Services
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Spar Paint & Servicing
Ensuring your spar finish is up to snuff is about more than just a shiny mast and boom. Whether we are talking about wood, carbon fiber, or aluminum, the finish of your spar needs to be maintained in order to preserve the structural integrity of your mast. The Rigging Company has developed and refined its processes through many years of experience, and as a result we are able to offer uniquely effective treatments, especially when it comes to wooden spars.
The primary purpose of painting or repainting a spar is not for good looks, but to chemically seal and protect the spar itself from deterioration or failure due to corrosion. In order to achieve this, several critical steps must be a part of the overall process, otherwise you end up spending a lot of money for a final product that will only last for a couple of years.
Our general process starts with stripping every fitting off the mast until we get down to just the spar itself. It is critical to remove all stainless steel, as a single stainless rivet or fastener left in place can rapidly accelerate the rate of corrosion and reduce the life of the “seal.” Next, all of the old finish is removed, and any corroded areas are spot-treated with sand-blasting and closely inspected for structural deficiencies. Any unused holes are filled in and the mast is dry-fitted with whatever fittings are being re-used and/or newly installed (this critical and often overlooked step ensures that the inside of all mounting holes are painted, leaving a layer of paint between the spar and the stainless fastener as an inhibitor for dissimilar metals corrosion). For aluminum spars, a final acid wash is applied to chemically remove any remaining corrosion at the molecular level.
Once the preparation of the spar has been completed, it is hung in the paint booth and sprayed with multiple coats of specialized, multi-part epoxy primer (Awlgrip is our preferred brand for this application). The primer layer is designed to both chemically bond to the bare spar – this keeps the final topcoat from blistering – as well as to form a hard, protective, corrosion-proof shell around the spar.
The final finishing color is sprayed over the top of the primer, typically with a layer of clear UV protectant over the final color, and the final product is allowed to sit for several days unperturbed while the paint finishes curing. Finally all the fittings and fixtures are reinstalled using new 316 stainless fasteners, wires and halyards are fished in, rigging is hung & dressed, and the mast is ready to step.
To get on our list to receive an estimate to have your mast refinished please fill out our Service Request Forms or simply give us a call, we’d be glad to help.
Work Request Form
Please fill out the form below as completely as possible, it will ensure a speedy reply! If you would like to send us images please email us directly at sales@theriggingco.com
I sent in a work request form a few days ago and have not heard back. Just checking on status. The boat name is Entre nous and is in Annapolis Maryland capital yacht club. It’s a passport 470cc 1997. I have need of tuning my rig as well as fixing a twisted shrouds.
Got it Mike. I just replied. How’s Friday 10/13 for the work?
~T.R.C.
We were planning on leaving Friday but if that’s the best we can wait a day.
Got it. I am converting this to an estimate now and sending it you. Let’s use the email.
THX
~T.R.C.
Mike, we’re done. I will have an invoice along with findings and recommendations tomorrow.
I’m looking into purchasing a Hinckley Bermuda 40 Mk III yawl. It will need all new standing rigging. I see on your web site that you have “packages”, but I can’t find any further description or cost for the packages. Do you have such a package for the B40 Mk III? If so, what is the cost? If not, what would it cost to replace the standing rigging on the B40 Mk III? The boat has recently-replaced turnbuckles on the bottom ends, so I won’t need those. The headsail is a Harken roller furling rig which appears to be in good shape – so I won’t need that either. I think that the usual 1X19 wire rope with swaged fittings would be adequate – unless you have some recommendation otherwise.
Also – the base of the mizzen shows heavy corrosion; I haven’t looked at the base of the main mast yet. Would your reconditioning of the mast include cutting of a portion of the base and fabricating a new step (perhaps out of G10?) to replace the amount of mast removed?
Thanks.
Hi Rick,
Thanks for contacting us. Yes, we do have packages for this boat. We finished a new mast build, complete with standing and running rigging back in 2015 for a Bermuda 40 sloop. It sounds like you have the yawl? Just to do some thinking aloud….The general rule of thumb, if the boat has swaged wire rigging you are looking at around $4k for just the standing rigging of the main mast. If we add a very rough $2500 or so for the mizzen and round up, we could say $7k is a good budget for standing rigging replacement. You will also need to take the masts down and put them back up, let’s say $3k for that. In terms of refinishing, yes we would trim the mast butt if needed and make up for the length lost (ususally minimal) either with the standing rigging, OR make a G10 riser for the mast step as you suggest. Refinishing both masts can run easily around 7 grand. Having said all of that, I would imagine that a project like this can easily be in 20 thousand territory.
Please fill out our Online Work Request Form and one of our sales staff will contact you to set up some time to ask questions and/or meet at the boat to discuss the details and come up with a more specific estimate.
Regards,
~T.R.C.
are turnbuckles good idea on rudder quadrant on new sailboat steering cables?
I wouldn’t and I cant imagine that it would work without problems. Either to damage the turnbuckle or the quadrant. I would just use stainless steel cable clamps/bulldogs/wire clips (makes for easy adjusting), stainless steel thimbles to the threaded eye bolt (make sure the eye is welded closed) and some 7×19 stainless steel wire. The other end that attaches to the chain should either have a chain swage or also a thimbled eye made with a nicro press sleeve and heat shrink tubing to protect the rough edges. That’s the way Edson Marine likes it and I tend to agree. Go with what works; no grease, no turnbuckles and no funny business.
Hope this helps and thank you for the comment.