Type of stainless steel

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katana750

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Sep 30, 2012
224
macgregor 26s 1993 cranbrook bc
One more question

I am not sure how somebody would know this, but you never know...are the bow and stern railings on a Mac 26s made with 304 or 316 stainless steel. I was just wondering if buying the 316 s/s was worth the extra money. The railings still look great after 20 years so if it is 304 I'll just stick with that.

Thanks Dave
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

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Sep 25, 2008
7,695
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Without getting into the components of various stainless, 304 will be more difficult to maintain than 316 which is preferable. Remember, it is stain-less, not stain-proof. They will both "rust" but the latter less so.
 
K

katana750

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Sep 30, 2012
224
macgregor 26s 1993 cranbrook bc
I totally agree, I just don't have anything to compare. The railings still look good after 20 years. If it is made from 304 S/S then I would be more than happy to buy this type again...it is quite a bit less money. With the money I save I can buy most of the fittings. If on the other hand the existing rail is in fact 316 and I buy 304 and it looks like poop in a few years I'll kick myself for being too cheep. Up until yesterday when I thought I would educate myself on metal I wasn't aware there were so many different types of stainless or less stain-able metal. This site was quite interesting.

Guide to Buying Stainless Steel Online | Online Metals Guide to Selecting Metals for Your Project

I am leaning towards the stern railing being 316. I have looked at quite a few mac pictures and the railings usually look in good shape. I would think if it was 304 I would be seeing more about corrosion issues. My other thought was maybe it isn't an issue because I would have to think a lot of macgregors live on a trailer and are not moored permanently on the ocean. Just thought I would throw my question out there and maybe somebody knew definitively what type of S/S it was. Then I would know how corrosive resistant 304 S/S was or not. I would have learned one more thing for general knowledge.


Dave
 
K

katana750

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Sep 30, 2012
224
macgregor 26s 1993 cranbrook bc
I just looked at there website....it all seems to be 304. That pretty much answers my question. Most of those boats would pretty much be ocean moored full time. They wouldn't be making those railings out of 304 if they were corroding massively in a few years. 304 s/s must be sufficient. Thanks.

Dave
 
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