Thanks for the input. I couldn\'t believe there was one little screw holding it all together. I took the winches apart this past weekend and was surprised at how good a shape they were inside. Something I actually don\'t have to replace. It took me about an hour to clean them, lube them and put them back together. The first one took about 10 minutes to put back together while I tried to figure out how to compress the springs just right. The second one took about a minute once I knew the trick.
I had toyed with the idea of sanding and painting the mast, but I found a product called Everbrite that is made to reseal anodized aluminum and keep it from corroding. I used a non-abrasive cleaner with water and a non-abrasive pad to clean it first, using 1000 grit wet and dry sandpaper and the cleaner on the rougher parts. The Everbrite comes with a heavy duty cleaner/acid neutralizer that I used after my initial cleaning. Prior to applying the Everbrite, I wiped it down with alcohol. The difference it made to the mast was amazing. I\'m not sure how long it will last, but it took about 10% of the effort it would have taken to paint the mast. I’m getting close to getting it back in the water.
Ric
s/v Blue Max
#2692
www.ric-maxfield.net
