Lifelines on a cruising boat are kind of like insurance; you don’t think about them much until you really need them. The vast majority of sailboat owners have stainless steel lifelines that are either bare or covered with a vinyl outer coating. But, as the racing crowd has shifted more and more of their rigging to synthetic materials, such as Dyneema, the trend has also been to replace lifelines with the lighter and possibly stronger synthetic rope.
Kerri Robson addresses this interesting topic in the February 4 posting of the Australian-based online newsletter and website Sail-World.
Would You Trust Dyneema with your lifelines?
by Kerri Robson (Published in Sail-World)
Lifelines are typically made of wire, however, as the sailing industry modernizes, more and more people have been converted to the use of synthetic composite lifelines, such as Dyneema®.
Although often overlooked and forgotten, lifelines are one of the most critical safety components on our boats. Whilst they are something to lean against whilst cruising, or hiked from when racing, their most important role is to act as the last and final attempt to keep your crew member safely onboard your boat.
Read the full article here.
https://www.sail-world.com/news/214202/Would-you-trust-Dyneema-with-your-lifelines
