Spar-Tite debacle

May 6, 2010
472
1984 Oday 39 79 Milwaukee
Yesterday I poured a Spar-Tite mast wedge on our boat. I have used the product once before with great results. Yesterday's experience was not quite as great. Temps were in the upper 50s and I did all of my prep around the mast ahead of time. I have a pretty narrow space between the collar and the mast so pouring is a little challenging. I followed the instructions carefully, poured part A into a mixing container and allowed it all to drip out of the can. This took five minutes or so, and even when it stopped dripping I could see there was still some material clinging to the inside of the can. I shook part B while waiting for the drips to stop. Added part B and stirred for two minutes. Poured the mixed contents into the second mixing container, scraping the sides and stirred for an additional minute. Carried it up and began pouring at the area with the largest gap, only to realize it was NOT leveling out as it is supposed to, and I had the front of the mast fully poured but no SparTite at all at the back of the mast. I quickly moved to the back and attempted to pour some back there, but it was already thickening, making pouring very difficult. I managed to get some poured into three points around the mast but ended up with it all over the sides of the mast above my pour area because it had become so thick that it would not pour in a nice stream. I ended up with my pour area filled, but several areas where it was higher than the pour area since it didn't level out. Total pour time was 4 - 5 minutes, several minutes short of what the pot life should have been based on my reading of the instructions, especially given the temperature. An hour or so later I was able to remove my tape dam, clean up the mast and shave the top off all the way around to make it look better but it was a much more frustrating operation than it should have been. I'm wondering if here is a shelf life to the product and maybe I got an older batch or maybe in the cooler temps I waited too long for part A to drip out of the can?
 

Ted

.
Jan 26, 2005
1,254
C&C 110 Bay Shore, Long Island, NY
Spartite is a great product and you should not have had the problems you experienced. I definitely remember reading that Spartite has a shelf life but I don't recall if it's on the cans. Was there any date on the cans indicating when it was manufactured or a "best when used by" date?
 

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I've never heard of that product. I've been using wooden wedges for over 5 decades without the slightest problem. Perhaps newer isn't always better?
 
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May 6, 2010
472
1984 Oday 39 79 Milwaukee
I've never heard of that product. I've been using wooden wedges for over 5 decades without the slightest problem. Perhaps newer isn't always better?
Regular wedges certainly work, but in both this boat and our last boat the boom is not very high above the cabin top, and in order to fit a rigid vang I wanted as much space as possible. Eliminating the rubber mast boot is the easiest way to gain a few inches, and the SparTite is generally a good way to do that.
 
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