Hi Ian, Radical yawl, yikes, was it owned by a communist?
Hmmn, despite what you say, as I recall you paid 1,000's of dollars each for 4 Merriman wire winches in the late 80's from me, so you must really like them. Oh, I suppose the 3 masts & boat they were attached to may have had something to do with why you would pay such an high price for 4 wire winches. Did I tell you about the time the brake broke on the jib halyard winch, in a gale off of Mexico, & the winch handle went flying (about 60' up)? Other than that, I really liked them. But I Digress, & we're Way off topic! The boat the original question is about has no winches & it has not evolved, only lost some pieces (like all the rigging, yard, & boom) in 113 yrs. The wire halyard (we're 95% sure it was wire) would have had a hemp line tail. We also don't worry that plain steel wire will rust, as it will be in a climate controlled space, & if it does sail again, the water will be hard. Yes, it's an iceboat, & a radical one at that, lateen rigged. Some people think it belonged to a communist too, FDR. So, the question remains, what wire was available in 1901, and where might we find same? Also, were brass sail slides & track in use then?
Asks, Dock