Aluminum spars
 

How should I go about refurbishing my aluminum spars? I have a 1973 Pearson 10M with old Schaefer Marine spars. The boat has been in a fresh water invironment for it's life so far. However, it will soon be embarking on an intense and permanent salt water odessey. So my interest is in the longevity of the protection from the refurbishing. In that respect can you speak to the benefits of awlgrip paint as opposed to anodizing. Thanks much.

Schaefer Spars?
 

Hello,
And wow, I didn't know that Schaefer ever made spars. In any event you are extraordinarily fortunate that the boat has had a fresh water past; assuming proper scantlings, no impact damage, proper tune and shape, no electrolysis, etc., your job will be to keep the corrosion clock from beginning its awful ticking. To do this you'll want to remove and rebed every single piece of hardware, and every fastener. As someone who makes far too much of his living repairing corroded masts and booms, I cannot overstate the importance of this procedure.
Get Tef-Gel for the fasteners, and UHMW or mylar tape for all the fittings. Be sure that the step can drain, and that wiring can't chafe. Am I forgetting something?
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

The one thing I might add would be the installation of conduit on the mast. Depending on the amount of electrics and electronics, I would recommend at the very least a 3/4 piping if not a 1" with messengers to be sure.
As Brion noted, you are extremely fortunate to have a freshwater mast.
As far as Awlgrip versus anondizing...to re-anodize a mast that legnth would be horribly cost prohibitive. Follow Brion's lead with isolation and paint. Awlgrip might just be a practical path, but research other paints. I have seen wonderful results with less expense from other paint companies. Look into automobile finishes...

Tom

I will be doing some work on my mast this spring. Where can I get UMHW or mylar tape?

Jim Fulton

Jim,

Call Brion's shop for UHMW, or you can also try APS or Svendsen's, depending on which coast you're on. It's wonderful stuff, you'll find uses for it all over your boat. Since you're refurbishing your mast, you might see if you can get some wide (6" or greater) stuff for the front of your mast at deck level. Makes a great sacrificial layer to protect your new paint job from the likes of stainless rings or j-locks.

Aaron

In western Canada at least, there are several outlets of a place called "Industrial Plastics & Paints" that sells everything UHMW, Teflon, or otherwise hard-to-source in plastics, in every form from tapes to huge blocks. Ostensibly a wholesaler, they still sell to the general public in some locations.
Look for such an oufit in your own neck-o'-the-woods, or consider mail-ordering. i've used them before, and they provide generally great service, and usually end up being cheaper than buying specialty pre-packaged materials from chandleries.