At 04:09 PM 8/1/2013, Alistair Bell wrote:
>Probably ss fasteners if only just to bug David B. who will point
>out the electrolysis problem between stainless and aluminum :)

I'll just point out that if you do you'll save yourself grief and
broken bolts when removing (or burst fittings down the line in the
case of for example a cleat) if you make your holes generously
oversize.  Our main halyard cleat on Scamp (mounted with 3/8" bolts,
I think) split right across one of the two mounting holes because the
white corrosion products built up between the bolt and the hole in
the cleat.  I wasn't there when it happened but I'm told it made quite a bang.

Wisdom from Keith Fenner, a marine shafting specialist and machinist
on Cape Cod (he's got good stuff on YouTube) is do not use s/s
fasteners when working with aluminum, use steel instead - at sea or on shore.

My other bad experiences have been twisting off s/s bolts threaded
into aluminum, again because of prominent buildup of white corrosion
products jamming the hole.  So I'm inclined to go along with Mr.
Fenner at this point.

Yours,
David