Replacing s/steel rudder lines with spectra

Hi all

I recently replaced the steel rudder lines in my Synergy with, what I believe is Spectra 1mm rope. I purchased it from Rope World who supply marine ropes and stainless fittings and they assured me it was the real deal.

The reason for the change is because I didn't like the way the stainless steel cables were joined with the rope, used to feed the lines through the rudder pedals. The bulky joint (s/s thimble and chock-block type connector covered with heat-shrink) pushed against my legs, while seated.

I tied the lines to the t-bar at the rudder using a stainless thimble and a figure of eight knot, tidied up with some heat shrink.

Getting the length right for the second figure of eight knot took some time, but now I essentially have one continuous length of rope, fed through the rudder pedals and tied with a knot on either side of the t-bar.

Has anyone done something similar or are there any concerns with durability of the rope, instead of cable?

You will not find many racing yachts with S/S cables and believe me they are only doing what is best for their performance and longevity.
As you well found out that Specta or Dyneema are considerably more expensive, are lighter and have a stronger breaking strain than S/S, and one more thing never known to corrode and snap! And the last time I tried I could not tie a knot in S/S cable in an emergency.

Thanks Ranga, that makes me feel a lot more confident about the mod. I'll do my Horizon too

If possible, try and get some qpowerline spectra. It is better than standard yacht spectra. Not as thick, less stretch, less friction, so it runs through the tubes better. THINK use it on their lines. Kite boarders use it. You can source it online from kite shops, spear fishing shops. In Oz costs about $90 for 60metres.

So wait... guys are we saying that Kiteboarding line is better to use on our boats than the "normal" stainless steel cable?

Anyone disagree?

From what you guys say, it sounds like a great mod to make.

I bought spectra from a kite shop in Milnerton for about R30-00. It was leftover cord from a job they had done.
I fitted this to my Wavemaster and it worked fine But I was unsure of the cord and bought dyneema from Southern Ropes factory shop in Cape Town. I paid about R30 for enough to do two skis!

The conduits on my ski were big enough to take both the spectra and the dyneema so my ski now has two sets of cords. This must be fail safe1

I agree about the Q-power line. Stainless steel, despite the name, does corrode over time.

While the q-power line can conceivably chafe, my experience with it thus far is no problems, with over 400 hours of time on several boats. I plan to replace it at 500 hours. It is much easier to work with than steel cable. While it does have some slight stretch compared to steel, I think the advantages outweigh this.

The Q-power line has the least stretch of any of the synthetics I have checked out, including dyneema.

Thanks Peteski, any tip on how to run the rope through the line/groove? Restoring an old surfski for my little one. Removed the old rusty cables but find it really hard to insert the dayneema rope I bough from Stellar mob in Sydney. Any advice highly welcome!!

You could try Oscar's method... Suck it through the tube with a vacuum cleaner.

Push the old stainless cable through the conduit. Then butt join the dyneema cord to the ss cable using superglue, making sure the joint is thin enough to fit through the conduit. Pull the ss cable back out again, pulling the cord through with it. Make sure that the dyneema cord is able to run through cleanly i.e. that it is not tangled.

I think 1mm dyneema is a bit thin. 2mm is mostly used.

You can blow the Dyneema/Spectra ( I like the line sold by Stellar) lines through the conduit with compressed air too.