Rusting stainless steel !!

[wassim]

All stainless steel parts on my boat are rusting . The boat is less than 4 months old . How can that be ?
Isn't stainless steel supposed to be "stain less" ?

 

[Henry Boyd]

There are many grades of stainless steel, and many do rust. For example, many automotive exhaust systems are made with what is called 'muffler grade' (Muffler in US english means the same as Silencer in UK english) stainless steel does rust, just not as fast as mild steel.

The basic problem is that the materials that make stainless rust free also make it softer and weaker. The balance is to get rust resistance while maintaining a level of material strength.

That's the metallurgy lesson for today. About your boat, it is possible the 'rust' level is normal, but the term is subjective based on your view. Since I can't tell from a text message how much is rusted, I suggest to get photos and send them to the dealer, or whoever is handling your warranty issues.

Henry

 

[wassim]

There are many grades of stainless steel, and many do rust. For example, many automotive exhaust systems are made with what is called 'muffler grade' (Muffler in US english means the same as Silencer in UK english) stainless steel does rust, just not as fast as mild steel.

The basic problem is that the materials that make stainless rust free also make it softer and weaker. The balance is to get rust resistance while maintaining a level of material strength.

That's the metallurgy lesson for today. About your boat, it is possible the 'rust' level is normal, but the term is subjective based on your view. Since I can't tell from a text message how much is rusted, I suggest to get photos and send them to the dealer, or whoever is handling your warranty issues.

Henry

Wow , thanks a lot for your prompt reply and the technical input .
What do you do with your boat ?anything i can do to treat it permanently ?

 

[Dave S]

Which stainless pieces are rusting?

 

[fc3]

Wow , thanks a lot for your prompt reply and the technical input .
What do you do with your boat ?anything i can do to treat it permanently ?

Wash it to ensure it is clean. Wax or other metal protectant would help. Keep it dry.

 

[Southpaw II]

Stainless will rust in the absence of oxygen...in other words, if it's coated with grime or grit, or not clean, it will rust. As mentioned, the best thing you can do is to keep it clean. The most common problem seem to be stainless fittings where threads that are hard to clean rust first. Obviously, salt air with the smudge it carries is an issue.

 

[wassim]

Which stainless pieces are rusting?

the sink , the ladder , the handles , buttons on the dash...

 

[wassim]

Which stainless pieces are rusting?

one more thing , i also used to own a 240SD , nothing rusted on that one .

 

[Skip]

I will defer to the staff metallurgists as to the "why", but I also am guessing that your boat sits in water that measures very high in salinity in the Gulf.

That adds to your maintenance requirements.

When I purchased my 03 420DA it too had surface rust on many of the stainless components.

I used a product called Flitz to clean all the stainless, then I applied wax to the stainless to protect it. I now do this clean/wax periodically. I also hose the boat off with fresh water after every run in salt to prevent any salt buildup on the stainless surfaces. My boat sits in fresh water, whcih reduces my maintenance load significantly.

Good luck with it.

Skip

 

[wassim]

thanks for the tips everyone . I'll give the waxing a shot. I always clean the boat after every outing but i don't dry it (never had to do that with my previous boats) .

Skip : you're dead on about salinity in the Gulf .Around here we say it's not salty water rather it's watery salt.

 

[Coastal Manifold]

Sounds like low quality stainless steel bolt on products. Some of the older boats have better quality stainless products.

 

[jakebrake]

in a pinch, 0000 steel wool (available at home depot) works to clean it up. about as abrasive as newspaper. i've used "dri wash and guard" on my harley rather often, speedi metal also worked well. put on a good polish afterwards (semichrome works great, but it's a lot of work.)

all metal can rust, it's just a question of how long.

 

[Turtlesboat]

Bronze wool is what you should use. I also wax everything. I wish someone would invent a boat wash/wax drive through.

 

[jakebrake]

the vacuuming might be entertaining to watch...ZZZZZTTTTTT!:grin:

 

[mawyatt]

Whink Rust Remover is a mild acid that is available at the Supermarket. I use and old toothbrush to apply and let sit for a few minutes then scrub with the toothbrush again and rinse. On rails I just use an old rag saturated with Whink and wipe down, let sit then wipe down again and rinse. I use Woody Wax on everything after cleaning. The Gulf here in Florida is very salty so I try and keep a coat of Woody Wax on the SS every 3 months or so.