wooden mast reglur

[donahue62]

Need advice on what glue to use on wooden mast seams that have seperated.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by donahue62

Need advice on what glue to use on wooden mast seams that have seperated.

Good quality, fresh epoxy. Don't over clamp.

[GrowleyMonster]

Research "resorcinol" before you commit completely to epoxy. I think either would work, but resorcinol might be better for wood, not sure.

[psk125]

How big a mast? How big are the openings? How long have they been open? How much water has gotten in? What's the temperature of your workspace to fix it in? Lots of variables to take into account.

[MartinR]

Basically you have the choice of epoxy, resorcinol (aerodux) and also aerolite. They all do the job and are stronger than the wood. Depends on the gap to fill and personal preferences.

[donahue62]

Mast In guessing is around 30'. The openings are a couple of feet long in different spots.I thought it might be best to take it completely apart and redo. Very little water as it has been covered 99% of time. Working outside, realizing of course I will need good weather and temps. Thanks

[donahue62]

It's a Rhodes Meridian 25

[PacificMischief]

Ok so it's spruce and how old? The quick "get her through the season" fix is dry it out, reef out any crap you can from the cracks and pack them with silicate + suitable coloured sawdust thickened epoxy, then re-varnish and carry on until you are faced with more problems..



The proper thing to do is take the signs for what they are and give the boat a "rig job". Take all the hardware off the mast, re-glue it entirely (if it'll pop apart with a bit of persuasion - it might!) or route/skillsaw kerf out the seams and glue in suitable spruce splines with epoxy. At this stage if the mast is down to bare wood I usually paint a couple coats of penetrating epoxy on, fill all the old holes with titebond-III or epoxy glued wooden "nails" and then re-varnish it before any hardware goes on. 8+ coats of varnish and bed every bit of metal in your goop of choice (3m 4200 or sikaflex 291 is pretty common) and pre-drill every hole in it.. You should have a mast for atleast another 30 years.

[donahue62]

1962. would like to do it the right way. I'm 72 with certain health problems that while they want impair my ability to be physically active will definitely shorten my life. The boat is a beauty and I would like to keep her that way, so the quick fix doesn't appeal to me. I would hope someone enjoys her after me.

[PacificMischief]

Yeah so 1962 could have been hide glue even.. Nothing wrong with that either, but it's about time for a renewal probably. Luckily she's just a little boat and a little stick, not too much work for one guy to pick away at in the winter time.. Where in the world are you? I might have a whole new stick of about your size kicking around in British Columbia..

[donahue62]

Unfortunately down in Louisiana. Quite aways.

[MartinR]

If you can pry the mast apart and plane it, I would use Aerolite. This is a very nice glue with some gap filling properties. Easy to work with.

If you need to rout out the cracked parts and glue in splines, then Epoxy with filler is your best bet. Actually Aerodux is very good for this, but the glue is not clear, so you can not varnish the mast afterwards. If you plan to paint if, then this is the easier option.

Anyhow, both are relatively small projects. Even making a new mast from scratch is not a big deal if you have the necessary tools.

[Seacod]

Originally Posted by PacificMischief

Yeah so 1962 could have been hide glue even.. Nothing wrong with that either, but it's about time for a renewal probably. Luckily she's just a little boat and a little stick, not too much work for one guy to pick away at in the winter time.. Where in the world are you? I might have a whole new stick of about your size kicking around in British Columbia..

Forgive me

Resorcinol was developed before 1940 and used throughout World War II. Also certain epoxies.... by 1962 when I was active with others making Sitka Spruce masts in the yards on Long Island, Resorcinol or US Plywood plastic resin(phenol formaldehyde type) glue were used in most boatyards. The owner is right on wanting a proper re-glue. Cant judge without photos (good ones) but realistically dismantling the compromised joints with pressure and a thin orbital cutting blade are the way to go. However a little surgical survey work might yield a better prognosis....perhaps the seams can be cleaned up with a thin orbital blade sufficient to provide clean wood to bond in the bad spots. If so, Id be inclined to use epoxy because it actually likes a slightly thicker than normal glue line which is what the clean out process is likely to yield. Add abit of color to the glue mix to match base tone of old spruce and it should blend nicely.The Aerolight suggestion sounds interesting too. Have to be done in warm weather or a warm shed. Nice to hear you keep that boat so nicely! good luck with your project

[donahue62]

Lots of good info and I appreciate everyone's help. I think I will take it apart and depending on how that works out choose the type of adhesive at that time. Thanks again for all the helpful replies.