Should a 1994 H26 have a cunningham? I recently purchased a used 1994 H26 and the local Hunter dealer rigged it for me (was on trailer). No cunningham is set up on the tack of the mainsail. No cleats or other attachment points are on the mast for one, but the mainsail attaches to the boom about 8" back from the mast.
cunningham
- Thread starter jao1972
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May not be necessary
Cunningham is useful for absolutely flattening the main in severe wind or in racing conditions. Look for the grommet about 18 inches up the main. If it's there, you can make your own cunningham with a 4:1 purchase of block and tackle. Enjoy the 26, that's real sailing!
Cunningham is useful for absolutely flattening the main in severe wind or in racing conditions. Look for the grommet about 18 inches up the main. If it's there, you can make your own cunningham with a 4:1 purchase of block and tackle. Enjoy the 26, that's real sailing!
Thanks for your response. I pondered that. There is a cleat on the mast about 12 inches up from the boom that seems like it might serve this function. I was out this past weekend in some pretty gusty winds and noticed a lot of luff in the mainsail. Also, with the last point of attachement for the foot of the mainsail to the boom a good 8 inches or so back from the mast, I was worried about excessive stress on the sail at this location. Any thoughts on that? A cunningham or any kind of attachment at the tack would seem to help this. There is a grommet at the clew, but it's not attached to anything. Yeah, she's a great boat. A lot faster than you would think with is stocky appearance and agile in the wind. The higher winds keep you on your toes though. Even with a 100 jib, seems to have a lot of sail.
Bill
..I think that you meant to say the cunningham is used to control draft location and it is a very important control that is widely overlooked. Draft depth (or 'flatness')is controlled by outhaul (among other things). jao1972, are you saying that the tack is located 8" aft of the mast?... that's way too much. The tack should be located as close to the mast as is possible. Your cunningham should be located on the luff of the main at least 6" above the tack. When hoisting your main and the breeze is up, try adding additional halyard tension with the winch before tying it of. Haylards will stretch as the breeze increases and the cunningham will pull out the additional luff sag and move the draft forward. The grommet at the clew is supposed to be attached to the outhaul which IS used to control the amount of draft in the lower part of the sail.
..I think that you meant to say the cunningham is used to control draft location and it is a very important control that is widely overlooked. Draft depth (or 'flatness')is controlled by outhaul (among other things). jao1972, are you saying that the tack is located 8" aft of the mast?... that's way too much. The tack should be located as close to the mast as is possible. Your cunningham should be located on the luff of the main at least 6" above the tack. When hoisting your main and the breeze is up, try adding additional halyard tension with the winch before tying it of. Haylards will stretch as the breeze increases and the cunningham will pull out the additional luff sag and move the draft forward. The grommet at the clew is supposed to be attached to the outhaul which IS used to control the amount of draft in the lower part of the sail.
Do you need it?
A Cunningham is unnecessary if your boat has an adjustable gooseneck according to the sail loft I deal with
A Cunningham is unnecessary if your boat has an adjustable gooseneck according to the sail loft I deal with
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