bristol finish for mast refinish

[dunbarpm]

I know the forum members have mixed feelings about Cetol, but is there much experience out there with Bristol Finish, a two part polyurethane? I plan to refinish my (presumably) spruce box masts this winter and really need something that holds up in the sun. Bristol finish seems to have been around for a while and they certainly advertise it as durable.
Thanks
PeteD

[peb]

I use Bristol Finish. I have mixed feelings about it.

The good: It does hold up to the sun very well. It is pretty easy to apply and get to look well.

The bad: it peels up in spots. This seems to be mainly an issue with prepping the surface, because it is generally in corners and on trim where my prep work may not be as good. Although, last time I was very careful about this and was very surprised in one spot that came up.

The undecided: In some places it holds up to traffic quite well. On the cap of my bulwark, people are always stepping on them, yet its holds up well. Other places that get a lot of traffic or lines wearing, it seems not quite as good. But I am skeptical about a mast.

The good news is that if it doesn't work, it is fairly easy to remove down to the wood with a heat gun. With just a sander, good luck.

I have had lots of trouble with varnishes holding up to the TX heat, and this one seems to come close. But not quite there.

[Dan McCosh]

Been here before, but...My experience with Bristol Finish is that it is a relatively hard surface, apparently impervious to water vapor. The latter characteristic means any small crack will let water under it, and then lifts it. We end up every year with numerous mechanical dings in the mast, hence would add a couple of coats of soft varnish anyway. The same mechanical dings would, I assume, cause major issues with Bristol Finish. I did once consider CPES, then Bristol, but considering the labor, risk of failure, etc., never tried it.

[Bark]

Pete:

I used it for my spars - no real complaints about performance, but I found it difficult to use on the masts. Very watery, lots of runs. But then again, I'm sure I was in too much of a hurry ...

Ben