mast painting

[briananddoreen]

Could anyone give me advice as to painting the rather dull gold anodised masts (white) on my 30 year old Moody Carbineer, ie, type and maker of hard wearing paint, method of application, primer,etc. I am taking the yacht to the Med in April and would like to be smart after the extensive refit I have done both, above and below decks.

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[steveh]

I painted a worse for wear ali mast once with Hammerite - Silver. It stayed on very well and didn't look too bad once it had weathered a bit.
To paint ali you should really apply an etch primer first and then paint.

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[global_odyssey]

My 1973 gold anodised masts were painted black before we bought the boat. They have stood up well although a few minor areas of paint had scratched off with use. However, I have recently sanded the scratched areas lightly and applied International Perfection Black. (1-pack gloss) (No undercoat or etch primer). After about a week I polished the whole thing and the touching-up hardly shows. They look great now with no scratches - only time will tell as to how hardwearing it will be but it seems OK. Any chips can be easily touched up.

If I was about to paint the whole mast I'd do it properly - sand it back to bear aluminium then etch prime it and use International paint again.

Good luck!

<hr width=100% size=1>I've got wind......................
...............................in my sails!