Rust stains at base of railings

[Shrew]

FYI.....not brand (Beneteau) specific.

 

[boater3]

This is what I suspect as well. Surface rust on SS shows up like freckles or spots all over the surface.

The OP is reporting staining on the fiberglass around the base of the stanchion.

My experience has been the stanchion bedding has failed. Water is wicking underneath the stanchion. The water and lack of oxygen is causing the SS bolts to begin to rust. eventually, water wicks in and out and creates a rust water mixture, which then evaporates and leaves a small rust stain around the stanchion that looks like a coffee ring around a cup.

The resolution is to unbolt the stanchion, clean the area, replace the bolts, and then re-bed the stanchion.

thanks that is the same conclusion i arrived at just trying to figure out how the railings are constructed and come apart on the ST44.

 

[Mr. Blu]

This is what I suspect as well. Surface rust on SS shows up like freckles or spots all over the surface.

The OP is reporting staining on the fiberglass around the base of the stanchion.

My experience has been the stanchion bedding has failed. Water is wicking underneath the stanchion. The water and lack of oxygen is causing the SS bolts to begin to rust. eventually, water wicks in and out and creates a rust water mixture, which then evaporates and leaves a small rust stain around the stanchion that looks like a coffee ring around a cup.

The resolution is to unbolt the stanchion, clean the area, replace the bolts, and then re-bed the stanchion.

No the rust is formed by the little pieces in the rainwater. They drip down to the bottom of the stanchion where the rust stays when the water evaporates.

 

[Barabus]

Worked in a Physics lab that stored lots of nasty regulated chemicals. Hydrofluoric acid was one of the most feared. Once in the body, it is almost impossible to neutralize. The fact it etches glass (as in the movie Alien) should make anyone not trained to handle stay far away. We were as worried about HF as most radioactive materials. I would not want this anywhere near me or my boat.

 

[Xsbank]

Well, actually, "stainless steel" is a bit of a misnomer. It is not stainless but it is steel. It is just a different alloy of steel, it is usually the welding area because of heat that has the most rust due to the migration of the various alloys that make up the steel. Use mild cleaners to fix the corrosion but get used to it - it galls, rusts, turns black if wetted and prevented from dying (teak decks, under bungs) and fails at the weld if not properly heat treated at the welds. Like water or fuel tanks. YMMV

 

[Ron Kas]

What would be a good material to rebed the stanchions with?

 

[Comodave]

If they are through bolted I like Bed it Buytl tape. Check out Compass Marine for a how to on the bedding.

 

[deblen]

oxalic acid (Barkeepers Friend) for dissolving rust stains.


Len