Plywood boat construction used to be time-consuming and involved a lot of effort when you have to consider fixing as each hole needs to be pre-drilled individually. Fortunately, times have changed! When you will consider selection of which fastener to use nowadays, the issue is most likely due to the enormous number of options accessible.
Not only you have a very big range of forms and styles to choose from, but each of all these categories also has a choice of metals and size to choose from. Let us discuss a few best materials that you can use for your next boat project.
Silicon bronze
Silicon bronze is a metal alloy composed of copper, tin, silicon, manganese, and occasionally nickel. It has poor thermal conductivity, making it ideal for boat application where hot environments prevail and metal is exposed to extreme temperatures.
You can buy bronze fasteners and hardware from Fair Wind Fasteners, which deals with various hardware of this material.
Because of its strong corrosion resistance, silicon bronze can also be highly long-lasting. Silicon bronze fasteners can frequently be utilized in situations that require a high level of strength.
In most cases, silicon bronze has a copper concentration of around 96%. The rest could be silicon alone, but tin, manganese, iron, or zinc are more frequent. These alloys were originally developed for the chemical industry due to their great corrosion resistance in several conditions.
Silicon bronze is found in brake pads and also oil pans in the automotive sector, for example. Silicon bronze is a robust material with low thermal conductivity.
In several fields, such as aircraft, pharmaceuticals, and marine engineering, silicon bronze fasteners are known as one of the most reliable screws.
Often silicon bronze is also used in jewelry applications on certain occasions. Bronze fasteners are corrosion-resistant and can be utilized for both aesthetic as well as functional reasons. Keep in mind that the color of these fasteners may vary depending on what amount of zinc, silicon, and other materials present in them.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel, a chromium-rich low-carbon steel alloy, is typically considered the best all-purpose fastening material meant for most boats. It is no surprise, given stainless steel’s strength and resistance to corrosion.
Because the metal’s anti-corrosive characteristics are built-in, it won’t lose them if it is scratched while use or installation. It does, however, necessitate the presence of oxygen in order to form and retain its protective oxide layer.
Screws embedded in the boat deck are prone to corrosion beneath the water’s surface.
Stainless steel comes in a variety of designed grades, each having its own set designation number and also set of attributes, all at a fair price.
Brass
Brass is a corrosion-resistant and electrically conductive alloy made mostly of copper and zinc. Because of its relative softness, its utility as a fastener is restricted, and it is consequently largely employed for its aesthetic.
We have discussed briefly 3 materials above and out of them Silicon bronze is the most preferred material for boat application.
