Material for running back stays.

[mocruising]

Halyards should not stretch but sheets should so should mooring lines so don't use old halyards but what about running back stays which material the old ones are braided but material.

[NornaBiron]

ours is non-stretch, same as our halyards.

[gdallas]

Thats what mine are. Before that I had Vectran, but that is a bit vulnerable to UV.

Low stretch important I think

Graham

[RobbieW]

+1 for low/non stretch - basically its a shroud

[gavin_lacey]

Because they are by definition adjustable then it doesnt matter as much as a shroud which most of us leave alone for long periods. However there is no advantage in them stretching. Cost v performance. most cruising boats use doublebraid or marlowbraid. Most racing boats use exotics.

[gdallas]

On my boat they are not very long, and the marginal extra cost of high performance material
is small. Also, I use highfield levers not a tackle, so adjustability is limited

[Yacht Yogi]

I've been doing some sailing on Sigma 38s and they have steel cable running back stays shackled to a block and tackle at the bottom with halyard-like rope on it.

[mocruising]

Ours are the same ss plus a block and tackle but the rope part is 15m. We will order dyneema or equiv.

[gdallas]

Wire runners can cause all sorts of horrible chafe probs

[wklein]

Wire runners can cause all sorts of horrible chafe probs

Especially to the rigging, they require more tension to pull out the centenary of the wire.
Wire doesn't tend to last too long as its often bent and allowed to cycle when stowed.
In my book dyneema is the way to go, with protection where it touches spreaders.