Jim, this will not help out your "inner engineer", and I eventually dropped out of mechanical engineering, but...
With larger boats this is a valid point to try to figure out. With your 31'er however, assuming you avoid chafe, if you go with say... NER 7/16" Sta Set, (the smallest size that I like the feel of), the rope is NOT the weak link! Either the blocks, traveler car, boom, or clew of the mainsail is...
You still have to avoid an out of control, crash slam, accidental gybe! I have always been a multihuller, and in my youth, did one of these on my cat, not realizing that the (2 X oversized) traveler was somehow not cleated. It crashed across the 12' track with such speed that the huge traveler car EXPLODED! The 3/8" double braid polyester line was fine. It is hard to engineer a boat for doing something stupid like I did!
A 7/16" mainsheet is big enough for a 31' monohull, even with mid boom sheeting...
Mark
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