Titanium Tube going cheap

[GSVR]

Heres some cool stuff that would be a good start to a custom frame.

I can't believe what this guy used it on. His boat must be something else.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-fa...-162612517.htm

[Blackbird]

I hope whoever plans to use it knows about weld embrittlement if you haven't got a totally inert argon or helium atmosphere during welding and cool-down. Weld cleanliness is critical too. We used a lot of titanium piping and vessels on my old company and there were only a handful of welders who we'd let near titanium work. Preparation is everything.

[RantyDave]

I can't believe what this guy used it on. His boat must be something else.

It's actually a really sensible place to use titanium. Weight at the ends of the boat really fucks the seakeeping, but if you're going any distance you *have* to have guard rails at either end.

I have a mate who works making poncy masts. They hand make all the fittings for the top of a mast from titanium - welding it in an argon bath. They're very cool.

Anyway, titanium guard rails you're probably looking at a $300k boat to make it worthwhile. That's not all that expensive in boat world terms. Scary, innit.

Dave