[quote=MN3][quote=Quarath]I'd like to know more about how this affects general sailing. I lean towards the set and forget way of doing but I don't know how to set for what conditions.[/quote]
The downhaul (also called a Cunningham)is a micro tuner adjustment. you probably wont see huge differences with it but it is one more way to tune your sails.
in light to moderate upwind conditions:
you want to snug it up just enough to remove wrinkles in your mainsail (or flatten the sail a little). If you have no wrinkles... well then just snug it a little.
In heavy air:
you want to pull it tight (not so tight you are bleeding from the fingernails). what this does is bend the top of the mast and lets air fall off (up) the top of the sail(less power). Also called inducing twist in the sail.
This should reduce the "slamming effect" a little when you get hit with a gust as a percentage of the wind will not "grab" the sail and power you up
Downwind... you can release it or let it out most of the way. The idea here is to create a big pocket for the air to fill the sail with...[/quote]
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