Replacing Halyards - Cal 28

[Himself]

I am looking at replacing the running rigging on the Cal 28.
I am in abit of a quandry as .. when I review the original specs per the Cal 28 owner's guide (yes I know .. circa 1967) .. it calls for main and jib 1/8" 7X19 ss with tails 5/16" dacron yacht braid .. I measured the ss and it is indeed 1/8" ss .. but the tails are 3/8" ..
My problem is that I am trying to identify sizing as I wish to replace with spectra .. (I also have a professional rigger coming to inspect the standing rigging .. which I may replace if needed .. with spectra as well).
Can anyone offer any advice?
Thank you in advance.

[daddle]

If you can replace the wire with spectra you will be way happier. 5/16" vs. 3/8" eh? No matter. Strip the cover where the wire was. Use the largest core that will easily run in the masthead sheaves, within reason. The sheaves are probably narrow for the wire and that will be your limiting factor. Note: Some spectra does not work well with the cover stripped. Ask at a rigging shop, like Svendsens.

[svHyLyte]

Be advised that if your masthead sheaves are original, or many years old, the old halyard wire may have worn some sharp and/or roughened edges into the sheaves that even Spectra won't like. Changing to 1/4" Spectra with an end-to-end splice to 3/8" dacron will certainly work but given one can buy made-up wire-to-line halyards of the appropriate size from a number of on-line chandlery's for reasonable cost why bother?

FWIW...

[Charlie]

Cal 28:

If the standing rigging has not been replaced in the last 5 to ten years it is a good idea to replace it. The salt water gets in and corodes the wire where it is not visiible and then when sailing on one of those windy San Francisco Days a forestay can blow up. Then you need to run a halyard forward so that you don't lose the mast. Spoken from experience