> It having experienced 45 years of service would tend to negate the > comments of the Lugger rep. who said that they would only last a few years. > If the Lugger rep said that the folks in Darwin are having failures I think we should take those comments seriously. That does not mean that the second hand information that we have is clear cut enough to know what is the cause of the failures. Even high quality metals carefully selected and assembled are not proof positive against corrosion, given the right combination of heat, salt water and other minerals and ions in the water. It may be that water temperatures in the Darwin boat basin are near 100 F. That there is some peculiar ion content and this can result in corrosion problems which are almost impossible anywhere else. Without facts we have only speculation, which is a poor, but sometimes necessary substitute. Regards, Mike _____________________________________ Capt. Mike Maurice Beaverton Oregon(Near Portland)