I'm building a simple fence that's composed of 1" or 1.5" OD x 0.065" wall x 4-ft tube soldered to a stainless steel base that's bolted to concrete. This fence will have a wood rail at the top.
Initially, I was thinking of galvanized steel, then I switched to stainless, and just today I saw many sellers selling aluminum tubing that's cheaper (cost + shipping) than stainless steel. This will be close to the ocean, so it would need to be rust-resistant.
Would it make sense to use aluminum tubing instead of stainless or galvanized? The only weight these tubes will bear is the 2x4" lumber used as railing.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of aluminum is tin foil, and that's why I'm asking. I understand it's not as strong as steel, but I want to confirm if it's strong enough.
It's something like this, but with wood rail.