Re: [Paddlewise] Cleaning fibreglass kayaks

From: "Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe" <aldercreek_at_qwest.net>

> Mike writes:>>but I've seen lots of marine quality stainless
> corrode with little submersion.  My knife is one example.
> 
> Stainless steel comes in quite a variety of grades.  I am sure the grade of
> SS in your knife is quite dirrerent from the grade used in deck hardware.

But both the knife and the deck fittings rust.  I've yet to discover an
alloy of stainless that doesn't corrode.  There aren't many stainless 
fittings on a sea kayak - a handful of nuts and bolts and a couple
of deck U bolts maybe - these may not be considered critical if there's
a thin layer of corrosion.  Rudder cables are another story - swaged 
ends that have non-stainless crimps might corrode faster and could
fail if not inspected regularly.  I've noticed that some have aluminum
bits and aluminum and steel are a famously bad combination.  I've 
never seen this happen, so it's conjecture on my part at this point.

As far as rust on cars goes - the quality of the car finish seems to 
differ depending on the market.  I live in an area where lots of 
road salt is used in winter and cars are routinely sold with rust
proof upgrades.  If you live in an area where you get an untreated
paint finish, the salt water drips on the car could cause corrosion
faster than on my car.  Something tells me that Peter would be likely
to have a car that is more sensitive to rust - Australia ain't the 
Great White South.

Mike
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************