It's hard to know exactly what you're making w/out pictures. However: Based on what I've seen on mine and others' boats I think 1/2 way decent metal parts (barring manufacture or construction defects) will not be weakened or even bothered much by corrosion for at least 5 years. They will rust and mess things up a little but won't be appreciably weakened.
BUT: 1) Material can wear extremely quickly when there's chafe between two parts - and chafe is part of life on a boat. So after putting all together it'd be a good idea to check it over every week or so. Try to keep it tight so things don't move against each other. 1b) The material that would really be a problem w/chafe would be any soft lines you used. If they crossed (touched) any other material or each other or were able to move at all at the knots, they would likely be a problem w/in a year. 2) Cheap turn buckles. They're probably strong enough and losing and awning isn't quite the problem losing a sail or lifeline would be. But could probably test if you wanted to learn something. Using a couple bolts and a shackle or two secure one end of a turn buckles to the dock; hook a loop of heavy wire (stronger than the turnbuckle) on the other end w/cable clamps, shackles, whatever and then put a 4'-6' 1" pipe or bar through the loop and (putting the pipe end into a hole or crack in the dock) lever the turnbuckle until it breaks or you decide it's strong enough. The exact location of this test depends, of course, on nature of your relations w/neighbors and local authorities. It might look better if you bolted 4' of 2x4 or 4x4 to the dock (or something) and secured the test apparatus to that... 3) Galvanized threads (on cheap turnbuckles and other stuff) tend to seize up in salt weather (other weather too). In shackles this is often a good thing - poor mans locktight keeps them closed. It may not be a good thing if you need to adjust your awning once in a while - like every couple months or so. How bad they stick - who knows. I've broken 3/8" rigging screws (SS) when I insisted they turn and they didn't; other times 10 year old screws just twist around pretty as you like. It might be worth holding open the option to use fewer and pricier adjustment fittings if you can design it that way. OTOH, if it's cheap and quick enough you can throw together a prototype, take notes on performance and then make Version 2 which incorporates all the good fixes when the prototype bails. Awnings are one of the great inventions of civilization and are always in good taste. <g> Have fun. Rufus -- Be Yourself @ mail.com! Choose From 200+ Email Addresses Get a Free Account at www.mail.com _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
