Currently on my solcat 18 I have a 4to1 downhaul that is the original system . i have been reading Rick Whites racing for the 90s in which it says that downhaul is one of the , if not the most important sail adjustment so I would like to upgrade.
Now I understand that I would need to get a gooseneck, and I assume that a hobie GN will fit my mast, it is currently fitted with a solid , immoveable, mount for the Boom.
All of that I can figure out. I think
The question I have has more to do with the attachment to the sail.
I have a Hobie sail with an eye just above the first batten, about 3" above the foot of the sail.
If I hook up an 8/1 system will this eye hold? or do I need to add a plate set to the foot of my sail?

Where is the downhaul attached now? The eye above the first batten sounds like a reef point to me.

On a H16 the sail attaches to the top of the boom, the downhaul attaches to the botom of the boom and the boom slides up and down in the luff track with the sail.

the hobie 18 uses an eye in the sail for downhaul. There is a 8-1 or 6-1 downhaul system available from Murray that works nicely. Requires a sail track below the boom to install it.

so then what your saying is that the eye that's there will hold and not rip out when I yank on that 6 or 8 to 1 downhaul. It is set in there pretty good, and that is the only place to attach downhaul, I just dont want to rip the foot off the sail.
oh, and it is a hobie 18 sail.

If it rips have it sewn back up with strengthening. Won't cost much.really what you are doing is pulling the bolt rop. So check to see how well you think the sail and the grommet is engeneered together.

If its an 18 sail then its designed for downhaul at that point. Has a batten below it.

Michael,
I think I saw a picture of your boat on a billboard on I95 in Florence SC, know anything about it? It was definitley a TheMightyHobie18 with a black and white spin, isnt that what you have?

Yep, I understand it is my boat. Don't know who took the pic or why it is there. I haven't seen it but friends have. I would like to get a photo of it soon.

I don't think that increasing the downhaul tensioning ability for that sail is really necessary. The original Hobie 18 dacron main is pretty flat to begin with, and over-rotating the mast will do the rest. If I remember right Ken Marshack experimented with tensioned diamond wires/raked spreaders and downhauling a long time ago and abandoned it. I believe that the Cat Sailing 90's book is refering mostly to more modern cut sails that start with a lot of draft that you can remove as needed with the downhaul.

John