Quote:
Originally Posted by bubb2
Avoid galvanized wire. It is less expensive than stainless steel, but it’s weaker and stretches more. When the galvanizing inevitably wears off, your wire will rust.
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Stainless wire will eventually fail from chloride stress corrosion cracking- without warning, and in as little as 10 years of use depending on conditions (salinity, temperature, tension). Galvanized wire will last MUCH longer, and will not fail without significant visual warning (broken strands and rust). If maintained with a rustproof coating such as linseed oil or lanolin it will last almost indefinitely.
It's only slightly weaker than stainless wire, and can probably be used in the same size/weight under the same conditions- because it's more likely to maintain it's full rated strength over it's lifetime.
Nevertheless, I'll still use stainless wire on my boat. It only costs about $150 for enough 316 stainless wire to re-rig my C22, and it won't make a mess, and causes less chafe.