What do you mean missing? Do you mean you have a jammer that is labelled Cunningham that doesn't have a line running through it?
The cunningham opposes the main halyard by pulling down on the tack of the mainsail. So, you can tension the main by pulling up on the head or down on the tack. Usually it is easier and more controlled to use the cunningham but you risk having odd sail shapes if pulled too far. Additionally it is usually desired to hoist the main as high as possible, not down. So, a tight halyard tends to be preferred and the Cunningham is used when tightening the halyard is too difficult or unsafe, such as when the wind pipes up and on a close reach. On your mainsail you should find a metal Cunningham eye about 5-6 inches above the tack ring. Different makers provide different attachments but what I have found works well for me is to create a 2:1 advantage by running a line through the eye and attaching it to the reefing hook/horn just outboard of the tack ring. (Alternatively you could also tie it to the boom.) By pulling down on the free end of the line you will be pulling down on the Cunningham ring with 2x the power. The PO had this free end led to the mast base and back to the cabin top jammer. I regularly had to use a winch to tighten the Cunningham. When I replaced the line I added a 4:1 block and tackle. The 2:1 bitter end stops just below the boom and is finished with an eye. The 4:1 hooks on the eye and attaches to the mast base. The free end of the block and tackle is then led back the the jammer. The 4:1 pulls down on the 2:1 for a total of 8:1. I also used a hook between the 2:1 and 4:1 so that it is easy to disconnect the 4:1 and reattach it to the reefing eye when reefing. Our mainsail has "floppy rings" or "dog bones" that pass through the reefing eye in the sail. They are made of nylon webbing running through the reefing eye and finished off on both ends by stainless rings larger than the eye. Traditionally when reefing you would let the sail down and hook one of the floppy rings to the reefing horn. The ring on the other end of the "dog bone" prevents the nylon webbing from pulling out of the reefing eye and now the main halyard can be pulled tight. While sailing, if you find that there is not enough tension on the halyard you can unhook the Cunningham 4:1 from the 2:1 and re-hook it to the "lazy" ring in the dog bone. You once again have an 8:1 Cunningham, but now on a reefed sail. Arguably, a Cunningham could be considered a fix for a poorly tightened halyard...at least on our "big boats". On some smaller boats the cunningham is the only thing holding the tack ring. But those cunninghams are also held forward ensuring proper foot tension. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD -- When privacy matters. http://www.secure-my-email.com On Aug 17, 2013 12:22 PM, "Raymond Macklin" <[email protected]> wrote: > I purchased a 1985 C&C - 33 and I am missing the cunningham. Does anyone > have a diagram of where it runs on the boat or could explain it to me. > > Thanks, > > Ray Macklin > Libertyville, IL > LakeHouse > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > [email protected] > >
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