'Food grade' stainless steel on a boat ?

whipper_snapper

whipper_snapper

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\'Food grade\' stainless steel on a boat ?

Does anyone know if 'food grade' or '304' stainless is suitable for use on a boat - for pushpits, brackets for mounting stuff etc ? I often need to get bits and pieces like this made up and there are some small workshops here that will do a great job, but when I ask about A2 or A4 I get blank looks and I am told that all they have is 'food grade' or '304'. Is it suitable for hot marine environments? If I attach some of this to my mast with monel rivets and Duralac, will the mast dissolve ?!
 
Re: \'Food grade\' stainless steel on a boat ?

304 is A2, 316 is A4
(Although not really quite that simple as there are various grades of those!)

Quick explanation HERE on the A2A4 website

Basically I'd suggest that the greater the contact with salt water the more advisable it would be to use A4 (316). Rust stains are likely from A2 especially were water gets behind fittings and crevice corrosion starts.

Up a mast your call I reckon, personally I would not worry about using A2.

Take note that fixings , screws bolts etc come in both grades and that builders merchants stuff is almost certainly going to be A2
 
Re: \'Food grade\' stainless steel on a boat ?

I've used A2 for non essentials because it was to hand at the time. It's just about OK but, as others have said, it will rust. It's easy enough to clean up from time to time.

If it's not important and you are not overly concerned about cosmetics then use it. My personal opinion is that I wouldn't use it for pushpits etc; if I wasn't concerned about the appearance of something like that I would use mild steel and get it galvanized.
 
Re: \'Food grade\' stainless steel on a boat ?

Minor cosmetic issues apart, I would go for 304 if cost and availability are considerations. I made a radar pole from 2" polished 304 tube, £20 from the local metal stockist, with 304 attachments, and after 4 years, completely untouched, it's still pretty good.
It won't "rust" in the accepted sense, but 316 is supposedly better for weak chloride solutions. Local industry here uses a lot of 304 for handling hot, concentrated acids.( If that's not a corrosive environment, I don't know what is ). Oddly perhaps, there seem to be many fittings in 304, including underwater, on local boats. I believe that the owners regard them as excellent value for money!
 
Re: \'Food grade\' stainless steel on a boat ?

Many thanks VicS and everyone else. Very helpful. I have no real choice about what I use, but am now not too worried about 304 in such non critical applications.
 
Re: \'Food grade\' stainless steel on a boat ?

We went to a commercial kitchen fabricator to have two pole mounts made (half the price of a marine fabricator). We asked what they used and one option was 316, which we chose. The only mistake we made was forgetting to ask them to polish the fittings.
 
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