The forestay on my GP14 (series 2, wood, 1993) needs to be replaced – it’s 2.5 mm wire and has started to fray.
Looking around our boat park it seems that GP14s usually have wire forestays, which are strong, but they are attached to the prow by loops of cord or bungee, which are not so strong. If the forestay’s job is to support the mast when onshore does it need to be wire? But if it’s to ensure the mast stays up when sailing without a jib/genoa doesn’t it need more than just cord or bungee at the prow?
The Pinnell and Bax website has both a wire forestay and a ‘rope forestay with elastic’. I haven’t asked them but the rope forestay looks like it might be Dyneema.
Has anyone got views on this?