Cunningham and halyards
I've got a 1979 Cat...no winches for halyards, no roller furling, in fact, pretty much nothing. Agree with the earlier comments about the mast slide - since the Cats aren't so big to need trucks and what not on the main, it's just the sail's bolt rope along the luff and the main sail track. Perhaps during the off season take a look at the blocks at the top of the mast? They may be the source of extra friction on the halyard, not the sail and mast themselves. My jib came with its own leech line built into the sail, so I've had no need to use the halyard for that job. Plus I solo my boat (without any solo control features yet) - so sometimes I'm just plain happy to have the damn thing up and still be afloat. Finally - a Cunningham is a bigger boat version of the downhaul. Not to patronize, but by way of explanation, the downhaul being that small line coming down from the boom right below the turkeyneck. Helps add and or ease tension to the main sail's luff without messing with the main halyard. On bigger boats with bigger tensions on the sail, when brute force isn't enough to pull the boom down, they put use a downhaul with some blocks built in to allow you to use your labor to better advantage. Confused? Good, so am I. Anyway, best of luck and remember subcontract, subcontract, subcontract. I'm sure for the price of a beer you could find someone to haul the damn thing up and down for you...Scott