Endura vs T-900 - need to decide Sunday

[jarcher]

West Marine is having a sale, 20% off cordage through Sunday. By coincidence, my mast is down waiting for new halyards.

Strangely, Endura and T-900 cost within a few pennies of each other. Here is how they compare:

Endura:
Size: 8mm
weight: 2.7 lbs/100 foot
tensile: 7,000 pounds

T-900:
Size: 8mm
weight: 3.2 lbs/100 foot
tensile: 7,300 pounds

The Endura is much lighter, and both are comparable in strength. But Endura has much better stretch characteristics (0.3% vs 0.5%). Still, T-900 might be the better choice for jib and main halyards.

Endura is Dyneema, while T-900 is a mix of Dyneema and Technora.

From NE Ropes web site:

Technora, the highest strength aramid fiber, is ideal for low stretch running rigging such as halyards. It does not creep under normal loads, but is subject to fatigue if cycled over a small radius. The black version of Technora has superior resistance to UV degradation.

Dyneema®, ideal for lightweight running rigging, is characterized by its very high strength, low stretch characteristics as well as its ability to repel water. Unfortunately, Dyneema® has a low melting point which makes it susceptible to friction and is also inclined to elongate or creep under sustained loads.

So I am inclined to go with T-900, but I would appreciate any thoughts...

[jason3317]

Vectran (V-100). Or, Dyneema single braid with appropriate covers for chafe protection. 8mm should be fine, but might slip a bit in the clutch if not bulked up with a cover

[blt2ski]

You will not notice the stretch difference. Now if it was 10vs .5, but .3 vs .5! think not. Take your pick!

I went with XLS extra, which is .5% at 20%, vs staset at 1.5 at 15% or somesuch numbers. WOrks great!

marty

[jarcher]

Originally Posted by jason3317

Vectran (V-100). Or, Dyneema single braid with appropriate covers for chafe protection. 8mm should be fine, but might slip a bit in the clutch if not bulked up with a cover

V-100 is $2.40 per foot. It would be my first choice but I doubt its worth the price for my boat.

I ended up with 8mm T-900 for jib and main halyards and VPC for the jib sheets (10 mm) and more 8mm for the spin halyard and pole lines.

[sailingdog]

I'm using the T-900 and like it a lot.

[Maine Sail]

I think you've got a lot of gourmet line where not necessarily needed. Remember the sail has some stretch too and those luffs are not made from technora or dynema. It can be very easy to tweak an old main with these new lines. The NER VPC is a great value in a low stretch line. Don't really see a need for low stretch genny sheets but light weight is good for light air racing..