refinishing the mast

[Mike H]

Well there were too many rainy weekends this year so my 28.5 was not launched. Instead of a short sailing season, I have decided to go down the to-do list and fix or upgrade everything that needs it. Sort of a mini re-fit.One item on the list is that the mast's anodyzing is shot. Re-anodyzing is cost prohibitive, so I plan on grinding it all off and painting the mast with an appropriate high-grade paint. I have already done this to the boom and after 3 seasons, the paint job on the boom is still looking good.My question: Has anybody tried or had to remove all the s.s. hardware riveted on to the mast and if so how was it done, and how was it re-mounted after (new rivets or bolts)? Seems like the rivets are stainless steel and would not come out easily with simple hand power tools. And I have not seen a rivet tool in the retail market big enough to replace some of the rivets, assuming they can be drilled out or somehow removed. I am wondering about possible corrosion between the s.s. hardware and the aluminum mast. Am I (ahem) "going over-board" to worry about corrosion between the ss. hardware and the aluminum mast or should I just repaint where I can and not worry about mast surface behind the s.s. hardware?Any advice?

 

[Scott Wilson]

Mike here is some info . . .little advise

I am 6 months into ownership of a 18 year old boat with painted alum mast, that has always had a salt water life. The guy who did the rigging survey said it appeared everything was original, the mast had probably never been pulled. Without exception, there is paint "bubbling" and coming off around every fitting on the mast, exposing minor corrosion of the mast. On the other areas of the mast, the paint is perfect.The rigger said no big deal, just get to it within a couple of years, by removing all the hardware and repainting. He recommeded an Interlux paint ( don't remember the specifics) and we didn't discuss surface prep. P.S. My inlaws on the NJ shore said it was a miserable spring and felt like October on Memorial Day .

 

[Tim McCartyt]

If you are going to unstep the mast....

try sandblasting the old finish off. My friend did this with good results.

 

[Jim Arthur]

Check out Stirling Hasen's input in Photo Forum.

In a couple of weeks I'll go through the same thing. It looks like he had very nice results.I think the moral of the story is the same for most of the various refinishing projects. The more care in prep, the better the outcome.Jim

 

[Stirling Hasen]

Large Rivets and Mast Refinshing Info!

Hi Mike,Here is a link to Harbor Freight Tools. They sell decent quality tools, on the cheap via store outlets and mail order. I bought the 1/4" rivet gun, it would have worked great but the rivets I chose had ringed shafts so I had to take apart the head to get the rivet shaft out on each rivet. I would have had to do that with about any gun with those rivets. If you use smooth shafted rivets you wont have that problem. Here is the web link to that gun. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41291 Now to your other questions. Q: Getting the old SS screws out of an aluminum hole.A: This is a difficult task to say the least. The problem is that the aluminum corrodes and expands against the SS threads. This makes removal very difficult. Normally I would suggest heating the area around the SS screw with a propane torch, the aluminum would expand more that the screw and it should be easy to remove. But since the Mast is such a vital part of the boat I would NOT RECOMMEND doing this since it would most likely weaken the aluminum and could lead to a catastrophic failure. Shock would be another option, maybe some light taps with a hammer and a punch to the sides of the screw heads might break the threads free enough for removal. I must say however that I was unable to remove ANY of the stainless steel screws that held my gooseneck plate onto the mast. They had become one with the mast, so I left them buried in my mast. I just ground the tops down and will move the gooseneck up about 1/4-3/8" so I can drill and tap new holes into virgin aluminum between the existing screw remnants.Q: To remove the hardware or not.A: That is a hard question. Since your hardware is basically welded on to the mast (due to corrosion). If you choose to remove the hardware, you have to prepare both mentally and financially for what you might find.Q: Putting the hardware back on.A: When putting the hardware back on. If you had to drill out the screw, you might be able drill and tap to the next larger size. That should get you into some less corroded aluminum. I would use a anti-seize lubricant like tefgel. http://www.nsindustries.com.au/general/tefgel.shtmlThis will help isolate the metals and reduce the resulting corrosion between the SS screws and Aluminum mast.Good Luck!Stirling Hasen, Hunter 54.