Why do Sailboats have Wire Lifelines?

[Journeyman]

Time for new lifelines. Walking around the marina I see all power boats have solid 1" SS tube railings. Its just the sailboats with wire, and the wire is connecting solid 1"SS bow and stern pulpits. Why not connect the pulpits together with tube all the way (except for the boarding gates). I am reminded that when West Marine founder Randy Repass, outfitted his dream sailboat, he choice solid.

Falling overboard and grabbing a nice 1" rail, I know I can get back on board since I do 20 chin-ups a day on a similar sized bar. I couldn't do a single one on a typical lifeline wire.

Intuitively, it seems like going all solid, at least on a cruising sailboat, is a no brainer. But no one does. Why?