How many coats of paint on a mast?

[Dan Hobson]

There's 35 feet of solid spruce sitting there. I'm using a spar paint, white, ,glossy, an alkyd. I wanted to go with a varnish, but it didn't work out for me. Something about too many deeper divots in the wood made in transport. How many coats of paint are enough?? Something in me wants to clear coat this thing after the white paint dries. Any thoughts??

[Scott Rosen]

My mast is painted.

For protection, you'll want a couple of coats of primer and a couple of top coats. If it were mine, I'd start with CPES.

But depending on the quality of finish you want, you may need a lot more priming to fill the grain.

[Dan Hobson]

When it was bare wood I enjoyed the roughness of the thing. I was going to varnish and then the situation changed. The damage occurred here in my yard at the hands of a 7 year old with a tire iron. I really loved it when the kids got out and walked the beam in the yard. But that's the way it goes some times. Damaged in transport is relative, and the trucking company sure did a great job of getting it here. So I filled the fifty odd divots, little half inch gouges, and painted over with one coat of primer and on to the glossy stuff. The grain shows, and I like it that way. It has the look of a painted timber. But where to stop! How many coats of paint?? And what about that clear overcoat that I keep thinking about??

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

At least 3.... up to six, making sure that the paint is fully cured between coats.

Just my .02

[Gary E]

Stick with your original plan... The 7 year old with a tire iron will grow up and 10 and 20 years from now you can still look at a few very minor meaningless dents and remember the good ole days...

[merlinron]

dan, did you try steaming the dents out. on a soft wood such as sitka, you can get them to all but dissapear. wet a wash cloth, put it over the dent and hit it with a hot iron for few minutes. if real stubborn, squirt a little downy fabric softener on the spot,cover it with the wet rag, let it saok in for an while and repeat above. the grain raises, but just sand it back down (sometimes it is better to plane the raised grain off, to avoid compressing it from sanding the softened fibers). if there are small fiber tears rub a little cpes into them to lock them in place after it has thoueoughly dried. i have done some pretty ugly dents/gashes this way in all sorts of woods,soft and hard, you'll be suprised how well it brings them back.
i know you've already given the spar a primer coat, but that can be stripped/sanded off yet and i hate to see a nice sitka spar get painted, especially, as in you're case, it is an unplanned second choice.

[Scott Rosen]

Dan,

There's no magic formula for painting a mast. It's no different from any other piece of exterior lumber on a boat.

No matter what you do, you will have to unstep the mast and inspect it carefully at least once a year. You will get scratches and dings in the paint, and you may choose to put on a fresh topcoat every year.

If I understand you, this is a solid, not hollow, mast. That makes it an even better candiate for painting, as you don't have to worry about the paint hiding the glue joints from view. Glue joints are the most common areas of failure on a hollow mast.

Sounds like you've done all you need to do for now.

[ 09-10-2005, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: Scott Rosen ]

[Nick C]

From what I've read on this forum and heard elsewhere, paint can take a year to dry, completely.Obviously it is plenty dry enough to use in a week or so, but it makes me think.

Wouldn't the best situation be to prime, then use just enough coats to get good coverage? Then a year later, inspect sand and put another coast on.

Think about it, that drip on your paint can still be soft and drying a week later.

[David W Pratt]

However many you put on will be one too few.
Good luck.