[quote=cmiles3]If the shrouds are more than a year old, replace them. If you want to inspect the stainless wires after you replace them, knock yourself out. If they look OK, you can set them aside to be used as spares (I've reused some old rigging when windstorms have snapped or frayed stainless rigging.)
The only time it makes sense to use plastic coated shrouds is when you plan to replace them, frequently. Especially if they are sailed in saltwater, or trailered on roads that get a lot of winter road salt.
Stainless is susceptible to embrittlement & crevice corrosion in low oxygen, wet environments. Especially when there's a lot of minerals in the water. That said, I don't know that I've ever seen a shroud that snapped due to embrittlement or corrosion. I have seen rusty shrouds, frayed shrouds, & overloaded shrouds, all of which I've replaced.[/quote]
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