Marinium Cleats and Chocks?

[Zach]

Hi Guys,

Was browsing around and saw that Perko is now making marinium hardware. Marinium: The Marine Alloy

Wondering if you guys have ever snapped a marinium cleat, or kicked them off the boat for not earning their keep?

I'm in the process of rebuilding my 28 footer, and larger cleats are in order. Larger and lighter than whats already there would be great. Two bow cleats, bigger than what is already there for the same weight. (Not counting the backing plates though...)

Thanks

Zach

[David M]

Marinium...that brings back some memories. I had almost forgotten about it. Marinium is nothing new. Marinium is a type of alloy composed mostly of aluminum....no sort of great breakthrough in alloys. I know it has been around since at least 1975 when my boat was built.

I have an aluminum boat that originally came with Marinium cleats. I busted three out of eight cleats in a matter of a few years after I started skippering the boat. I changed out all my cleats with stainless steel cleats before someone got killed by one springing back in their face. I electrically isolated the SS cleats of course.

In my own personal experience, I would avoid Marinium, at least for anything that bears a load or for anything where life or safety depends on it not failing.

BTW, Isn't Perko that company that sells chrome plated zinc fasteners whose chrome plating only lasts for about a year in a salt water environment? Its probably best to leave zinc for sacrificial anodes and nothing else onboard a boat.

[David M]

Perhaps I was being unfair with Perko...they do make some excellent brass and other products.

[hellosailor]

I've never been impressed by Miracle Mystery Alloys. Had enough of that when I was trying to locate bronze thruhulls, and found that some makers won't tell you what is in their alloy (although any college chemistry lab TA will gladly analyze it for a case of beer) and that technically, a lot of the bronze on the market could equally well be called brass.

Unless they are making their alloy from Unattaniuam hauled in by UFOs from another galaxy, the mere fact that they won't tell you what it is, means they're afraid you'd be able to compare it to other alloys. And it might lose.

"Pretty pretty, shiny shiny" won't get me to BUY anything. I guess there's something wrong with me, or my wallet.[g]

[Zach]

Hmm... Snap happy cleats. Can't go for that.

I'm just a bicyclist and builder of hotrods... power to weight ratios are a lot of fun. Start fooling around with that stuff and all of a sudden the pursuit of weight reduction is taken to almost obsessive levels.

Doesn't sound like this is one where you can have your cake and eat it too.