But I've had no complaints. And you're right that they're spec'd for full cable strength, and that it seems lots of full-time cruisers are using them. I don't remember why I chose Hayn over Norseman or Sta-Lok. Maybe because of @Maine Sail's recommendation at SailNet Community - Hi Mod fittings.
Curiosity question: Are you planning to replace all your standing rigging with this system? If so, what are your motivations? (vs. ~$500 for the full kit from CD, or going synthetic with WR2 or another heat-set Dyneema). Just user-inspectability? Or do you have other goals as well?Good intel! let the games begin
Learn to splice Dyneema. Nothing could be easier, and it’s super strong, super light weight and UV resistant. But I’d stick with stainless where abrasion is a factor.
Didn’t mean to step on your toes with my post as I have just started experimenting with dyneema, spectra etc and they are absolutely amazing materials and I don’t want to
either.
Agreed that splicing single-braid is easy (and fun!) I'm not sure it's quite as easy to do it for standing rigging, as the length tolerances are pretty tight. Heat-set Dyneema will limit creep, but getting the construction stretch out and splicing to exactly the length you need seems like it might be tricky. See some of @CloudDiver's posts on the topic. That said, I'll probably try it when it's time to replace the standing rigging again. But that shouldn't be for another few years.
Use lashings. Time tested since the days of clipper ships (and who knows how long before). As for UV stability, I read that in thicker dimensions (and especially in darker colors) UV only affects the outer layers, and if the line is sufficiently oversized to limit creep it’s way oversized for sufficient strength. Dyneema should be good for 10 years or more before replacing, same as recommended for wire rigging. Unless abraded. Dyneema is more UV resistant than other types of line
Great perspective, and aligns with my recent reading and it’s obvious that you are no stranger to high tech stuff if you are sailing a 1200! It may be just my old school perception creeping in but I just feel safer looking at a stainless connector on a stainless guy when it’s piano wire tight. Perhaps stuck in the mindset of metal is stronger than rope.
You're absolutely right. But Dyneema is less than 1/16th the weight and it's more flexible. That's a big advantage when thinking about shipping or storing a hundred feet or more plus terminals for your spares kit. Coils of 6 or 8mm 1x9 are pretty big in diameter, but a hundred feet of 3/8" Dyneema probably weighs less than 4 pounds and can fit in a small box, where an equal length of steel is probably 30 pounds or more and perhaps 24-30" in diameter.
Dyneema has a proven track record. It's been around for much longer than 10 years and proven to hold up just fine when properly sized and assembled. Dyneema is extremely UV resistant (after it forms a sacrificial layer on the outside) and enormously resistant to flex fatigue (unlike wire rope) and lighter weight. It has different physical properties than stainless wire rope, so you have to how to work with a new material. The "rules of thumb" for SS wire rope sizing can't be applied to dyneema. You must spec it for minimal creep rather than breaking strength, which results in it being much strong the wire you replace. Not all dyneema ropes are created equal, so you need to know what formulation you need for your application.