Lifeline material
 

Hi all,
I am considering making my lifelines out of 3/8 Dacron. This diameter just fits through the hole on my stanchions. My questions is: What are the advantages of dyneema over dacron?

I am a big fan of dyneema. I have dyneema standing rigging now for 6 years here in the tropics (St thomas).
But wire has always been thin and uncomfortable to fall against, and thin dyneema would be similar. Something like a cheese slicer. To me the 3/8 would be more forgiving of human flesh and be strong enough. Most 3/8 Dacron has a breaking strength of 3000lb and the little bit of stretch it has would dissipate a lot of the load of someone falling against it. Plus it fits a traditional boat much better. Just because I'm a traditional nut doesn't mean I don't want a viable solution.
I know the Pardeys used Dacron. So this is the basis for my question.
Thank you in advance.
Gary

Stretch
 

Hi,

I've had dacron for lifelines on several boats. What I dislike about it is that no matter how tight you seem to pull it, there's still a good deal of stretch. If you leaned against it in hopes it would keep you aboard, it might just deflect enough to allow you to fall overboard. On the plus side, it's nice and soft and easy to grab. I recently changed my lifelines to covered Vectran. Thinner, sure, but it feels a lot more secure to lean against.
I'm not against polyester lifelines, they worked adequately, but I do prefer my HM ones.
Ben

PS if you're in the habit of leaning against your lifelines, that's probably a bad one, regardless of the materials.

Options
 

Hello,
How about a blended HM rope, like VPC? Dacron cover, less stretch than a Dacron core, less expensive than an all-HM-cored line.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss