Grab Rail..milled, anodized , or painted

[Hooked1]

I am about to have a grab rail and windshield installed on my brand new "pimped out" center console aluminum flat boat.
The local installer generally just uses "milled" aluminum. With some driving and expense on my part I could have it "anodized."
He also mentioned that maybe we could paint it with an "enamel paint" or "powder coated". Could you please give me some information on these choices?
Thanks

[gary_dennis]

I have had some aluminum powder coated clear and it help up very well for me. I used it on a home built swim platform that pretty much stayed wet. Hope that helps.

Gary

[jyasaki]

Enamel paint is, well, just that.

Powder coating is a plastic powder that is applied electrostatically (i.e. they use an electric charge to hold the particles against the metal) then baked to melt the powder into a coating.

Anodizing is a controlled chemical reaction which (in theory, anyway) creates an oxidation resistant layer on the aluminum.


I'm sure someone here has better info than I can give.

BTW, see if your guy can get and work with 5000 series aluminum rather than 6061. More corrosion resistant.

jky

[chainsaw42]

i vote powder coat. you can get it in a huge variety of colors, and can even get it textured, to increase grip and give it a cool look. anodizing is great in the right application--you can also get anodizing in various colors, from dark gray to bright blue, etc. but, for a grab rail, i think powder coating is better because it won't scratch...both offer excellent corrosion resistance. the anodizing is a hard oxidized aluminum (ceramic) layer. it will not wear off, but it can be scratched by other metals. the powder coating is like a very very durable paint, and while it can be scraped off, it is very resistant to dings and wacks, etc.

[76GMC1500]

Powder coat will stop all corrosion, until you have a chip. Proper repair of a chip in powder coat generally involves having the entire part re-coated. Since the part isn't submerged in water and is in a location where it is prone to chipping, I suggest the anodized coating, especially on the grab rail.