Painting the Mast

[Tim R.]

Marcia, forget about doing this only once. Oxidation on the mast, once started, is very difficult to prevent from reappearing and bubbling your paint. As for paint choices, do not use a one part like Brightsides. It has very bad scratch and abrasion resistance. Two part Perfection works great. It will look better and last much longer than the one part paints. See my photo site in my sig for a complete write up on my project. It is under Cordelia, Projects, etc

 

[BobM]

Technique questions

I got 1 - 2 grand estimates for an Awlgrip job. I did it with 17 bucks of paint and two hours work.

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Roger...two hours? How is that possible? Is that not including prep? Did you paint around the hardware? I really want to know, as I may have to drop my mast and wouldn't mind putting a "quickie" paint job on it, but don't want to turn it into an 80 hour project. I don't have any mast mounted winches, so there isn't all that much hardware on it, but I don't know if I want to remove everything adding all that work.

Did you paint it at the marina or take the mast home somehow? I actually have a garage that is two bays deep and could probably work inside but I don't know how to get a 40 foot mast the 50 miles from Boston to home (tunnels included).

Thanks,

BobM

 

[Ctskip]

I'll second Barnacle Bill and what he has to say. The sanding, the etching and the special washing along with the special primer is the key. As for the paint, I feel thats a choice only you can make. But the prep work is the most important step that shouldn't be missed. I would go with a two part paint system and one that can be easily reapplied at a later date to hide the scratches. It's all in the etching and the wash and the primer. Thats the key. The paint is what you see, the other steps allow the paint to stay in place. JMHO

Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[Roger Long]

Roger...two hours? How is that possible? Is that not including prep? Did you paint around the hardware?

That's just the prep and paint time. I had removed everything from the mast for rebedding and refastening except for the riveted spreader attachement which I masked and which served as handles for turning the mast.

See picture of mast piivot arrangement on page 1, reply #5. It's essential.

My mast was factory painted with bare patches where wire jib halyards had rubbed. Other than that, the paint was tight and in good condition. I just matched the color. All it needed was a light sanding and then one coat of paint. Starting with a bare mast will take longer.

All the quotes I've gotten for moving masts were nearly as much as for moving the whole boat. Thus, the sight of me wheeling a 36 foot mast down Commercial Street in Portland one day on a mast dolly

 

[Maine Sail]

Actually, I used it because I think it's probably better than the overpriced stuff you get in the marine store. After all, BM has a larger research staff and budget. They also have more customers to complain if the stuff doesn't hold up.

Ummm Ben Moore is a private company owned by Berkshire Hathaway for which they paid one billion dollars. In 1999 gross sales were 779 million dollars. they have only recently expanded beyond the US and Canada but not by much.

Benjamin Moore is: Benjamin Moore

Akzo Nobel is: AwlGrip, Interlux, International Paints, Sikkens (makers of Cetol), Glidden, Hammerite, ,Interpon (worlds largest powder coat manufacturer), Lesonal (auto body industry coatings), Devoe Paints, Dulux Paints, Flexa (largest paint brand in the Netherlands), Flood (the makers of Penetrol), Marshall Paints (one of the largest paint companies in the Middle East and the Russian Block nations), Ralph Lauren Paints, Sico Paints, The Fresh Air Choice Paints (worlds first zero VOC paint), Coral Paints (one of South America's largest paint companies), Trimetal (one of Europe's largest paint brands), Wanda (auto body paints and systems).

I think it is safe to say that Ben Moore does not have "larger research staff & budget" than Akzo. In 2007 Akzo spent 375 million dollars on R&D alone! That is nearly half the total GROSS sales of Ben Moore in 1999 (private company no more recent data).

I've yet to see any large fleet like UPS, Fed Ex or any of the airlines use anything but two part products on their aluminum trucks or planes let alone a system that is a one coat product with no primer. Most all of these fleets use LPU's or two part acrylic urethanes like Imron.. It costs a lot to re-paint a plane or fleet of UPS trucks and they take the expenditure quite seriously.

 

[Roger Long]

Akzo Nobel is: Glidden, International Paints, AwlGrip, Hammerite, ......

Well, I stand corrected. I haven't really thought about paint companies since the days when most of the marine outfits were smaller, stand alone companies.

So far though, I'm even happier with the results than the price. Besides, I can't get Hamilton or West Marine to mix up a shade that exactly matches the existing paint on my boat.

If I were doing the entire hull or superstructure of a new aluminum or steel boat I would also use a separate primer and two part system.

On my designs, I usually advise the clients to go with what the yard likes as I've found that the yard's experience with a make and system is more important than the differences between manufacturer's. Some yards say Brand A sucks while others say it's the only one that works. Force them to use something they don't like and they'll usually prove that they are right.

 

[tommays]

I like Tim's steps on his sight am going with the Perfection OVER the Awlgrip because it seems to have a better system for Aluminum prep with the Viny-Lux Primewash

In reading the Awlgrip instructions the Alumiprep 33 required a fresh water flush which would have been picked up when they test are sewer (once a week at work)so all my paint work has to 100% NOTHING down the drain


Be prepared to drop about 300 dollars as the
(step 1) Viny-Lux Primewash is 75 dollars ,
(step 2) primecoat is 35 dollars
(step 3) the perfection is 62 dollars

Then a bunch of change on all the correct solvents and brushes

 

[Chuckbear]

Here is how we did it

http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/search/label/07. Refurbishing The Spars

 

[BobM]

Chuck...what two part paint did you use?

 

[Chuckbear]

we used AwlGrip.

 

[sailaway78]

Rustoleum

Has anyone tried the new Rustoleum paint for boats, called Topsides. I have seen it, and would have probably given it a try, but just finished the boat before I saw it. By the way, I used a Glidden, one part urethane, porch and deck enamel. So Far So Good.

 

[sand sailor]

i did mine with the dtm (direct to metal )

no primer needed but it took a lot of clean up with muriatic acid took all the oxidation off the aluminum and cleaned it really well then suspended it to paint it so i didn't have to touch it till it was dry .
make sure you paint up inside the base as far as you can to seal up the bottom good so it doesn't blister from the inside