I've bought bolts and screws from all sorts of suppliers. You're sort of limited to what each one has in stock when you're looking.
Now I just search on Amazon and Ebay for 316, marine or A4 and take what's on offer. The screws for my foils are M8 with 1.25/coarse pitch.
Most of the ebay sellers are local. I just sort for the cheapest price including postage.
For my kite foils I was using torx bolts with a security pin. The socket is a bit deeper than hex or normal torx and the pin locks the wrench into place. I didn't wear out any bolt heads once I started using them.
I bought them from www.accu.co.uk/ They have pretty much anything you could want. The prices are ok but postage is a bit expensive.
Now my foils have Philips #3 heads and I use a Wera stainless steel screwdriver. It has a very positive grip and nothing rusts or wears.
Those Bunnings screws are food grade 304 stainless. Marine grade stainless is 316 and it's supposed to be stronger and more corrosion resistant than 304.
I've used 304 for years in tuttle mounts. They worked fine. The tuttle box holds all the load and I disassemble after every session so there's no way corrosion can develop without me noticing. I recently dug out an old mast I hadn't used for a year and the screws were quite corroded.
If I was using a plate mast I would use 316. You can buy them online from any specialist fastener shop. It's been years since I could go to a shop and buy the stainless bits and pieces I want.
Those Bunnings screws are food grade 304 stainless. Marine grade stainless is 316 and it's supposed to be stronger and more corrosion resistant than 304.
I've used 304 for years in tuttle mounts. They worked fine. The tuttle box holds all the load and I disassemble after every session so there's no way corrosion can develop without me noticing. I recently dug out an old mast I hadn't used for a year and the screws were quite corroded.
If I was using a plate mast I would use 316. You can buy them online from any specialist fastener shop. It's been years since I could go to a shop and buy the stainless bits and pieces I want.
I've been using these 304 M8 security bolts for years, no issue, never had any corrosion. And yes, the Bunnings ones are Torx, the nipple can be easily ground off, or use the supplied bit.