cunningham

[rgberry53]

can aybody tell me if i can use my 1st reefing gromet as a cunningham point of connection. i have a 1974 r26 ranger. the reefing point is about 16" from the tack.....

thank you

[pedcab]

Sure you can, but it will be useless for the purpose of trimming the sail bellow it...

Chances are it will tighten your sail above the reef poit and make it baggy bellow it...

[JiffyLube]

Originally Posted by pedcab

Sure you can, but it will be unuseless for the purpose of trimming the sail bellow it...

Chances are it will tighten your sail above the reef poit and make it baggy bellow it...

unuseless? Is that like useful?

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by rgberry53

can aybody tell me if i can use my 1st reefing gromet as a cunningham point of connection. i have a 1974 r26 ranger. the reefing point is about 16" from the tack.....

That seems a bit low for a reef point but a bit high for a cunningham point. When I tension my cunningham, which is maybe 10" above the tack (just a guess), I generally bring it all the way to the boom. Now maybe that's just a sign that my luff is too stretchy but it's what I do. If you did that you'd basically be reefing.

[pedcab]

Originally Posted by JiffyLube

unuseless? Is that like useful?

I've corrected it allready

I make a true effort to speak English correctly but sometimes...

Regards from Portugal...

Pedro

No, not really. While you could, you would not be getting the results that you seek which is a movement of the whole draft forward. Doing so would only tighten the luff above the first reef mark making the leaving the bottom part of the sail baggy and very inefficient. And when you consider the boom on a R26 is already set so high above the deck, you would be leaving a lot of the main to work against you while going to weather. If the mainsail has a few years of working life left, you would be better served to take it into a sail loft and allow them to properly install a cunningham point so you can enjoy the full benefit of the intended result. It would be money well spent. Like my grandpa always said, "When you go cheap, you get cheap."

Kirk Jockell

[sailingfool]

Many cruising boats don't have a cunningham as they tension the luff as needed with the halyard, the sail is not cut with extra shape requiring use of a cunningham to remove. Full hoist on the halyard provides a fltat main.

If the sailmaker didn't provide a cunningham, I'd suspect he/she didn't cut the sail to require one.

[rgberry53]

Originally Posted by pedcab

Sure you can, but it will be useless for the purpose of trimming the sail bellow it...

Chances are it will tighten your sail above the reef poit and make it baggy bellow it...

Thanks for all the replys. I do however apologize to you pedro for jiffylubes rediculous response to your english. We arent all like that in California.

After reading all the responses I think I'm going with Seadarts advise and have a cunningham gromet put in. Since the sail is still pretty young and I'd like the benifit of one.

Thanks again to all.

Safe sailing

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by rgberry53

....I think I'm going with Seadarts advise and have a cunningham gromet put in. Since the sail is still pretty young and I'd like the benifit of one....Safe sailing

be sure to ask the sailmaker if there'll be any benefit...

[AdamLein]

Can anybody confirm how far the cunningham grommet is supposed to be pulled down towards the boom? In other words, if I'm pulling it all the way to the boom without extraordinary effort, does that mean the luff is stretched, or is that normal? (I also have a grommet at the same height on the leech that I usually pull at the same time.)