groove shape for hi mod thimble

[Vincent DePillis]

I am working out a way to attach two shrouds and a forestay, all made from 9mm Dux (heat treated UHMWPE) to the nose shackle on a corsair F31 trimaran.

The Sailmaker thimbles of the recommended diameter (8/1) chafe the mast. However, the line is so much stronger than the 9/32 wire that it is replacing, I feel comfortable in going to a smaller thimble. I will be having some custom stainless ferrules made up (like the Antal rings, but in stainless).

Given that it will be custom work, I can specify the shape of the groove. My thinking is that in order to minimize the strength loss, I should made the groove wider and flatter, so that the braid can kind of squish out a bit. theory being that this will compress the inner fibers less and allow a greater percentage of the outer fibers to take the max load.

Thoughts?

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
Good theory. It certainly has proved true n other applications. Massage the fibers before splicing, to remove the stiffness, so the rope can lie flatter, maximizing effective radius, as well as constructional settling. Even then, know that, like 1x19, Dux abhors a tight turn. Are you certain of the max load?
Fair leads,
Brion Toss