours in cold weather, similar to the cloth markings.  
Fill in each number with a permanent ink or laundry marking (Rub-A-Dub) Sharpie.
   
PNMYC can supply a tracing pattern:  Just send us your hull number. or cut and 
paste your own from:  www.sailset.com/PNMYC/SailNumbersFont.pdf

Sharpie Stencil technique uses a cut-out vinyl stencil that adheres temporarily 
to the sail cloth and its edges are further sealed with diluted latex Tape Seal liquid 
sealant.  The numbers are then inked in with Sharpie pen.  For best results, follow 
all provided instructions and take no short cuts.  

Stencil kits (stencil, sealant, placement pattern, and photo and text instructions) 
are available from Tippecanoe Boats: 800-206-0006.