Reanodizing mast?

[25yearslater]

How will the powder coating impact the threads in the extrusion. I assume some overspray into them and that you will likely need to or should chase them all with a tap. Any chance of chipping?

Hi Bob. The Rigrite #8 has an internal sailtrack that is part of the extrusion. The powder coating should prove superior in that it is a very thin coating compared to a paint system. It is resilient to the point that you can hit it and dent it with a hammer without chipping according to Sparcraft. Most automotive rocker panels use this system and seem to hold up well considering the beating they take from road debris. I don't anticipate any issues with tapping the holes if need be.

 

[jibes138]

Is everything 100% free of any other metal in the mast? You can't anodize or strip anodize with a screw thread insert installed for instance. Have they done the mast yet?

 

[tommays]

Hard item one is moving it around

Hard item two is a place to work

Remove a mind boggling amount of screws and rivets

Use harsh chemicals to take off old paint (cant have been that bad it lasted 28 years)

figure out how to support mast and NOT screw up finish

Deal with recalled paint for double the fun

Yes i did have to paint TWICE

Put back on 60 BIG rivets and screws without making any mistakes

You will go slightly insane getting it back on the boat without damage

In the end it also worked MUCH better as there were many issues with elecrric wire and sheevs that would have been hard to correct without riping everything apart anyway

 

[25yearslater]

That looks fantastic Tommays. For those not wishing to go to the insane extremes I am this is certainly an option that should be considered. Rather than double post the pictures I will link to the thread I have been running on the whole restoration. http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=123244&page=29

 

[25yearslater]

Mast reanodize and powdercoat complete.

 

[RAD]

:wow:

 

[Steve Dion]

What is the cost for powder coat vs paint vs anodize?

I would have a difficult time deciding which one is superior. Both of them look wonderful.

I suspect that anything other than DIY paint is going to cost more than some of these older boats are worth.

 

[25yearslater]

Good question Steve. With prep work this whole process was 1100.00. Prep work at 2 hours 240.00, anodize 166.00, powder coat 360.00 and with winch plates and a few other miscellaneous doo dads thrown on making up the rest. This was mast, boom and spreaders. Had to run this morning so let's continue. When I priced out a paint system, Awlcraft or Interlux I was looking at 600.00 to 800.00. This was for etching primer, primer and topcoat. Now the advantage of reanodizing comes in where there is corrosion. Even in fresh water the interaction between metals is going to cause some minor corrosion. The anodizing process converts these areas to a hard aluminum oxide where paint encapsulates the area. Best part was this process didn't depend on weather or was there any clean up or prep work.