There's a feller I race with who uses Spectra for his trap lines. It broke in one race last year due to abrasion (he managed to get back on the boat in time to win the race, though, the bastard :-).



Spectra and its relatives may have a higher ultimate tensile strength then steel, but they're not as tough, and their abrasion resistance is *much* lower. I would be extremley cautious about using it where failure would be catastrophic (such as shrouds and forestay). Even for trap lines, you should examine them closely before each outing, and replace as soon as you see wear.



Remember Flight 587 - be careful with composites.



Pete