Sealing weathered mast on dutch barge

[tka422]

The mast has lied horizontally for many years and has weathered - rain has filled the growing cracks historically. They're not mammoth, but still concerning. I know that the wood will naturally expand with varying weathers, so am trying to figure out the best combination of treatment (to avoid issues of rot or woodworm) and sealing. Once accomplished I will source a mast tarp, but for now I just want to get it into a good enough stable state.

Any recommended products and steps? Any help massively appreciated.

 

[Hacker]

If you’ve had rain water sitting in cracks for some time there is a very high probability that rot is in there. I would investigate further by ensuring that they are clean, by opening them up if required. You can then decide what to do (which could include fitting splines into the cracks).

 

[wombat88]

Is it a solid mast or 'built up' ie glued together? If glued I'd worry about the glue.

'Shakes' are cracks along the grain of the wood, ie lengthwise. They are ok up to a point.

Difficult to comment without seeing it

 

[Keith 66]

I suspect it is a solid mast made from a tree, if so you can run a plane over the outside to clean it up, check for rot with a knife in the shakes, if its ok slosh it with boat soup, linseed oil, turps & a bit of stockholm tar, if you cant afford turps parafin will do, some clear cuprinol added wont hurt. slosh it on & roll the mastover once its soaked in one side. If you really want to fill shakes use a mix of beeswax & linseed oil (its soft). Do not use hard filler as it will create problems as the wood expands & contracts. On a spar like this splining is a waste of time.