Mast Maintenance

The mast was last stripped in 2018 just after purchasing. It needed some TLC but partly due to budgetary constraints and partly ignorance it was not stripped down to the wood. After five years of annual oiling with a top secret mixture it was starting to look a bit patchy and feel a bit sticky. So this year it would have a deeper service and a change of oil.

This is a pivotal year in many ways. For the first time I have missed the start of the sailing season due to family health concerns. I myself am waiting for an Op for gallstones. On the upside I have finally cracked it, After many years trying different methods I’ve learned how to sharpen a cabinet scraper using a wetstone to grind a square edge and a ‘knocking’ to produce a microscopic curl of metal. I haven’t learned yet how to avoid getting a blister on my thumb, so right now the mast is not the only thing looking a bit patchy and sticky.

For oil I’m starting with a few coats of tung oil thinned with spirit.