What is the advantage of the dyneema over wire? Easier to make, lighter?
The one disadvantage i can see is rope is prone to tangles and nasty knots.
And Steve have you ever had one of those series 20 ronstan blocks fail? I found the stainless steel strap gets bent then gets deformed. Ive never had one break on me but it completely stuffs the pulley. Might have something to do with the losds i'm putting it under! I ended up used the RF30100
http://www.ronstan.com.au/marine/product.asp?ProdNo=RF30100 .
I have never used Dyneema for trap lines as the F18 class did not allow it, which frustrated me because I have a roll of D12. My next boat will have D12 traps.
Advantages are
- You can quickly make them up on the beach witout the need of a swaging tool.
- Lighter than wire
- Easier to roll at the end of the day then wire.
- Shows wear long before they fail. Wire can go without notice at times.
As for the 20 series Ronstan, I have never had them fail in that application and it is good enough for the rockstars (see above). Also use them on self tacking jibs and mast rotation. Have had them fail in spinnaker halyard applications. Like you said, the strap can bend if loaded up at a bad angle, distorting the casing and locking up the pully, quickly resulting in chewing out the pully. They are cheap though and if they show signs of distortion, just replace.
