How often should wooden spar be varnished?

[NigelCraig]

I have been rubbing down and putting at least a couple of coats on the wooden spars of my 17' gaffer each winter. However I can manhandle the spars on my own and they are not so long that I can't do them under cover in the shed where I keep the boat in winter.
I've been looking at a cornish yawl for sale - similiar thing but substantially bigger but clearly needs several people to manhandle the mast. If I had to revarnish all the spars (would now include mizzen and boom of course) every year that would be problematical logistically as boat would need to be kept outside in a car park and I would not be thinking normally of unshippping the mast for the winter. (if you know lyme regis you'll get the picture). There is no boat yard locally.

If I could treat areas that needed patching with the boat rigged and then re-varnish every 3 or 4 years that would be more workable. But is it wise?

 

[Zagato]

It depends on the varnish off course but stuff like International Woodskin or the equivalent in Epifanes should be OK for 4-5 years, on the majority of the wood.

I was brought up in Lyme Regis so know the car park well!

Not sure if you mean a genuine wooden yawl but a Cornish Crabber Yawl has just come on the market, ex-factory Cornish Crabber manager owned it, new engine 2011, new cushions, new sails 2009, hull been professionally re-done - it sounds like a really nice one. PM me if you want the details we are not allowed to put a link up to brokerages.

 

[prv]

I'm currently selling a Cornish Yawl - don't suppose it's mine (in Southampton) you're looking at, is it?

I used to varnish the spars with touch-up plus two full coats every year to keep them in top condition, though I think they'd have done ok with just touch-up every other year and full recoat every now and then, if someone wanted to minimise maintenance. Everything except the mainmast I could get home on or in my VW Polo; I used to build a sort of lean-to tarpaulin shelter for them against my garden fence, though a garage would have been much better if I had one. All those spars are easily carried by one person.

The mainmast is, as you say, a bit big to take off the boat on a regular basis. I can lift and move it on my own, but really two people are required. Two people can lower it off the boat by parbuckling down the side with a pair of lines; this is how we removed it for transport when we bought the boat.

What I did for maintenance was to lower it every year, and then store it on a pair of wooden supports that fitted into the main and mizzen tabernacles. These put it at about chest height above the deck. Being a gaff rig it's shorter than a bermudian mast, and you can reach the whole thing standing on deck. I unroll a length of dust-sheet under it along the centreline of the boat, to catch any drips, then varnish it there. No harder than doing it anywhere else (except indoors!). The mast can be lowered and got onto the supports by two people (I might try it on my own if pushed, but two would be better). Two are required for raising. No need for any assistance from the yard for maintenance of this boat, beyond lifting it out of the water.

The wooden mast stands and the dust-sheet are included if you're buying mine

It sounds like your situation is actually better than mine (both have the boat in an open yard with no facilities, but you have a covered shed at home). I didn't find varnish maintenance a logistical problem, it's just a job that inevitably takes a little time. With everything outdoors I did have to seize the weather windows, of course!

Pete

 

[LittleShip]

4-5years.........

I haven't been able to leave varnish for that long without having to strip and revarnish, especially in the much warmer Southern climes

Seriously, one or two quick coats per year has been my only option along with some touching in where it has been rubbed or scratched. I will admit that I won't use two packs as repairing to a decent finish, in my opinion is almost impossible.

Tom

 

[prv]

I haven't been able to leave varnish for that long without having to strip and revarnish, especially in the much warmer Southern climes

Ah, well, of course a lot of this stuff (booms and gaffs) is under cover most of the time. The sail cover makes a hell of a difference to varnish longevity. The masts are unprotected from the sun, but get a little less bashing and scraping than the moving spars (provided you keep the gaff jaws well greased with tallow). I agree that 4 or 5 years is beyond optimistic, but I don't think an annual full coat is strictly necessary (though preferable, and I always did). I never stripped any varnish off though, except localised damage.

Pete

 

[vyv_cox]

I have recently done mine in International Woodskin. According to Richard Hare in PBO they should need nothing for three years.

 

[Mel]

I always remove spars and take home for the winter. The mast remains on the boat, lowered on its binnacle. The spars get treated with a quick recoat after areas of damage have been touched up. The same is done on the mast. I use a simple trade varnish and apart from points of contact where runners, gaff jaws, and boom jaws touch the varnish lasts fine.

This is on a 24foot gaff rig