Comment Re:When doing anything involving the ocean (Score 4, Interesting) 198
The original screws were probably bronze, not brass. Bronze has no appreciable zinc while brass contains a lot of zinc. Immersed in sea water, brass will dezincify and corrode.
Most marine raw water systems use bronze fittings for this reason.
Stainless isn't suitable for below the waterline applications because the chromium can't form a protective oxidization layer due to the lack of oxygen exposure.
Your boat would have sunk with brass or stainless screws.