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From an online article contributed by Practical Sailor:

"Unfortunately, vinyl-coated 7x7 stainless steel wire is a poor choice for lifelines. In fact, it is such a poor choice that it is strongly discouraged as a lifeline material by the Offshore Racing Council in their Special Regulations, the code of safety standards applied to racing yachts.

The reason is simple: the vinyl coating, which looks nice and increases the diameter of the wire to make it more comfortable to grab, can trap water, which then wicks along the wire. This can lead to accelerated corrosion of the wire, dramatically decreasing its strength. The corrosion will not necessarily be visible, as it can be hidden under the vinyl coating."

"If you must have coated lifelines, we would recommend replacing them if they are more than five years old. Some insurance companies insist on lifeline replacement every 10 years, but this is too generous."

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