Mast finishes

[Mark Gudschinsky]

With Swimmer finished, The Flyer finally made it into the boat shed. I'll disassemble the whole thing in an attempt to put a respectable finish on her within the next three weeks. It's going to be a tight schedule!

When we launched in a rush last year the boat hit the water with her mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff all bare wood. I pulled the cover off and everything looks clean and solid. I'm not interested in paint so what are the protect the wood rigging options? Oils? Varnish? Go bare and make new every few years?

[Barry Pyeatt]

Oils? Varnish? Go bare and make new every few years?

Yes!

What kind of wood did you use for the spars? If it is D.Fir or Spruce then you can use Varnish and it will look great for some time and be relatively easy to redo.

My personal preference is for the oil based Varathane Classic Exterior Spar Varnish. It has an a very high UV rating and lasts for a long time. Easy to apply and a nice golden hue added to the wood. Satin or High Gloss. About $13 a quart here in the mainland.

4-6 coats brushed or sprayed.

They also make a good exterior oil finish with a good UV rating if you are so inclined, but it takes refreshing every year.

[Zeroice]

I use man o war spar varnish, and it hold up nicely. But a friend I know uses tongue oil on bird houses that are used in the weather. It takes a few more coats though.