Aluminum Tiller Side Plate Corrosion Prevention?

shorefun

Well-Known Member
Going over my various Sunfish items back from the water at home.

I found the side plates that connect the tiller to the rudder I cleaned up with some corrosion last year really corroded bad against the wood coated with the polyurethane.

What coating works well to prevent Al corrosion when the annodizing is lost? I have a glass bead both so I can get rid of the corrosion and have to figure out what to use to coat it for next season.

FWIW, the new style thicker plates with black annodizing are perfect.
 
Suggesting "waterproof grease", such as boat trailer wheel bearing grease.

One tube/can would last a lifetime, and make the effort of raising/lowering the rudder easier. (Reducing the chance of damage to wood rudders, especially).
 
Going over my various Sunfish items back from the water at home.

I found the side plates that connect the tiller to the rudder I cleaned up with some corrosion last year really corroded bad against the wood coated with the polyurethane.

What coating works well to prevent Al corrosion when the annodizing is lost? I have a glass bead both so I can get rid of the corrosion and have to figure out what to use to coat it for next season.

FWIW, the new style thicker plates with black annodizing are perfect.

Re-anodize it? It isn't particularly difficult, especially if you don't care about coloring it.
 
Plan "B" is not to sail in salt water. Salt water does a number on aluminum fittings and spars.

Alan Glos
Freshwater Sailor in Upstate New York
 
Plan "C" is sailing in salt water but always rinsing in fresh water at the end of the day.

danpal
Saltwater Sailor in Massachusetts
 
Paint, powder coating, anodizing... those will all prevent corrosion.
Avoiding salt water and/or rinsing the aluminum will lower the amount of aluminum corrosion, but absolutely will not prevent it.

The aluminum will still corrode until it forms a surface layer of alumina. The difference is that in the presence of chlorides or sulfides, the alumina layer will be attacked and will re-expose the aluminum surface to corrosion.
 

Back
Top