Wooden mast restoration

[adrianmorgan]

I have a 70ft spruce mast to refurbish up here in the north west of Scotlannd, ie cool and wet. It will need stripping before recoating. I've been wrestling with the options.
1. Coelan - the full treatment
2. Varnish (traditional, thinned, progressively then neat)
3. UCP or Blakes wood sealer then lots of varnish
4. Varnol, lots, to soak in, then varnish
5. Deks Olje

Getting the damn thing out of the boat was hard enough, before transporting 10 miles by tractor and trailer up the glen, so it needs to last at least five years.

 

[orion21]

Hi

I would go for the deks olje, but if your mast has varnish on it you'll have to remove all of it first,

 

[Mirelle]

May I tell you a story?

In 1996 we did some bits of deck brightwork with Coelan, some with Deks Olje Nos 1 and 2, and some with Epifanes varnish.

The Coelan has gone a little dull.

The Deks Olje and the Epifanes varnish, which is itself better than some other varnishes, are no longer with us.

Coelan despite the awful cost does seem to stand up very much better, and since 70ft masts sometimes stay in for quite a while, I think it would be better. If you factor in labour cost then Coelan is definitely cheaper.

DO be sure to check with a moisture meter, DO use two coats of the right primer, DO thin it and DO sand lightly between coats (although they say no need). Brushes last a reasonable time if well washed out in thinner. Buy smaller tins, not the huge one. Lots of coats but it dries quickly.

 

[ianwright]

Coelan for a job that size, no question.
Though I have had good results with varnish (Epifanes) over Varnol and seen good results with UCP under varnish.
Next time the Mast on Patience needs refinishing (for the second time in 15 years) I will use Coelan.

IanW