by DigitalMechanic » Wed May 04, 2016 10:27 pm
The brackets will be SS, so if you use aluminum rivets the rivets will be the anode (thing rotting from galvanic corrosion). If you use SS rivets the mast will be the anode. I would think you would go longer without need for maintenance using SS rivets in this scenario.
I used aluminum rivets where SS is not present in other scnarios where I knew the tensile strength did not need to be so strong. If I remember correctly you have roughly around 500lbs resistance/pull with an aluminum rivet.
For instance, my halyards use a plastic pivot block. And the mast and boom castings are aluminumized steel. I used aluminum rivets.
Mast tangs, eye straps, brackets, etc are all stainless steel, so I used SS rivets there. Also, the tangs the shrouds and forestay attach too take on a lot of pressure, so SS rivets were an easy choice there for strength.
In your situation the tension is shifted down on the bracket vs a pull out away from the mast, so your not worried about the strength of the rivet. You just have to pick whether you want the rivet or the mast to be the anode.
If you use the aluminum rivet in that position you would probably be fine for many years though.