I have a 1979 Hunter 27. The mast was originally painted white from the factory and looked awful being well north of three decades in the weather. I painted mine, only because it was already. I called the folks at Interlux to get their advise. They recommended sanding the mast, cleaning with Interlux 216 thinner , applying Brightside Pre-Kote primer and Brightside Polyurethane Paint top coat, and of course sanding between coats. The thinner is also used to cut the paint for brushing on vs. spray. I experimented a bit before doing the mast and ended up brushing it on. You can’t tell it was brushed on, it flowed out very well. I had to fight my impatience all the way to not apply it too thick. I do have a few small runs, but you’ll never see them. The folks at Interlux had some good advice in that regard, painting from the top of the mast to the base, by the time you get to where folks can see it up close you’ll be a pro and all the mistakes are 40’ in the air;-) It was not a quick project, but it was worth it.
If you decide to paint, and you’re starting off with bare metal, you’ll also have to etch and apply a zinc chromate primer. I would have preferred an anodized aluminum mast, that would have saved me quite a bit of work. Then again, my mast was the envy of the dock when we splashed this past spring.
The photo was taken this past April, just after stepping and splashing. Would have been nice to let it sit and harden a few more weeks, but wanted to get out and sail. It’s none the worse for the wear, still looked great when we hauled out at the end of October. Also rewired, replaced the lights with new LED fixtures, new weathervane, lazy jacks, halyards and some of the standing rigging.
At 38 years it needed it!