Thanks for the info Steve.
John,
FYI, this is what I am reading about halyards..
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Why you need low stretch..
"If your halyards stretch, the sail starts to bag in strong wind conditions, which will exert more force against the halyards, and stretch them more than would light wind conditions, it will be more difficult to keep the sails flat and de-power them. In the same conditions, if the sheets start to stretch... you won't even notice more likely than not."
The reason they used wire/rope for halyards is because halyards need very low stretch. The old rope would stretch too much.
Nowadays, the new expensive ropes have very low stretch, similar or less than wire.
People are switching to all rope halyards because it is simpler and easier to make and work with. No problems at the wire/rope transition. And, if you are ever in trouble, you can cut your own halyard and put a new one up more easily if it is totally rope. If it is rope/wire, you may need a specific part stored on the boat as a spare.
The sheaves sometimes need to be replaced. For wire, they have a V groove. For rope, the pulley needs a U shaped groove. Also, the wire can cause scars in the pulley over time which can cause quick wear in the new rope.
Less weight aloft with the lighter rope vs wire.
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Hope that was interesting.
Doesn't seem to be an extremely high priority issue. You can use wire/rope halyards still with good results.
Roy
