Rust cleaning?

Hi all, on my 1984 Laser I am seeing rust around some deck mounted pieces like in this photo. Is this indicative of anything bad? Can I do a light sanding to remove and rust coloring on the boat?

The clips shown are for the hiking strap attachment...did these start out straight and get bent inward over time with pressure? Or are there angled pieces to run the line through?

Thanks for any thoughts here....
 

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Well, the eyestraps are supposed to be straight :D At least that’s how they are when new; they may develop some bend over the years, but yours are the most extreme I’ve seen. Makes one think that the hiking strap may have been used for something else besides hiking...
The deformation isn’t harmful really, but you might as well get new eyestraps if you’re taking the old ones out anyway for cleaning the area.

Oh, and for the rust there are plenty of chemical solutions... I have no idea what product names to look for in your country, but just search for ”rust removal gelcoat” or similar. Only if those don’t work, then would I use sandpaper. In any case, it’s mostly an aesthetic problem.

(It’s interesting how especially that location develops rust, and often quite quickly: I just looked at a few pictures of new boats that had been sailed only a few months in brackish water only, and the brown stuff was already there :confused: )

_
 
Well, the eyestraps are supposed to be straight :D At least that’s how they are when new; they may develop some bend over the years, but yours are the most extreme I’ve seen. Makes one think that the hiking strap may have been used for something else besides hiking...
The deformation isn’t harmful really, but you might as well get new eyestraps if you’re taking the old ones out anyway for cleaning the area.

Oh, and for the rust there are plenty of chemical solutions... I have no idea what product names to look for in your country, but just search for ”rust removal gelcoat” or similar. Only if those don’t work, then would I use sandpaper. In any case, it’s mostly an aesthetic problem.

(It’s interesting how especially that location develops rust, and often quite quickly: I just looked at a few pictures of new boats that had been sailed only a few months in brackish water only, and the brown stuff was already there :confused: )

_
Thank you LaLi. Yes, there doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason to the where these spots arise. Some areas are perfectly clean.

My eyelets probably got that deformed from me, as I tend to sit more aft while sailing and I rely heavily on my hiking strap (fortunately :), to keep me in the boat.
 

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