jacklines?

[oyster]

My boat currently has webbing jacklines with carabiners attached to padeyes. The previous owner left these in place and now the carabiners are corroded shut and the webbing is degraded. I'm considering replacing them with wire rope so they can be left in place permanently without these concerns. They are out of the way so rolling underfoot won't be an issue. What would be the best way to attach the ends to the padeye and how heavy should the wire be? or is this a bad idea for some reason I have not considered?

Thanks,
Bill

[osteoderm]

My preference is for temporarily-installed webbing jacklines, for several reasons. By only putting the jacklines out when you will need them, ie., offshore/overnight, etc., you keep the webbing out of the sun. Substantial lengths of webbing jackline roll up into very compact packages, so stowage is very simple.
As you're already aware, webbing cannot roll underfoot, but almost as importantly, it's impossible to mistake for anything else on deck. Cipping onto it is a no-brainer on a dark and wet deck; you'll be unlikely to clip onto any other (round) line accidentaly. Imagine the worst-case scenarios, with a cockpit awash with loose line tails, and yourself feeling around for that jackline from the companionway... Also, by laying flat, webbing presents less opportunity for other lines to foul on it by.

[Ian McColgin]

The sixty footers used for the "Wrong Way" around the world race have vinal covered cable jacklines set up fairly tightly. Visiting one of the boats during their Boston layover, I was surprised to find that they do not roll under foot. There is no other cable along the deck and thus it's not possible to mistakenly clip onto something other than the jack line. Even though the wire is tight, the run is long enough that it's easy to clip on.

Of course, a permanent installation of this sort makes sense on a large yacht that is sailed hard and exclusivly off-shore.

For my own boats, I preferr flat tubing. As noted above, rigging as needed is part of the mindfullness of it all, protects the tape from decay when not in use, and provides regular inspection. The flat tape not only does not roll under foot - though one could slide on it - but it is also unmistakable from anything else on deck. Use a fibre jack line and you might well clip on to a sheet.

G'luck

Ian