Mast refurbishment/cleaning

[Jokani]

Hi,

The mast on my Westerly Centaur is in a bit of a state!

I unstepped the mast yesterday, so that the rigging can be replaced, and also to fit a new boom and kicker.

I would like to clean the mast up as much as possible, at the moment parts of the mast look aluminium/silver and some parts have a brassy tinge.

I am hoping that the original colour was the aluminium/silver colour and that I can somehow restore it back, so that it matches the new boom more closely.

Any advice on if this is is possible, and if so how it can be achieved?

Thanks in advance, Gary.

 

[pvb]

The mast and boom would originally have been gold anodised, and this may have been worn away to leave the underlying silvery aluminium. I've tried virtually everything you can imagine to try to improve the appearance of an old mast, and nothing works for more than a few months. So, unless you want to spend a lot of money, I'd suggest you live with it as it is.

 

[Javelin]

I've had quite a lot of success making old spar look great again.
However its not a 5 minute job.
I take all the fittings off and sand down with 100 grit if in good condition and 60 grit if its pitted.
This gets all the loose stuff off and provides a good key.
Then 3 or 4 coats of International Interprotect using a roller.
Very important when painting alloy is you need to to get the first coat on within 4 hours of sanding any bare alloy areas before it oxidizes.
A light sand with 240 to 329 grit will get a really nice smooth surface and then 3 or 4 coats of toplac of the colour of your choice.
If you roll on and tip off with a good quality brush as you go you can end up with a superb finish.

I recently painted a mainmast and mizzen on a Fisher with spars from the late 70's and before I started they looked like they were from the 70's!
I was actually very surprised how good the spars looked afterwards.

For larger masts, 40 footers + we tend to tent up and spray the top coats.

 

[steveeasy]

I am considering using this product, not sure if anyone else has tried it?. good video to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N08l6ovG3xQ

Steveeasy

 

[Jokani]

I am considering using this product, not sure if anyone else has tried it?

I'm keen to try something, and I'm not sure if I fancy the ongoing maintenance of paint. The Everbrite ProtectaClear looks like it could be a good compromise at a reasonable price, I might give that a go.

 

[Poecheng]

Lots of help if you google "awlgrip mast paint"

 

[Tranona]

I'm keen to try something, and I'm not sure if I fancy the ongoing maintenance of paint. The Everbrite ProtectaClear looks like it could be a good compromise at a reasonable price, I might give that a go.

Very little maintenance required if painted as Javelin suggested. Would guess a minimum of 5 years judging by how well Toplac in white stands up on topsides and you can always rub down and apply an additional coat.

 

[caerolusmagnus]

I had success with similar mast using Silver Hammerite Smooth using a foam brush

 

[steveeasy]

looks Good. Did you need to prime or anything ?.

Steveeasy

 

[Tammany]

I'm rubbing mine down and applying an aluminium etch primer and then 3M external carbon vinyl wrapping. Don't know how it will stand the test of time, we'll have too see. Will look smart though.

 

[caerolusmagnus]

This was a successful experiment. I had been quoted some £6000 to undress the mast and apply full awlgrip and redress.
It was a fast job with a weather break in hand, hot sun. I only lightly sanded the surface to remove any obvious dirt etc. Then without any further priming, etching, the Hammerite bonded very quickly and the whole 54ft spar was dry by late afternoon. I painted carefully around the fixtures, cleats, winches in place.
Total cost under £25 with some Hammerite left in can.
Make sure it is the smooth Hammerite and not the 'hammered' finish.
I had started with a regular brush which did show some streaking. The paint shop who quoted, told me while I was working, to use a foam brush which eliminated streaking.

 

[Tammany]

£6000!!!! Surely you could get a brand new mast for that?

 

[caerolusmagnus]

Actually I had a quote for a new mast. It was indeed about £6000 but with no winches, accessories or labour for installation.
The spar manufacturer was honest in advice and said it was better to upgrade the old mast since it was far thicker, stronger than modern extrusions.
This advice is in line with the generation of such yachts designed and built in 60s, 70s. As GRP was a new material, the boats were made up as if they were wooden and the GRP was massive in lay-up compared to 'modern' boats.