Re: Leaking Centerboard Pivot

Gordon (hlg@pacbell.net)
Wed, 10 Mar 1999 16:53:18 -0800


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>> Monel is an allow of 66% nickel, 30% copper and the remainder iron. It is
>> commonly used for pipes, fittings and fasteners in contact with sea
>>>water industrially. It should be available from most industrial bolt
>>>dealers in a variety of sizes.
>
>Oh! I'll just pop over to the corner "industrial bolt dealer" and pick
>one up.
>
>Sorry! I couldn't resist that one. I was at West Marine today and they
>had no idea what I was talking about. One guy kept insisting that Monel
>was an artist.
>
> :)
>
>Steve Barnes
>OLDSURFDUDE

I had that impression too. (There's a pun there somewhere.)

But your point is well taken. I thought I was doing well to find a bolt of
the right size in stainless at my neighborhood West Marine. If the plain
iron carriage bolt was still functioning after 32 years, the new stainless
bolt, upgraded in size from 3/8 to 7/16, could conceivably outlast the
skipper. Apparently the reliability of a Potter 14 centerboard bolt is not
anything to be overly concerned about. It doesn't work as hard as one might
think.

Is monel as hard as stainless steel? My 32-year-old bolt showed more damage
from wear than from corrosion, so hardness might be a more significant
consideration than corrosion resistance.

Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA