Rule 4.3

in my imagination i can see a padeye mounted horizontally on each side of the mast with a cam, clam, or other cleat under each padeye. the padeye would serve to keep the cunningham line from blowing away from the cleat if it became uncleated, so the cunningham could be adjusted from either side. figure eight knots on each end of the cunningham line would prevent the line from ecaping. i guess a cunnungham grommet and reinforcement would have to be added to the sail.

Dave: The rule says "to either side" not to both sides.
The rule also specifically states that the cunningham adjustment( main downhaul) can only be "consisting of one line equalling not more than a 2:1 purchase."
The Hobie 14 & 16 downhaul attaches to the floating gooseneck, not the sail itself.
The stock setup, which should have come on your boat, consists of a cheek block on one side of the mast and an old-fashioned wrap-around cleat on the other. The ONE piece of line is tied to the loop at the bottom of the gooseneck, run through the cheek block, back through the loop and tied off at the cleat.
Look at rule 6.1 for additional information.
Part of the new rules proposal for the Hobie 14/16 is a more modern 4:1 downhaul.
Go to the IHCA website, rules forum, May 1, 2002 - Hobie Cat 14/16 upgrades

P.S. The Isotopes use a floating boom also but the sail is loose footed. Many of them have a line or wire loop which runs throught the sail plates, down around the gooseneck. The downhaul lines & blocks are attached to the wire or line instead of the gooseneck. This transfers the downhaul load directly to the sail instead of through the goosneck fittings. This seems to run smoother.

if the downhaul line is tied to the loop on the gooseneck, run down to the cheek block (one part), back up to and through the loop(second part) and then down to the cleat (third part)and cleated, thats a 2:1 system? and where did the padeye go? is the rule written to describe the stock setup (no padeye on my mast) or written to describe what may be done legally to modify the stock system?

I know it sees like a 3:1, but it isn't. The one in your hand or cleated doesn't count.
EX: If a line runs from your hand up through a block and then down to a load, when you pull one foot of line the load moves one foot.
Look at a mainsheet. You count the lines between the blocks, not the lead to your hand.

The Hobie 16 is ready to rig from the factory. There are no standard blocks or padeyes to mount.
The padeye thing is an option specifically allowed by rule but I don't understand how it is supposed to work.

in my 6 part main, cleated, each part carries 1/6 of the load, thus 6:1. so if in the downhaul situation as you described it, if there is a 30# load, what is the load on the part that goes down to the cheek block? what is the load on the part that goes back to the loop? and what is the load carried by the part that goes back down to the cleat and is cleated off? do the parts equally share the load? i'm just trying to understand.

I am certain that these two topics are rules changes. Last year, NAHCA sent out a survey about potential rule changes, including outhauls, downhauls, cunninghams, adjustable mast rotation, and spins. I wish they wouldn't have changed any of the rules.

I can see what Marsh Hawk is visualizing, and it would work. I am not sure that I want to add a reinforced grommet to my sail. I am hoping that most of the folks do not.

The outhaul rule is about the "clew" plate, which is at the outer end of the boom. The gooseneck is the "tack" of the sail.

I have never tried it, but I think that if one tacked the sail to the gooseneck, ran the bolt rope outside the track, added a sail slug to the clew that runs inside the track, the sail would work and be much more outhaul adjustment available.

I want to thank everyone for getting involved in this conversation. Perhaps, we can figure out what is the best approach to these rules.

David