Mast Refurbish, Tips and Questions

Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
I made this a separate thread from my Hull restoration, since many others might be interested in this as a stand alone subject.

I pulled my mast down from its storage spot (strapped to eye bolts on my side yard fence), put it on saw horses in the back yard. Getting down to assessing the condition and what needs repair or replacement.

I had already removed all the rigging and spreaders. I only ended up with one broken screw from the spreader mounts but shouldn't be to hard to get out or drill out. One spreader is stuck fast with corrosion into the socket and I have yet to free it, it may need to be cut out and spreaders replaced.

I removed the rest of the hardware, most of the important stuff like the goose-neck slide came out fine and are re-useable. These pics are the mast before I cleaned it with a mild phosphoric acid descaler/cleaner. The pics don't really show how dirty it was, but it is a bit cleaner now;



 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Most of the hardware came out with little issue, thankfully. The major pain was that the screws holding the halyard cleats broke clean off just below the heads. To solve this with out causing damage to the mast I just used a small cut-off wheel on the Dremel and took out the center section of the aluminum cleat. With that part gone it was easy to just grip the two remaining parts with pliers and turn them out. Cleats are cheap to replace, masts are not!



 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
So now I have to figure out what my path ahead will be, so I'm looking for suggestions and experiences for these issues;

I had a small halyard winch on the mast, a 'GIBB England' on a teak block. The bolts came out with no issues, but what I found under the riser was a little troubling. Instead of just the three holes for the 1/4" 20 machine screws I found three more holes (a little smaller) off-set from those, plus the small screw hole in the center for the teak riser. So there a seven holes total, 6 of them pretty big IMO.

I'm going with all lines led aft, so I know I don't need the winch on the mast. I don't like all those holes in the mast, if it was just the three it would be no big deal but it is 7 in one area. I have a few choices unless someone has another suggestion.
- I could put the winch back on, probably need a new raiser block but that's ok. The winch won't be used unless there is some sort of issue with the lines led aft, then I have a back up. The same goes for all the screw holes left by the cleats... just put in new cleats rather than try to fill the holes.
- I could put aluminum pop-rivets of the correct size in any hole not being re-used. I have a pneumatic rivet gun that has tips for several sizes of rivets and works like a charm (a $25 harbor freight tool that actually works!)
- I could put in very short stainless pan-head machine screws (with tef-gel)
- I could put an aluminum patch over the area with the seven holes, pop-rivets matching the existing holes.
- I could have the holes welded closed (yikes!). I'm a good welder, but I'm not as skilled at aluminum as I am at stainless. I would hire a professional with aluminum experience and a delicate hand.

So... there it is. I'm not so excited about the welding option, since it will ruin the anodize in that area and have to be painted. I was trying to avoid painting the mast. Wit a few more cleanings I think it will look ok... not perfect, but clean enough and the dings and scratches really not very noticeable. Worst case, I'll paint it... I have to paint the boom anyway, and that's my next question.
 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Those were the 'stock' cleats on the mast, there were three of them exactly like the one pictured. A forth was mounted on slides for the boom down-haul. The only other cleat was a tiny plastic one for a flag halyard that went up to the starboard spreader.

Interesting. A jam cleat for a halyard?
 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
So for paint... My boom absolutely will get a paint job. There was so much corrosion and pitting from lack of hardware isolation and neglect. Besides, the boom is a bit easier to handle so painting it is much less of a chore than the mast.

So as I understand the 'typical' paint process of an aluminum mast;
- Treat the mast with Alodine
- prime with a Zinc Chromate primer rattle can
- Paint with a 2 part poly (perfection) , LP (Linear Polyurethane, Brightsides), or Enamel

So what I am wondering is why is the Alodine required? Isn't Zinc Chromate a self etching primer? I've painted aluminum before (carts, shelves, and car wheels) using off the shelf self-etching primers (Rustoleum or Dupli-Color). These primers ere labeled specifically for aluminum priming and self-etching. I put on several coats to allow for smooth sanding and painted with enamels or urethane rattle can... results were great and durable.

Anyway, I can get a gallon of Alodine for $20, but is it necessary? I'm also not real crazy about spending big $$$ on Interlux Perfection. I think an enamel will work just fine, either my Interlux BilgeKote (I have a gallon, will not use it all inside the boat), or rattle can gloss white Rustolem enamel (which can be wet sanded and buffed).

For the boom I think I am willing to let it be the guinea pig... I'll give a good sand and prime with Rustoleum self etching primer, high build and wet sand followed by enamel, probably Rustoleum rattle can. I think I can get good results. Thoughts?

BTW, I'll pull a piece of old line down the bolt rope slot, don't want primer and paint in there!
 
Last edited:
Apr 26, 2010
434
catalina 22 lake tillery NC
Luke, my boom had a lot of "pitting" etc, I just wet sanded 800, 1000, 2000, then I waxed it with auto wax. Maybe not the right way but it turned out pretty darn good. It will work for me.
 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
Didn't that just take the anodize off?

Luke, my boom had a lot of "pitting" etc, I just wet sanded 800, 1000, 2000, then I waxed it with auto wax. Maybe not the right way but it turned out pretty darn good. It will work for me.
 

Joe

.
Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
So now I have to figure out what my path ahead will be, so I'm looking for suggestions and experiences for these issues;

I had a small halyard winch on the mast, a 'GIBB England' on a teak block. The bolts came out with no issues, but what I found under the riser was a little troubling. Instead of just the three holes for the 1/4" 20 machine screws I found three more holes (a little smaller) off-set from those, plus the small screw hole in the center for the teak riser. So there a seven holes total, 6 of them pretty big IMO.

I'm going with all lines led aft, so I know I don't need the winch on the mast. I don't like all those holes in the mast, if it was just the three it would be no big deal but it is 7 in one area. I have a few choices unless someone has another suggestion.
- I could put the winch back on, probably need a new raiser block but that's ok. The winch won't be used unless there is some sort of issue with the lines led aft, then I have a back up. The same goes for all the screw holes left by the cleats... just put in new cleats rather than try to fill the holes.
- I could put aluminum pop-rivets of the correct size in any hole not being re-used. I have a pneumatic rivet gun that has tips for several sizes of rivets and works like a charm (a $25 harbor freight tool that actually works!)
- I could put in very short stainless pan-head machine screws (with tef-gel)
- I could put an aluminum patch over the area with the seven holes, pop-rivets matching the existing holes.
- I could have the holes welded closed (yikes!). I'm a good welder, but I'm not as skilled at aluminum as I am at stainless. I would hire a professional with aluminum experience and a delicate hand.

So... there it is. I'm not so excited about the welding option, since it will ruin the anodize in that area and have to be painted. I was trying to avoid painting the mast. Wit a few more cleanings I think it will look ok... not perfect, but clean enough and the dings and scratches really not very noticeable. Worst case, I'll paint it... I have to paint the boom anyway, and that's my next question.
Just fill the holes with gray Marine-Tex. Or something like this:
 
Sep 8, 2014
2,551
Catalina 22 Swing Keel San Diego
What was the outcome of this job?
Hey Greg... Sorry I've been MIA for a few weeks. I've been working some rigging jobs. Anyway, my Mast has been fully reassembled and most of the electrical is done. All of the wires are pulled and lights are on, I just haven't done the proper terminations at the bottom. I've had the mast up on the boat last fall to work on the rigging. I did paint the Masthead and boom end cap with off the shel self etching primer and rattle can enamel (black). For the boom, I decided to only paint the last two feet white since the major pitting was isolated to that area. I used Interlux Water-Tite two-pack epoxy filler to fill the imperfections and sand. Then the self etching primer, followed by a standard white for enamel and then I top-coated by roll and tip with my Interlux Bilge-Kote. Everything is holding up fine, but the boat has been sailing. The mast is stowed hanging from eye bolts on my side yard fence and the boom is stowed in the boat. So they have seen some weather, but no salt spray.