the brazing of aluminum takes practice, and quite a bit of it to be good at it.
before working on your mast/mastgate, spend several hours for a few days learning all there is to know about the procedure before attempting it. you can really make a mess of an expensive mast in a hurry.
the people at the display booths, where the largest volume of these products are generally sold, are professionals working on flat surfaces with lots of experience in making it look easy, when it really isnt. but the way they do it sells their product at about 3-4 times the price you can buy it for at the welding store.
short of machine forming, welding IS better, and always will be....
a bow roller needs to be strong, and 3/16" welded aluminum (1/8" could work also) is a good material for your size of boat, but brazing it together isnt a very durable option... stainless is the best, but its harder to work with, and steel works too, but its best if you get it hot dip galvanized or paint it with zinc chromate primer before painting it the color of your choice. this will keep it nice and free of corrosion for awhile, but as its steel, it will rust where the paint chips or wears off...
I use stainless almost exclusively on my boats...
personally, when Im investing my time in something, I choose to use the best methods and materials to get the results that will look good to the critics/public/wife/friends/neighbors.... and so it will last at least as long as the rest of the boat
, rather than using materials and methods that may be questionable. if I cant afford it at the time, I have to budget better to get what I want, because there is no reason to add something to the boat if it isnt going to look good and last for a lifetime, because I dont want a trashy or rusty looking boat. (and neither would a buyer when/if I ever want to sell it)
and im not being snobbish, nor do I think im better than anyone else, because anyone can make a decision as to how they want their boat to look, and budget accordingly....
but with that said, one can try and see what works for them, and probably should because this is how we learn.
as much as I conscientiously make every attempt to get it right the first time, I surly didnt start out thinking like this... but after spending small fortunes (for a poor man) in money and time in doing it over, I have honed my skills and thought process to always think twice, think thoroughly, build once, be done with it and move on to the next project... in the end, its cheaper that way. except for the part about moving onto the next project, 'cuz this step drives the expense up a little
