- Dec 30, 2009
- 680
Hey, all all this about masts, I am removing mine, what is involved in painting a mill finish, mast white. This can be done with a brush and roller, yes?....Prep? thanks Red
paint mast
- Thread starter redhead78
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Have a look at the post on our site,
http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/2008/01/refurbishing-spars.html
Rolling and tipping is very easy if you go that way.
Chuck
http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/2008/01/refurbishing-spars.html
Rolling and tipping is very easy if you go that way.
Chuck
Chuck's site is an excellent description of the process. Very similar to my experience which I just finished last week. I work alone so it took several days. My mast is long and heavy and requires at least three supports. I built cradles to keep the mast lying with the sail track up and then never turned it. But I masked it off and did two sections where there were no supports(barrels). Then used a jack to support the mast while moving the barrels. Then did the other two sections. Did this with one coat of primer and again for two coats of paint.
And I used a 3" brush for everything. I did not remove any hardware, only the rigging and spreaders. Tested my painting skills at home with the spreaders and two booms.
This was my first attempt using an epoxy(2-part) paint. I primed with Interlux Epoxy Primer and painted with Interlux Perfection. I have very little time for boat work so did not seek perfection with the prep. But the mast was in bad shape from the wire rubbing in a transport from Florida to Lake Erie. The results are amazing.
And I used a 3" brush for everything. I did not remove any hardware, only the rigging and spreaders. Tested my painting skills at home with the spreaders and two booms.
This was my first attempt using an epoxy(2-part) paint. I primed with Interlux Epoxy Primer and painted with Interlux Perfection. I have very little time for boat work so did not seek perfection with the prep. But the mast was in bad shape from the wire rubbing in a transport from Florida to Lake Erie. The results are amazing.
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Looks good
Ed
My masts are a pretty beatup alluminum now and I want to paint them white.
I dont want to have to remove all my hardware either. So I take heart in your approach
Did the finish come out smooth and even? I saw one paint job and it looked like the owner used a roller - sort of eggshell type finish
How long did it take you to do the prep ? painting ?
Bill
Ed
My masts are a pretty beatup alluminum now and I want to paint them white.
I dont want to have to remove all my hardware either. So I take heart in your approach
Did the finish come out smooth and even? I saw one paint job and it looked like the owner used a roller - sort of eggshell type finish
How long did it take you to do the prep ? painting ?
Bill
guys - i painted my mast several years ago and it was a much bigger job than anticipated; but very well worth the effort and the painted mast / boom dramatically increased the overall look of my boat. Its all in the prep and I would recommend removing all hardware and do it right and do it once. I also replaced my standing rigging and mast wiring. Use a 2-part paint and at the end of the day, I think brush-tip method will be fine. I actually sprayed mine with a 2-part but think brush-tip would have resulted the much the same. You don't need that much of a glimmer on a mast verses doing a hull for example. Paint the mast, boom and spreaders and it will make the boat look sharp.
Good luck - Rob
Good luck - Rob
I did this a couple of years ago. Check out the article http://www.tkronaboat.com/Projects/Ericson 35 Projects/Mast Repaint/index.htmlredhead78 said:
I just had my hunter 36 mast and boom totally redone. It was sanded to bare metal, primed and 2-3 coats of awlgrip. It took the guy 80 hrs and it was sanded by hand and sprayed. He told me NOT to use an electric sander. The mast has a lot of photos due to the boat being docked at a local restaurant. (Fish House Pensacola) They post a picture almost every morning on Facebook. I have gotten lots of compliments. Total cost of sanding and paint including labor and materials- $3000. Totally worth it. Do it right. The PO had done some painting on the mast (roll/tip) and this caused the sail track to be stuck to the mast. Paint job would have been cheaper if it wouldn't have been for that.
On the subject of Aluminium.. am restoreing aluminium portlights, were severly oxidized. Weeks of grinding and scrubbing , finally twin etched them with aluminium conditioner and they allmost look good. As was advised me, I primed them with zinc chromate.. I planned on painting them with something like an Aluminium finish Rustolium then overcoat them with a clear coat of U.V. protection 1 part polyurethane.. Dont want to do this project again in this life time am I going about this wrong ??
Using the Interlux products ...
I sanded all the old black paint off down to bare aluminum because I wanted Snow White and didn't want any chance of the old paint being visible. I did the boom the year before I did my mast, so it was good practice and I learned that you don't want to skip the step of etching the aluminum with the Interlux product that they recommend before applying the 2-part primer. I forget the exact name of the product but you will find it in their literature. After several years, I have found that the primer adheres to the aluminum mast far better because I used the etching coat. It is highly toxic so you will want a good respirator when applying it. I didn't use it on the boom and chips in the paint go thru to the aluminum.
For prep, I removed all bolts and fittings that weren't riveted to the mast. I left the saddles for the spreaders, the gooseneck, and the vang attachement in place because they were secured with SS rivets and I didn't want to remove them. I see no downside to leaving them in place. I merely used a brush around those saddles and it was easily finished as nicely as if they had been removed. I didn't use a roller anywhere, I merely used a brush. With minimal care, I had no brushmarks, runs, drips or errors.
You will love the look of your boat when it is finished. Some people think that the gloss finish is too much glare and might recommend the product that flattens the glare. I disagree. The whiter and the glossier the mast and the boom is, the better. Glare is not an issue.
The trickiest part in my mind was not allowing too much paint to accumulate in the sail track but still get coverage inside. I would like to hear comments about how to address that issue.
Thought I'd post a picture ...
I sanded all the old black paint off down to bare aluminum because I wanted Snow White and didn't want any chance of the old paint being visible. I did the boom the year before I did my mast, so it was good practice and I learned that you don't want to skip the step of etching the aluminum with the Interlux product that they recommend before applying the 2-part primer. I forget the exact name of the product but you will find it in their literature. After several years, I have found that the primer adheres to the aluminum mast far better because I used the etching coat. It is highly toxic so you will want a good respirator when applying it. I didn't use it on the boom and chips in the paint go thru to the aluminum.
For prep, I removed all bolts and fittings that weren't riveted to the mast. I left the saddles for the spreaders, the gooseneck, and the vang attachement in place because they were secured with SS rivets and I didn't want to remove them. I see no downside to leaving them in place. I merely used a brush around those saddles and it was easily finished as nicely as if they had been removed. I didn't use a roller anywhere, I merely used a brush. With minimal care, I had no brushmarks, runs, drips or errors.
You will love the look of your boat when it is finished. Some people think that the gloss finish is too much glare and might recommend the product that flattens the glare. I disagree. The whiter and the glossier the mast and the boom is, the better. Glare is not an issue.
The trickiest part in my mind was not allowing too much paint to accumulate in the sail track but still get coverage inside. I would like to hear comments about how to address that issue.
Thought I'd post a picture ...
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I've had a factory painted mast. I've had a bare mast...
And I can't imagine why anyone would risk painting one. If you have ANY failures in the coating near and attachment point or spreader you are going to see greatly accelerated galvanic corrosion at that point. Normally, corrosion is spread over the entire surface, but with paint it will be concentrated, probably at the spreaders and foot.
If aesthetics are more important to you, paint it. And watch the touch-up work.
And I can't imagine why anyone would risk painting one. If you have ANY failures in the coating near and attachment point or spreader you are going to see greatly accelerated galvanic corrosion at that point. Normally, corrosion is spread over the entire surface, but with paint it will be concentrated, probably at the spreaders and foot.
If aesthetics are more important to you, paint it. And watch the touch-up work.
Many masts are painted at original issue. Mine was painted black and the paint had flaked away to bare metal all over the place after 20 odd years. When I sanded off the original paint and removed all fasteners that were screwed in, bolted in or riveted with aluminum rivets, there was absolutely no indication of deterioration anywhere on the mast, boom, spreaders or at any ss saddle attachment.
The spreaders and foot of the sail seem the least likely to see any chips in the paint since the only place were wearing is a problem is where shackles have a tendancy to knock against the mast or boom.
I would be concerned about galvanic corrosion between the ss fittings and the aluminum, but have not seen any indication of degradation of the aluminum at those locations and the paint does not have a tendancy to wear at those locations because there is no abrasion.
The spreaders and foot of the sail seem the least likely to see any chips in the paint since the only place were wearing is a problem is where shackles have a tendancy to knock against the mast or boom.
I would be concerned about galvanic corrosion between the ss fittings and the aluminum, but have not seen any indication of degradation of the aluminum at those locations and the paint does not have a tendancy to wear at those locations because there is no abrasion.
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