I have been working on the mast of my boat to get it looking good for the season. I have sanded and sanded and I still have marks and stains from the salt and the time it sat outside. Is there a secret to getting these out and making it look new like? Is painting the answer and how much time and $'s are we talking about? Thanks...
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What are you Talking About!
Rick, I normally leave posts like this to the more knowledgable or at least the more telepathic on the forum, but I just have ask: What is your mast made of? Wood? Aluminum? Please post a photo of your boat. I really want to see a boat that so correct that you have nothing else to do but to refinish the mast. Jon McClain
Rick, I normally leave posts like this to the more knowledgable or at least the more telepathic on the forum, but I just have ask: What is your mast made of? Wood? Aluminum? Please post a photo of your boat. I really want to see a boat that so correct that you have nothing else to do but to refinish the mast. Jon McClain
it's aluminum, right?
Now why do i assume you all are all telepathic and that all masts are aluminum? Yes, it is aluminum. I have found this product call
Now why do i assume you all are all telepathic and that all masts are aluminum? Yes, it is aluminum. I have found this product call
John, who mentioned perfect
Perfect? This boat, 1986 Catalina 30, has sat in the yard for 2 years and I am working on the mast and rigging while the bottom is being painted. I am as restless as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs to get it in the water but the condition of the rigging precludes any sailing until it is fixed. Just thought I would make it look good(perfect).
Perfect? This boat, 1986 Catalina 30, has sat in the yard for 2 years and I am working on the mast and rigging while the bottom is being painted. I am as restless as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs to get it in the water but the condition of the rigging precludes any sailing until it is fixed. Just thought I would make it look good(perfect).
Rick, I understand the Feeling
Rick, Didn't mean to sound flippant. Sorry! You have a great boat. They are bulletproof, easy to sail and good performers. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Not the least of their qualities is great resale value. Back to the mast... Keep the sanding light! You may want to try a mild acidic wash such as diluted white vineger. Once you have sanded, be sure to wax or polish to seal the surface. Remember that when you sand, you remove the natural surface corrosion that naturally protects aluminum from the elements and furher deterioration. I would not recommend painting under any circumstances. Once you do, the work never ends. Believe me, all those minor imperfections will melt away when the teak is redone, the hull shines and you are on a close reach in 20 knots and 5 ft. seas. Enjoy, Jon McClain
Rick, Didn't mean to sound flippant. Sorry! You have a great boat. They are bulletproof, easy to sail and good performers. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Not the least of their qualities is great resale value. Back to the mast... Keep the sanding light! You may want to try a mild acidic wash such as diluted white vineger. Once you have sanded, be sure to wax or polish to seal the surface. Remember that when you sand, you remove the natural surface corrosion that naturally protects aluminum from the elements and furher deterioration. I would not recommend painting under any circumstances. Once you do, the work never ends. Believe me, all those minor imperfections will melt away when the teak is redone, the hull shines and you are on a close reach in 20 knots and 5 ft. seas. Enjoy, Jon McClain
Refinishing masst
Rick, One of the many things I do in my repair business is refinish boats and masts etc.. Alumiprep-33 Etching Solution is a pre-treatment for bare aluminum. Prior to painting and after sanding and wiping down the mast you'd apply the Alumiprep. It's acid based and cleans and etches the metal. This gets the aluminum prepped to receive primer and subsequently the finih paint. Since your mast is down this would be an ideal time to paint it. As far as time and money goes these will vary depending on if you do it or hire it out. A lot less if you do it and a lot more if you hire it out. The best thing is to strip all the hardware off the mast. This will give you a chance to upgrade any that was corroding and it also means you don't have to mask around it all and you'll end up with a complete and thorough paint job with no paint edges to collect water or chip off. I'll assume that you'll roll and tip, and if you're not familiar or experienced at this then start at the head of the mast and work your way down. That will allow you to feel out how it's done so that when you get to the more visible lower half of the mast your technique should be good enough to produce a decent finish. Hope this helps you some. Good luck.
Rick, One of the many things I do in my repair business is refinish boats and masts etc.. Alumiprep-33 Etching Solution is a pre-treatment for bare aluminum. Prior to painting and after sanding and wiping down the mast you'd apply the Alumiprep. It's acid based and cleans and etches the metal. This gets the aluminum prepped to receive primer and subsequently the finih paint. Since your mast is down this would be an ideal time to paint it. As far as time and money goes these will vary depending on if you do it or hire it out. A lot less if you do it and a lot more if you hire it out. The best thing is to strip all the hardware off the mast. This will give you a chance to upgrade any that was corroding and it also means you don't have to mask around it all and you'll end up with a complete and thorough paint job with no paint edges to collect water or chip off. I'll assume that you'll roll and tip, and if you're not familiar or experienced at this then start at the head of the mast and work your way down. That will allow you to feel out how it's done so that when you get to the more visible lower half of the mast your technique should be good enough to produce a decent finish. Hope this helps you some. Good luck.
No Expert
My mast and boom were really corroded. I sanded the corrosion off, sprayed on RustOlem gray primer and finished with two coats of satin black RustOlem and they look great. Been on for two years and looks ok.
My mast and boom were really corroded. I sanded the corrosion off, sprayed on RustOlem gray primer and finished with two coats of satin black RustOlem and they look great. Been on for two years and looks ok.
Gerry, were you my guardian Angel telling me what
to do? Great advice! But then you're a pro.
Two things to add. Well, maybe more. The first is to insure all of your stainless parts do not touch aluminum after the rig is reassembled. OK, maybe that's last. For prep work I ground out all of the corrosion prior to metal-prep. Then I filled the corrosion with MarineTex. Then block sanded to a level surface. Just like painting a car. Primer and sand. Just a second, I'll check the can,,, I used U.S. paint epoxy primer. It goes on thick with lots of brush marks. No problem. Wet sand it with a hand block, 220 grit or so. Yes, wet. You won't get six inches to a sheet of paper if you don't. (I tried) Let's see, I used the spray etching primer from ??? I don't remember. It's yellow and goes over the bare aluminum spots that the epoxy primer/filler is not suited for. It is very thin when dry. When I was a Navy Yard painter in the '60s, we called it 117 primer. OK, all of your flaws are gone by this time. Mix up your paint. I used Awlgrip linear polyurethane. It's two part. Mix up a bunch and apply with a roller. Be ready to mix more right away when you run out so that no lap marks have time to form. I mixed a pint or so at a time.I found very dense foam rollers at Home Depot. They are made of thick sponge like material and really hold a lot of paint. They are also small diameter. Load up and paint. Look over your shoulder at the paint you just applied. When you see the paint bubbling, go back and tip. Use the same roller but with no extra paint. (damp) Caution! On a sunny day the shine will hurt your eyes. I used white of course but it's your call. On my web site, photo's #88, 100, 126 and 128 among others show the shine. I did the spinnaker pole too. The black end caps are appliance black epoxy spray can paint also from Home Depot. The job took about a week. All paint should be applied when the temperature reaches 70 degrees or so. And make sure the last of it goes on no later than noonish. Two coats will do it. One per day per side. If evening condensation occurs it will dull the finish if you paint late. No big deal, just do it over. But boat-yards cost money. Even more if you need a covered enclosure. Good luck Rick. This is one job worth the effort on any age boat. Sorry Jon. I'm going to cut and paste this to my web site too. The paint job description got lost in the shuffle. P.S. This edited text is now on my web site under photo #100 just is case it's useful to anyone.
to do? Great advice! But then you're a pro.
Two things to add. Well, maybe more. The first is to insure all of your stainless parts do not touch aluminum after the rig is reassembled. OK, maybe that's last. For prep work I ground out all of the corrosion prior to metal-prep. Then I filled the corrosion with MarineTex. Then block sanded to a level surface. Just like painting a car. Primer and sand. Just a second, I'll check the can,,, I used U.S. paint epoxy primer. It goes on thick with lots of brush marks. No problem. Wet sand it with a hand block, 220 grit or so. Yes, wet. You won't get six inches to a sheet of paper if you don't. (I tried) Let's see, I used the spray etching primer from ??? I don't remember. It's yellow and goes over the bare aluminum spots that the epoxy primer/filler is not suited for. It is very thin when dry. When I was a Navy Yard painter in the '60s, we called it 117 primer. OK, all of your flaws are gone by this time. Mix up your paint. I used Awlgrip linear polyurethane. It's two part. Mix up a bunch and apply with a roller. Be ready to mix more right away when you run out so that no lap marks have time to form. I mixed a pint or so at a time.I found very dense foam rollers at Home Depot. They are made of thick sponge like material and really hold a lot of paint. They are also small diameter. Load up and paint. Look over your shoulder at the paint you just applied. When you see the paint bubbling, go back and tip. Use the same roller but with no extra paint. (damp) Caution! On a sunny day the shine will hurt your eyes. I used white of course but it's your call. On my web site, photo's #88, 100, 126 and 128 among others show the shine. I did the spinnaker pole too. The black end caps are appliance black epoxy spray can paint also from Home Depot. The job took about a week. All paint should be applied when the temperature reaches 70 degrees or so. And make sure the last of it goes on no later than noonish. Two coats will do it. One per day per side. If evening condensation occurs it will dull the finish if you paint late. No big deal, just do it over. But boat-yards cost money. Even more if you need a covered enclosure. Good luck Rick. This is one job worth the effort on any age boat. Sorry Jon. I'm going to cut and paste this to my web site too. The paint job description got lost in the shuffle. P.S. This edited text is now on my web site under photo #100 just is case it's useful to anyone.Still sanding after all these years
Well, actually I am experimenting on the boom but looking for a solution for it all. I have removed all the fittings and all of the screws were seized on the boom and I drilled them out. I am sanding and will probably leave it natural with a polish over it all. Still investigating as to what will work for me.
Well, actually I am experimenting on the boom but looking for a solution for it all. I have removed all the fittings and all of the screws were seized on the boom and I drilled them out. I am sanding and will probably leave it natural with a polish over it all. Still investigating as to what will work for me.
Mast painting,Fred, Jon, Rick
Fred, thanks for filling in all the little extras that I didn't touch on. Jon, I wasn't advocating for painting the mast, it's just that with all the sanding that Rick has done I'm sure he's removed most if not all the clear anodize that was protecting the aluminum from oxidizing. In that case painting will assure that he gets a few years protection and doesn't have to treat it every year. Rick, whatever you choose to do with your mast, good luck and fair winds.
Fred, thanks for filling in all the little extras that I didn't touch on. Jon, I wasn't advocating for painting the mast, it's just that with all the sanding that Rick has done I'm sure he's removed most if not all the clear anodize that was protecting the aluminum from oxidizing. In that case painting will assure that he gets a few years protection and doesn't have to treat it every year. Rick, whatever you choose to do with your mast, good luck and fair winds.
Gerry, how to prime a painted mast?
The original black paint coating of my mast and boom is looking pretty ragged after 20 years on my Starwind 27. There are numerous areas where corrosion of the aluminum has caused the paint to blister and peel. Besides that, the black mast and boom doesn't appeal to me and I would prefer to paint them white. There doesn't appear to be any structural problems and since I leave the mast up over the winter I don't really want to go through the effort until a time when I need to take the mast down. What's the best method for sanding and priming. Any thoughts on changing color from black to white?
The original black paint coating of my mast and boom is looking pretty ragged after 20 years on my Starwind 27. There are numerous areas where corrosion of the aluminum has caused the paint to blister and peel. Besides that, the black mast and boom doesn't appeal to me and I would prefer to paint them white. There doesn't appear to be any structural problems and since I leave the mast up over the winter I don't really want to go through the effort until a time when I need to take the mast down. What's the best method for sanding and priming. Any thoughts on changing color from black to white?
Go ahead and paint it
I would certainly paint it. The hardest part of the job is getting all the hardware off. I have known people who merely painted it with Krylon. You can even pick the color! One guy sprayed his with the same navy-blue Awlgrip as the hull. The color scheme looks like crud but the application was fine and still looks okay. Remember that the anodizing only shoots into the end of the extrusion as far as they can shoot it... about as far as paint would go. So there is no drawback in not treating the inside 100%. As with all painting surface prep is everything. You can always sand out the drips later. A good baked-on paint job is probably the best answer. Everyone likes that sleek white new-boat look and it can always be redone a few seasons later. Whereas ugly corrosion, left untreated, only gets uglier and ultimately weakens the spar. JC 2
I would certainly paint it. The hardest part of the job is getting all the hardware off. I have known people who merely painted it with Krylon. You can even pick the color! One guy sprayed his with the same navy-blue Awlgrip as the hull. The color scheme looks like crud but the application was fine and still looks okay. Remember that the anodizing only shoots into the end of the extrusion as far as they can shoot it... about as far as paint would go. So there is no drawback in not treating the inside 100%. As with all painting surface prep is everything. You can always sand out the drips later. A good baked-on paint job is probably the best answer. Everyone likes that sleek white new-boat look and it can always be redone a few seasons later. Whereas ugly corrosion, left untreated, only gets uglier and ultimately weakens the spar. JC 2
Painting mast Scott
Scott, If you don't like the color and you have corrosion then it's probably time to repair and paint. You probably don't want to hear this but the best thing to do is to strip it of the black paint. You can do this mechanically or chemically and then you'll be doing pretty much what Fred did. Short of all of that is just doing spot repairs. Sand the entire mast, removing any finish that's lost it's adhesion. Make any repairs that are needed, and then spot prime. I prefer Awl-Grip by U.S.Paint for my finisf work. Here you'd want to make sure that the finish that's on the mast can withstand the chemical strength of the new primer and topcoat. Do a small test area to be sure that the black paint doesn't get attacked by the new paint system and start to lift or crack. Unless you were going to use the same system that's already on the mast I strongly recommend stripping the old finish. Otherwise it's just a crapshoot. If you do strip it, I'd use the U.S.Paint 545 epoxy primer, white not grey, it will be easier to hide when you topcoat. If you mix and apply it thin enough and allow ample dry time it should sand easily enough to give a good smooth finish in the top coat. Good luck, whatever you choose to do.
Scott, If you don't like the color and you have corrosion then it's probably time to repair and paint. You probably don't want to hear this but the best thing to do is to strip it of the black paint. You can do this mechanically or chemically and then you'll be doing pretty much what Fred did. Short of all of that is just doing spot repairs. Sand the entire mast, removing any finish that's lost it's adhesion. Make any repairs that are needed, and then spot prime. I prefer Awl-Grip by U.S.Paint for my finisf work. Here you'd want to make sure that the finish that's on the mast can withstand the chemical strength of the new primer and topcoat. Do a small test area to be sure that the black paint doesn't get attacked by the new paint system and start to lift or crack. Unless you were going to use the same system that's already on the mast I strongly recommend stripping the old finish. Otherwise it's just a crapshoot. If you do strip it, I'd use the U.S.Paint 545 epoxy primer, white not grey, it will be easier to hide when you topcoat. If you mix and apply it thin enough and allow ample dry time it should sand easily enough to give a good smooth finish in the top coat. Good luck, whatever you choose to do.
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