The spars on my 1982 Hunter 30 were originally painted white by the manufacturer. Over the years the P.O. added a couple additional coats and last summer all three, but mostly what remained of the 26 year old original coat, started peeling badly - exposing bare aluminum. At haul out last fall I unstepped the mast with the intention of stripping and repainting it myself this spring. Then I did the research I should have done first and realized it's a bigger job than I will have time to take on myself this year, so I got a cost estimate for the work today from Lakeshore Marine. They were recommended by the yacht yard. It's good I was sitting down at the time because it's a bit more than I expected. $4,616.17 to be exact. They propose to chemically strip, etch, prime and paint the 40 foot mast, boom & spreaders with Awlgrip. The breakdown is $3,570 for 42 hours labor @$85/hour, $959.79 for supplies & materials, and $86.38 tax. At that price, it won't happen this year. Or next. Oh well, it's a good time to give the standing rigging a good inspection anyway.So, that said, I have three questions for everyone: First, does this sound like a reasonable, fair price for this work? Second, is Awlgrip the right choice or is it overkill for this job? And third, can any of you recommend someone less expensive in the Chicago area?