by ChrisB » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:01 am
KC,
I had a stay with a slight kink in it for years and never had a problem. However, mine was nowhere near 90 degrees; it was more like 10. With a bend that sharp you have certainly setup metal fatigue in the wire strands and there is no practical way to determine how much the overall strength has been weakened. Better safe than sorry. I'd replace the wire. Years ago I dismasted a Hobie 16 thanks to a broken stay. While I suffered no damage to the mast or sails as a result, it was an adventure I would have preferred not to have had.
-cpb
Chris B.