Hi all,
I have my CB out of my DSII for repainting, and while the cable isn't broken, there is some corrosion and it looks original so it seems silly not to replace while the boat is off the trailer anyway. If I understand correctly, the cables from DR will need swaged on the forward end to the small uphaul block - so that will require acquiring/borrowing a swaging tool.
However, I have also seen mention of possibly replacing that with something synthetic like Dyneema line, but I can't find a post from anyone who has actually done it, after much searching until my eyes are crossed. Is there anyone on the forum that has done it or has strong feelings about whether it's a good or bad idea? I assume the best solution would be splicing with a thimble to the tang (not sure how easy that would be...) and then I thought one benefit is that I could just tie it to a thimble on the block, which would allow unattaching it in the future for maintenance/inspection. It sounds like this might also have the advantage of being more slippery and thus less likely to jam (although that's never happened to me - knock on wood) but also possibly the disadvantage of being more prone to chafe. And there seem to be a lot of opportunities for chafe in that space...
I suppose another option is to stick with the SS cable and go with some kind of shackle attachment that can be disconnected form the block. I know it doesn't (shouldn't) need disconnected often, but I generally hate the idea of permanent connections that don't allow for flexibility. Not to mention buying *another* tool...