I live directly on the ocean here and I'm here to say that stainless steel
WILL rust. The rate it will rust depends on the quality of the stainless
steel. Some stainless shows surface rust within six months, other takes
almost two years, but it all will rust eventually. Had seven years on the
ocean on the other coast where it rusts even faster because of the easterly
trades.
Aluminum oxidizes at varying rates as well. The endloading aluminum rods on
my 402CD are so brittle after only 18 months they will snap off if handled
roughly. This in spite of protective coatings which extend the life of
aluminum but doesn't stop the oxidation. Between the tropical sun and the
ocean salt, they all have half-lives compared to normal environments as
U-235 is compared to U-238. The trade-off is that they perform WONDERFULLY
over all this salt water. Sorta like the bang of U-235 compared to U-238!
Nature always compensates.
Jon Hamlet, W4ZW
Casey Key Island, Florida
"A little bit of paradise in the Gulf of Mexico"
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