Dyneema for furling line and halyard in old boat..

[Marieholm26]

Hello!
I got a question for this forum:
What you think about use a dyneema material for furling gear and halyards for genoa and mainsail?
I read some different opinion, some time completely opposite to use this material in 30 years old boats.
Some say that the old boats are more flexible and is better to associate normal fiber line than new ones dyneema (that is more strong than steel!!) all the sistem need to be flexible..
Some other say when you use dyneema for halyard you must pay attention to winch it to tight. It could cause a rig failure ..due the strength of it than became more than shrouds ...Boh!? I'm little confused....
Any advise or opinion?
Ciao
Gabriele

[dugout]

Originally Posted by Marieholm26

Hello!
I got a question for this forum:
What you think about use a dyneema material for furling gear and halyards for genoa and mainsail?
I read some different opinion, some time completely opposite to use this material in 30 years old boats.
Some say that the old boats are more flexible and is better to associate normal fiber line than new ones dyneema (that is more strong than steel!!) all the sistem need to be flexible..
Some other say when you use dyneema for halyard you must pay attention to winch it to tight. It could cause a rig failure ..due the strength of it than became more than shrouds ...Boh!? I'm little confused....
Any advise or opinion?
Ciao
Gabriele

If the the line is sized for the load don't you feel the "hand" of the small diameter will be less than desirable? I think wire halyards went away for good reason; there are too many other good choices with the rope we have today. Dyneema cored Polyester Braid would offer hand, strength, and low stretch but at a cost factor... We are fortunate to have so many choices, aren't we? Be well!

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
And welcome to the future. Which is like the past, but lighter. HM fibers behave like wire, in terms of stretch, but weigh a fraction as much, and are generally easier to splice.
But before we get to details about that, set aside any fears that traditional boats are inherently unsuited to these materials; as with any material, you can abuse/misuse it in ways that can harm your boat. The same could be said for a hammer, though, and we don't keep those away from classic vessels.
Classic boats are indeed more flexible than most modern ones, but most often, in my experience, that excuse comes up for boats that are tired, or badly-built. Applied correctly, any rigging material will only work with the loads that the boat itself generates. If the boat deforms excessively under those load, there is something wrong with the boat, not the rigging.
So, assuming you only tension enough to trim the sails correctly, HM makes a great halyard, much like wire, but better. And yes, you can make the working part skinny, and splice a fat, friendly Dacron tail onto it, just like wire (or sort of; the splice options are different).
Or you could use one of the "blend" HM's with only a portion of the core being high-strength material, and get a rope the same diameter as a Dacron one, but with half or less as much stretch.
There is little point in using HM for furler lines, as the loads are low, handling is paramount, and the cost/benefit just isn't there for HM.
Finally, if you look into Spectra standing rigging, you'll see that it takes much lower tuning loads than wire, precisely because it stretches so much less. This means it will be kinder to old hulls.
So yes, abuse is possible. You just have to learn how to use the tool correctly.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss