Synthetic Rigging for Cruising Boats
I'm considering shifting to synthetic rigging for a 38' cruising sloop using something such as the Colligo (CSS) rigging system with a dyneema line such as Dynex Dux. My existing stainless wire/Navtec turnbuckle system is approaching the right time to replace it, so I'm weighing my options. I replace my lifelines with Amsteel and have been very pleased with the result. So now, I'm contemplating the rig.
The pros's I see are a slight cost advantage, ease of installation, visible warnings of impending failure, weight reduction, elimination of turnbuckles and a much lower replacement cost when it's time to renew the rig again later. All in all, it seems like you end up with a more maintainable, predictable rig.
My concerns are: chafe at the spreader tips, perception of sythetics by insurance companies and the market, and one aesthetic concern. That would be: when using deadeyes and lashings on the rig with one upper and two lower shrouds on each side, how do you get all of the deadeyes to be in roughly the same place with a comparable length between deadeyes?
Any thoughts on the subject?
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