Hardware & Corrosion

Eighteen months into running my own marine contracting business, I hauled a brand-new aluminum dock frame out of the Gulf that looked like it had been through an orbital sander. Pitting scarred the entire surface. The structure was already weakening. Galvanic corrosion had done the damage — and the owner hadn’t spotted a single warning … Read more

Picture this: 2019, Perdido Bay, a new dock build where the property owner wanted to economize on fastener costs. I sourced 304 stainless hardware and laid out the technical distinction. His response was immediate—”stainless is stainless.” Eighteen months passed. Then came the phone call. Orange discoloration had claimed the decking screws. Bracket bolts wept rust … Read more

A contractor I know charges $12,000 to replace fasteners on a neglected 40-foot dock. A Saturday afternoon with the right hardware costs maybe $300. The gap isn’t about labor — it’s about what happens when you buy the wrong fasteners and let them sit in saltwater for three years. I once dismantled a dock section … Read more