I want to build an arch like structure on the back of my sailboat to hold a solar panel and davits for a dinghy. First thought was stainless steel but aluminum is probably cheaper and strong enough. Heck it is strong enough for the mast!!! Any opinions suggestions on fabrication??
Aluminu or Stainless Steel??
- Thread starter MoonSailer
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You require X 
Which can be done with any material by changing the wall thickness abd size of the tube ,The hard part being knowing what X needs to be without overbuilding to MUCH
IMHP for a DIY all the materials take a LOT of SKILL to weld with ALU being the hardest
Which can be done with any material by changing the wall thickness abd size of the tube ,The hard part being knowing what X needs to be without overbuilding to MUCH
IMHP for a DIY all the materials take a LOT of SKILL to weld with ALU being the hardest
Stainless is the only way to go
Assuming you are cruising your boat in saltwater, stainless is the only way to go. Even very carefully washed down the salt will attack the aluminum and will show signs of corrosion the first year. Al works for the mast because you have very few weld joints which create places for salt to get trapped. I have a set of 6+ year old Kato Marine davits which are SS and am very happy with them. You are correct, SS will cost more, but will last longer looking brand new.
--Eric
Assuming you are cruising your boat in saltwater, stainless is the only way to go. Even very carefully washed down the salt will attack the aluminum and will show signs of corrosion the first year. Al works for the mast because you have very few weld joints which create places for salt to get trapped. I have a set of 6+ year old Kato Marine davits which are SS and am very happy with them. You are correct, SS will cost more, but will last longer looking brand new.
--Eric
Aluminum is WAY cheaper. But the fabrication cost will be the same. Aluminum is what I want to build one out of. I will have it powder coated though, with UV and salt resistant powder. To get it to stick properly you have to sand blast it to rough it up. I just blasted and powder coated my boom. The stainless on my boat is rust covered in 2 weeks after cleaning. I am going to powder coat all of it. So it doesn't matter if it's aluminum or stainless it's all getting coated.
I get a lot of salt spray where my boat is, also I don't think catalina was using the best material in 1979.
I get a lot of salt spray where my boat is, also I don't think catalina was using the best material in 1979.
Interesting debate. When I built my own bimini for Lake Erie I decided on aluminum for the frame. Ten years later the aluminum looks better than the stainless. My boat has been in salt water for almost two years now. Whenever I visit the boat I feel like I need to wash and polish the rails and stanchions. The aluminum bimini frame looks like it always has.
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