Unpainted mast after stripping the paint - What Happens?

[maxingout]

What happens if you strip off the paint on a mast down to bare aluminum, and then you never repaint it?

Would that be a bad thing to do?

[rbk]

It will heavily oxidize and pit. Salt and aluminum don’t play well together. Any dissimilar metals attached to it without barriers will eat thought it at an incredible speed.

[atoll]

it goes a crusty grey and leaves white deposits on your hands when you touch it,apart from that not much else.
my boom is unpainted,un anodised,not much wrong with it after 20 years and a circumnavigation.
it is marine grad alloy though

[Cheechako]

My guess is it will be better than repainting. Many french boats are not painted. I had a mast completely rebuilt and painted and within a year it was all bubbled up again on the lower 6 feet or so.
The one problem you may run into if the mast is big is it may have fairing compound in it in places. Like where it is joined in the middle or welded there etc. So bare isnt going to look so good.
If I were buying a new boat I would try to get a bare mast over a painted one.

[rbk]

You’re thinking anodized Cheechako. If the OP can anodize and wants to spend the cash it’s hands down the way to go.

[maxingout]

I am trying to decide what to do when I strip the paint off the mast.

The color of the mast does not matter to me. If it is natural aluminum in appearance, that would be fine with me.

Our 55 foot mast is Lefeill presumably from France on our Privilege 39.

If I paint it, I guess I will have to do it in sections.

The boatyard told me they would do the job for $11,000 and I think I can probably do the job for a fraction of their quote.

I should have made my living painting masts. I could have retired sooner.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by maxingout

I am trying to decide what to do when I strip the paint off the mast.

The color of the mast does not matter to me. If it is natural aluminum in appearance, that would be fine with me.

Our 55 foot mast is Lefeill presumably from France on our Privilege 39.

If I paint it, I guess I will have to do it in sections.

The boatyard told me they would do the job for $11,000 and I think I can probably do the job for a fraction of their quote.

I should have made my living painting masts. I could have retired sooner.

you would want to be sure what grade of aluminium they used if you left it bare.

etch priming with zinc chromate,then epoxy primer,then polyuerathane top coat might cost $1000 in materials,but i doubt it,mine which is 19m used about 7 liters of top coat,5l of primer and about a liter of etch primer

[Terra Nova]

The only reason to strip to a bare mast is if the original finish was not prepared properly or was badly neglected and is blistering under the primer. Otherwise just sand, spot-prime and paint. A proper job is done if you first remove and disassemble the mast and its attachments, then freshly re-bed all fittings after repainting.

[thinwater]

I'm with Terra Nova. Unless the paint is bad in large sections, spot repairs are very practice. It's generally just a few fittings and maybe wear in the lower few feet. Just be careful with the prime and paint.

I've had painted masts. They required some touch-up around fittings. I've had anodized. The best choice, zero maintenance in many (but not all) cases). Going bare depends on the alloy, will always look grey, and could be a mistake. Touch-up seems most rational.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by rbk

You’re thinking anodized Cheechako. If the OP can anodize and wants to spend the cash it’s hands down the way to go.

Nah, none of the big masts are anodized that I know of. No tanks big enough I imagine, and many of those masts are spliced in the middle. Not sure what problems that would result in with crevices etc if you tried to anodize. As I said, bare aluminum is fine. Many aluminum boats are bare aluminum , no anodizing. As with anything, maintenance and smart installations required!

[BlueChicago]

Sorry to hijack with what might be a dumb question, but what type of anodized coating is typically used on an aluminum mast?

Some of the aluminum cooking pots that I own are hard anodized, and the stuff seems bulletproof. Is the same process used on masts?

Thanks

-BC

[did-g]

Ask them?

Originally Posted by maxingout

I am trying to decide what to do when I strip the paint off the mast.


Our 55 foot mast is Lefeill presumably from France on our Privilege 39.

If the right spelling is Lefiell it's an american company, very very unlikely name for a french one.

[Thumbs Up]

19m used about 7 liters of top coat,5l of primer and about a liter of etch primer

Seven liters to paint a mast?

[maxingout]

It is Lefeill and I see they have offices on the west coast.

[JayH]

Originally Posted by maxingout

I am trying to decide what to do when I strip the paint off the mast.

The color of the mast does not matter to me. If it is natural aluminum in appearance, that would be fine with me.

Our 55 foot mast is Lefeill presumably from France on our Privilege 39.

If I paint it, I guess I will have to do it in sections.

The boatyard told me they would do the job for $11,000 and I think I can probably do the job for a fraction of their quote.

I should have made my living painting masts. I could have retired sooner.

I re-rigged and re-painted my mast in that yard 2.5 years ago. 60 foot mast, 6 spreaders, 20 foot boom, and rigid vang. The yard didn't know how to quote it and threw out a huge number I've now forgotten. I didn't want to do it myself. They were happy enough with the re-rig job and let me bring in a contractor for the painting. The contractor sanded bare and re-primed only the bad spots, then Awlgripped it all for $4,000.

The mast and boom were rolled and tipped on horses right there in the yard. The spreaders and vang went away, got sprayed, and came back.

I was happy with the work. Send me a PM if you want the contact.