Why we use stainless hardware on boats

[metriccrescentwrench]

I'm restoring a '79 Checkmate that I just bought as a project boat and came across something that was kind of eye opening. The transom is still solid, but very waterlogged, so it's coming out. I pulled off the jack plate yesterday and the previous owner had used plain galvanized bolts to mount it with. I gather from what he told me that the jack plate had only been on less than a year, so these bolts haven't been in use for very long. It's not a great photo (I keep a cheap digital camera in the garage while I'm working on the boat, my good camera's not going near all that dust), but it shows that corrosion has ate away about half the thickness of the bolt in the center of the transom.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Why we use stainless hardware on boats

but not bad for a 30 year old bolt.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Why we use stainless hardware on boats

I'm pretty sure that bolt hasn't been on the boat for very long. The jack plate isn't very old, and I can't believe somone would be so stupid as to re-use something that looked that bad (well, looking at some of the other stuff I found, hmmmm).

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Why we use stainless hardware on boats

I had a bow eye pull out of a Key West (while on the trailer--little good the safety chain did!) Turns out the nuts on the inside were not stainless, and rusted away. I couldn't believe it. One more case of "for want of a nail..." Nearly cost me a boat, or worse, and it easily took a half a day (on vacation, of quality boating time) to get to the inside of the bow eye to reinstall a new one.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Why we use stainless hardware on boats

Those look pretty darn good compared to the bolts in the transom eyes on my ol' Seaswirl. PO had installed new 3/8" zinc bolts a few years before I got it and when I tore it apart 7-8 years later the bolts were about 1/16" in the center, almost rusted completely through. Sure glad I didn't have to rely on the transom straps to hold the boat down, accident, etc..

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Why we use stainless hardware on boats

Oddly enough, stainless steel would be in worse shape if used in that application. You cannot use stainless in a wet and sealed environment or it will corrode rapidly. It's called crevice corrosion. I think bronze hardware would have been best for that.