Hi Douglas,
It is my understanding that Bronze is far more long-lasting than Stainless, and an imminent failure is easier to detect, since there is no crevice corrosion concern. The bronze turnbuckles on my first boat are 40 years old and still taking pretty stiff weather in Down east Maine with her current owner.
With the right tools and ingenuity, there's probably no limit to what you can fab out of bronze plate--it's more limited to your ability than the bronze. I made all my chainplates and many fittings out of bronze plate and rod stock, and even figured out how to torch weld 3/8" plate, though I wouldn't use that for a high-load application. It's been fun, and it'll even be rewarding if I ever get to sea and my whole boat doesn't fall apart.
Time will tell....
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