Battery Status after 2yrs on the hard

[AdamLein]

Couple of related questions:

1) Is there an easy, nondestructive way to tell what form of stainless steel a component is? Assuming it's already bolted on your boat, not sitting on a shelf in the store.

2) What's the expected lifespan of an SS chainplate?

[sailingdog]

Adam—

Marine grade (austentitic) stainless steels are non-magnetic. However, the magnet test will not tell you whether it is 304 or 316 stainless. If the magnet sticks to it, then it is not a marine grade of stainless steel, and probably one of the cheaper, less corrosion resistant martenistic grades.