Need advice on line for halyards and running rigging

[skylark]

I am building a 16' sharpie and will be making a junk ketch rig with unstayed masts.  The sails will be about 100 sf and 40 sf.

I am looking for line (rope) to rig the junk sails.  What type of line would you use for this?  Is there a cheap(er) solution?

[Tim]

for all my non-stretch needs I use Sta-Set X

http://www.ropeinc.com/sta-set-x.htm

Not necessarily cheap, but sometimes you can find it on sale.

[Godot]

Frankly, for a 16 foot junk, I think I would purchase the cheapest dacron line that I could find.  You aren't likely to be racing, and, as I understand it, a junk is quite forgiving of halyard stretch.  Heck, depending on the budget and use, I might be tempted to buy hardware store stuff, especially given how much line is required for a junk sail (quite a lot, as I recall).  But that is just me.  When I built my little gaff rigged weekender years ago I found a really good deal on no-name dacron line on ebay (something like a 500 feet of 3/8" for 50 bucks).  It was more than sufficient.

[KenR]

The answer would be best decided on how much actual time is spent sailing. If you expect to sail a lot, go with Tim's advice - Sta-Set X is a good value. If you expect to sail less frequently, I would side with Adam's take on the subject.

[CharlieJ]

And I can't stand Stay Set X. I don't like how it feels('the hand) and I detest how it
coils.

I've been happy with just Sta Set in the past. Of course, on Tehani, we use a three strand dacron ;D

[marujo_sortudo]

First, I would find a copy of The Rigger's Apprentice by Brion Toss and read his advice about rope selection and the tradeoffs involved.  Even if you have to buy this book new, you'll pay for it many times over based on this one section alone.  For such a boat, I'd probably be happy with 3-strand polyester for most of my running rigging, but I might spring for some regatta braid for the sheets (just for the nice hand.)  As a plus, splicing is super easy with 3-strand.

Here's some sample prices (though you might get a better rate if you could get a whole reel.)  NOTE: I am not implying that these are the right sizes for you, nor that these lines have the same breaking strengths just because they're the same diameter.  Read a rigging guide or the book above to size your lines properly.

New England Rope 3-stand polyester 1/4": $0.25/ft
Sta-Set polyester 1/4": $0.43/ft
Sta-Set X polyester 1/4": $0.51/ft

My boat is a 32' marconi-rigged cruising cutter.  For my purposes, I like having regatta braid sheets, Sta-Set halyards, and 3-strand for a lot of other lines.  My 10' sailing dinghy only has 3-strand polyester on its sprit sail rig.  I have no use for Sta-Set X, but then again, I'm not a racer ;)

[marujo_sortudo]

Also, came across this page today:

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/06/howto/junkrig/index.htm

Though he doesn't list cost, this certainly seems a low cost setup.  Not sure all components of the rig are sized for being out in a big wind, but in a smaller boat you may avoid those days, or go to the ultimate reef, rowing ;)

[marujo_sortudo]

I've been doing my own research as I'm replacing some running rigging myself, too.  Another option is Spunflex (formerly Roblon) which is hard to find pricing information on, but is probably just under 20 cents/foot for 1/4".  The prices get even more attactive in the larger diameters, I think. It gets used a lot on vessels that are going for a traditional look.  Some folks don't like its hand, though, and it needs bigger blocks sometimes because it isn't that flexible.  It usually needs a slightly larger diameter than modern Dacron ropes for the same breaking strength.  Still, an interesting option.  I may replace one line on my boat with this just to see how it works out, and if I like the cost/look/hand/chafe/stretch/splicing trade-offs involved.  There are a number of sailors out there who use this for all their running rigging, so it certainly has it's fans.  More info from the American supplier can be found here:

http://www.shipsofwood.com/rope.html