Small galvanized gusset plates on my family's dory have finally rusted through after fifty years. They're about 4" long, diamond shaped, and made of much thicker material than, say, Simpson/Strong-Tie uses. The dory is used mostly on freshwater these days but is pretty well suffused with salt after all these years and is stored near saltwater. What are my options for replacement? Here's how I see it:
Galvanized: I'm not that convinced by modern galvanization, plus unless they could be found in this small weird shape they'd have to be cut, and would start rusting immediately.
Aluminum: easy to shape and drill, but my experience has been that some aluminum corrodes faster than others in the saltwater environment, and I don't know what to ask for.
Stainless: perfect, if it could be ordered custom cut and drilled. I'm not set up to work this stuff.
Brass/bronze: is is tough enough to be structural, and can I get thick sheet?
What say you?