In his book, Nigel Calder seems to think the main problem with this system is that larger wire around a small bend radius is weakened, which I'm aware of, and that under load,
cheap thimbles can deform, essentially leading to a de facto decrease in bend radius.
This, according to Calder, is more of a problem on wire over 1/4". My
boat is a
Cal 20, which uses 1/8".
I figure if I can offset the loss of strength by sizing up my
rigging and using large, very heavy duty thimbles it should be no problem. My plan is to use 1x19 316 stainless wire and the heaviest thimbles I can find, preferably with a large bend radius (at least two inches if possible). Going from a 1/8" wire to a 5/32" wire nearly doubles the WLL and adds only 5 lbs of weight aloft.
In a perfect world I'd happily use sta-lok or something comparable, but the cost would increase by a factor of 10. I realize that for a lot of folks with sailboats questions about whether or not to spend
money on a better, more expensive option are just that -- questions about whether or not to spend the
money. I just don't have it to spend.
My question, having said all that, is, can anyone help me source the appropriately large and heavy duty thimbles? I can't tell from most sites what would be appropriate.
I appreciate any help and
advice anyone can offer. Thanks!
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