Stainless steel cable is used in the fixed rigging (mast stays) of yachts precisely because of it's anti-rusting properties. Unfortunately the stainless still h

Stainless steel cable is used in the fixed rigging (mast stays) of yachts precisely because of it's anti-rusting properties. Unfortunately the stainless still has to be completely replaced every 5-10 years because it weakens to the point you can't insure the yacht anymore. Stainless has a very different failure mode to normal steel where a tiny nick in the surface of the stainless under tension forms a crack and corrosion occurs in the very bottom of the crack making it propagate deeper into the stainless until it fails while still looking shiny on the outside.