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I would like to hear comments on useing sheet metal screws in place of wood screws. Stainless wood screws are rare in my area but stainless sheet metal screws in many sizes and lengths are available.

Look for some square headed stainless steel fasteners that is made in 315 stainless steel and used on most decking jobs now. These can also be purchased at most of the lumberyards that sell a lot of the pressure treated lumber or I buy them at the hardware store since we live in salt water. In most cases if you are using epoxy for glue, the fasteners are mostly to hold parts together until the glue dries, or so says many folks, of course not me.
BUt when you say sheet metal screws I think of the ones with the flanged top head larger than what I know as a pan head. There are many flat head so called stainless steel screws also around but most that are purchased in the hardware stores here are 18-8.

On sheet metal screws the thread runs all the way to the head. The problem with this is that it makes it hard to "pull" two boards together. With the threads set in the first board there is no way to pull the second board up tight. With a wood screw the straight shank should be as long as the first board is thick and the threaded part only contacts the second board. This allows the screw to slip in the top board and pull the bottom board up tight.

there is the issue of stainless screws rusting (rotting actually) in an oxygen free enviroment. SO if your thinking of encaspsulationg these screws in or buring them under fiberglass then they might not be the best choice.

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7010&hilit=+screws

Thanks for the replies and I can agree with all the info. I usually use the sheet metal screws to fasten clamped parts after epoxying. They are true flat heads not oval and I don't have a clue as to what type of stainless but then I cannot forsee this boat ever seeing salt water. I do see stainless deck screws at Home Depot but not in the sizes I want. I get them at an industrial hardware store that has them in 1/4" increments #4 to #14. As a guess I would think they are equal to wood screws in holding power when used on clamped parts.