Mast Corrosion: Repair & Refinishing Estimate from Rigger

[tomschell]

As a bit of background, I noticed some corrosion at the base of my mast and then later at the deck tie down around the boom bracket fastener.

So I did what most people do and posted on the cruiserforum.com seeking advice. Here’s a link to that post: Requesting Advice: Corrosion on Lower Mast & Mast Step

I then took some modest steps to try and address the mast corrosion while I still had the mast up because I wasn’t able to pull it this winter.

I also made two videos and posted on YouTube as a visual aid. (I know the music on the 1st on is a silly, just having a bit of fun with it)

I also thought it might be wise to follow up with a pro rigger to get their input as well. I reached out to the https://theriggingco.com/ down in Annapolis, MD as I’ve heard they have a good reputation.

I wanted to share their response here and get feedback from you guys on their recommendation. I’ve included my request and their response and then a few specific questions that I have based on his response. Thanks for being patient and following along.

My email:

Hi there,

Hope this finds you well. Just wanted to reach out to see if you did work for boats outside of the MD area. I recently purchased a Nordic 40 SE that’s laid up in Brooklyn for the winter and I’m looking for a rigger to do an inspection of the mast, the mast and mast step based on corrosion on the lower mast and areas where the paint is cracking around the goose neck. The mast was originally made by Kenyon.

Here is a short video of the corrosion on the lower & mast step
(see youtube video above)
And the action I took as a short term fix.
(see other youtube video above)
Please let me know what else you need from me to provide an assessment of work needed.

Many thanks,

Photos I attached and sent as well

Their response

The mast needs to be refinished. Not to completely ignore your request for an inspection, but if I were you, I’d save that money and get directly to a refinish project.

Why? It’s the corrosion around all of the fasteners that scares me more than the mast base… (look at the deck tie down and boom bracket fasteners)

The mast will need to come off of the boat, be completely disassembled and then sanded (or blasted) and finally repainted. We can figure out what do do with the base and fastener holes at that time. I think I have about 3 feet of that exact mast extrusion that we found for another Nordic 44 that we made doublers for back in 2017. He had severe corrosion issues as well. I would expect to find the same issues with your mast as it looks from the pictures that there is severe galvanic corrosion around your deck tie down. The stainless steel backing plate and fasteners are reacting with the aluminum mast and turning everything into white dust (non-scientific, but you get the idea). I would guess that there is no sealant (and never was any) between the fasteners and the mast wall (there wasn’t on the last Nordic 44). Additionally, there might be a bad electrical connection somewhere that’s speeding up the whole process. Either way, when everything is stripped off of the mast we will evaluate the mast base and all of the holes and surrounding corrosion and make some decisions on how to move forward. It doesn’t look like anything that can’t be fixed, but that mast is still corroding under that paint and will only continue to get worse.

As for cost… The last Nordic 44 was a complete mast refurb with doublers - he spent just under $50K, but got EVERYTHING. Paint, new rod, all new electrical, new outhaul track and car, reconfigured reef system, boom preventer system, bow sprit and top-down furler. I’ll bet you’re into $25-30K minimum to deal with the corrosion and, while it’s down, service the rod (re-head ends) and do any mast electrical that you’ll want for the next 7 or 8 years. I can write up a complete estimate if you’d like, I have a few in front of you, but I can have it to you next week. Just let me know and I’ll get you on the list.

Cheers,

Brad

PS - - if you go to the gallery on our website you’ll see pictures of the Nordic 44 from 2017. I’ve attached a few pics of the doublers that we made for that project.

My reaction after reading

So I realize I’ve thrown a lot of context at you. Now let me try and be a little specific about what I’m looking for your input on (although all input is welcome)

1. Has anyone else had experience with refinishing a mast? Done it them selves or had it professionally done?
2. Does this estimate seem reasonable?
3. Does anyone know who the other Nordic 44 he’s referring to who spent 50k on a mast refurb?

I might have a few more questions but I think that’s it for now. I think I’ll go back and ask for an estimate. All thoughts and feedback are welcome.

[IanMoore2468]

Hi Tom, You’ll have to weigh up a lot of factors there! If it was me I’d start by pulling a few of those gooseneck fasteners and looking to see if there’s any solid material holding them in, it’s always hard to know how bad corrosion is under paint on aluminium. Maybe you’ve caught it early enough…

[Diva]

Tom,
Where to start? You should have your rigging/mast inspected top to bottom. It should cost no more than $150-200. The mast is much stronger ( thicker) than you think and some corrosion may be shallow. It does need to be addressed though. You should also find a rigger in your area. Several years ago I had a transmission problem when sailing down LI Sound. Had to be towed into Milford Boat Works in Milford Conn. Call Nancy there or Larry the mechanic foreman. They were very honest, communicated well and did great work. Sai up there in the spring. Or, find someone close to you.

I have an estimate from the rigging Co in Annapolis. They have a good reputation. But they are not cheap. I had them estimate a complete new rigging but did not include the mast being repainted. I too have a Kenyon. They told me that painting my mast would add another $6,000 or so. I felt that my bid for rigging was going to mushroom if they did the work. I saw painted masts at their shop and they would do it right As they looked first class imho… I don’t think my mast has anywhere near the issues yours does. They are not part of a yard. If you brought your boat down you would have to expect a slip fee at the nearby yard, Bert Jabins. So, lots of potential costs to look at.

I too wondered who owned the Nordic 44 they worked on. They told me about it but I never found out who. That owner did all kinds of extra things. My bid from them for just wire rigging was about $15,000. I plan to do it myself in next summer. Hope this helps.
Mike
SV Diva, a 44

[tomschell]

Thanks @Diva and @IanMoore2468

Appreciate the perspective here. @Diva you’re right I need to get quotes from other riggers in the area. I’ll check out Milford Boat Works. That price definitely gave me some sticker shock for sure. I’d love to do the work my self but it’s also one of these jobs that, given the risk and consequences of doing it wrong, I’m more inclined to give it to professional do the sandblasting and repair and painting . But that quote is a strong motivator pursue all alternatives.

[IanMoore2468]

Tom, one of the few things I let a “professional” do on my boat was replace the standing rigging. I ditched the rod and went with wire. If we meet up this summer I’ll share some of the mistakes I’ve seen professionals make. New England Yacht Rigging in RI were good to deal with. Cost me about $12k. If I were you I would not be afraid of tackling the corrosion. It will depend more on whether you want a pristine painted mast or will settle for one that is perfectly serviceable but might look a bit patchy - to match a 40 yo boat :-). I have seen one 44 with a bowsprit passing through RI, maybe they are the ones referred to with the $50k mast job. It’s Salty Paws, based in Maine somewhere is the only info I have, I don’t think they are active on the group.

[tomschell]

Thanks @IanMoore2468 - I had a chance to talk to my surveyor who I have great respect for and is practical and he offered a similar perspective to yours and I agree. I definitely don’t need a pristine mast especially if it’s going to cost me $25-30k.

Patchy but serviceable is 100% ok with me. I’m going to start with areas that are obvious (the strap for the vang) and do the same thing I did to the lower mast (wire brush, zinc chromate and enamel spray paint)

I really just want to go sailing this summer and not laid be up in a yard with my mast in pieces. It sounds like eventually I’ll need to strip all the hardware off, sand blast and repaint but I think for now we’ll have to do what we can to limit any further corrosion. Progress not perfection!

Conclusion: Start with vang strap remove hardware, sand/wirebrush, inspect, zinc chromate primer, enamel spray paint, tef gel bolts, rebedded strap.

Thanks for all your help and support. I woke up this morning feeling pretty bummed that I was about to shell out what’s left of my savings and now I feel much better.

[IanMoore2468]

Yep, that’s what I’d do. I have refurbished aluminum parts including a boom on a previous boat, I’d suggest you try using an 80grit flap disk on an angle grinder to get back to bright metal before priming. Wire brushes just don’t get to the bottom of the pitting, in my experience anyway. Or if there are a few deep pits, get into them with a drill bit. There’s no point in repainting over any white dust.

Do you have a history on your rod rigging? When was it last replaced? I sailed one season with mine after I bought Mystic - coz I just wanted to go sailing not spend money, so I took the risk, it looked Ok - it was 18yo when I replaced it and there were two cracked heads. Your mast will not fail because of a few little holes or some aggressive sanding provided it’s held plumb by the rigging. So you know where to spend your money!

[tomschell]

Appreciate the tip!

Actually the rigging is wire and it was replaced when the previous owners did a refit back in 2010. It also looks ok. But yes good point. I need to a proper inspection on the standing rigging

[Simplicity]

I have three boats next to me in the yard right now who are all refurbishing their mast themselves. They sanded, hit it with primer and finish coats. Ran new electrical and they are adding new rigging as well. They look really nice in my opinion. Yards in your area sound very expensive.

[tomschell]

I know right?!

Also I feel like finding a yard where there are other people working on refits is a good idea. Good thing to keep in mind when we haul out next.

[nwnordic44]

My boom and spreaders had smalls spots of blistering paint where corrosion was at work when I got the boat in 2009. The mast was out of the boat for part of the trip north from CA so before it went back up with new rod rigging I knocked all the bad spots off, saw it was very slight surface stuff. Gave it good clean up and treated it with a suitable primer. Those primer spots are still there protecting it. The mast and boom need paint which will happen in the next year or two. Spending $50K is crazy compared to the value of the boat. Totally possible to DIY most of this with some research and in the right yard. The mast base may be superficial but we can’t see inside. These extrusions are substantial but that boom connection is worth attention. You don’t want a failure there when you’re offshore. That’s also fixable with a bit of ingenuity and attention to isolating the metals when it all goes back together. It may need a doubler if a significant amount of alum is gone. Get advice on that if you’re not sure.

In 2009 I bought all new rod rigging for about $8K and re-rigged it mostly myself with a bit of help from a friend and boat yard person. It’s really not that complicated. Yard stepped it. I had it tuned later by a pro for a few hundred bucks. Over the years I’ve had professionals inspect things as well as going up myself at least once a year.

The only real rigging failure I’ve had to date is the wire outhaul parted under high load. Should have reefed a bit sooner apparently. That got replaced with spectra.

[tomschell]

Thanks Brad! Really appreciate that perspective. Totally agree with you here. Even 25-30k is almost as much as I paid for the boat.

My challenge and I know it’s some thing other beginners face, especially when dealing with systems where failure could be dangerous or catastrophic, is understanding when is good enough.

Which is why what I think you are paying for (if you have the money) aside from quality work is peace of mind, and someone else to blame if it goes sideways (literally )

That being said given all the great feedback I’ve gotten from all of you and having read a bit more, I feel like I have the confidence to tackle this project on my own.

So thank you all for taking the time to contribute your experience, wisdom and advice! I really appreciate it and hope that there are other people who also benefit from this.

Thanks,

[Diva]

Tom
What did you ever do? I took my mast down and found some corrosion at the base but I am just going to have my yard clean up and paint that section. It’s such a thick mast that the corrosion shouldn’t be a factor. It’s a Kenyon too. Are you a 40 or 44?
Also how was your trip down the coast? How did you go? Where are you now?
Mike
Diva

[tomschell]

Hey @Diva

I haven’t had a chance to pull the mast yet but I scraped with a wire brush then zinc chromate and white spray paint and that was a year ago and it seems to be holding up well. We’re 40.

Trip down the coast is going GREAT. We’re just arriving in Charleston. Been coming in and out of the icw from Moorhead city down.

Did a little video for some reason here as well.

Trip down the coast is going GREAT. We’re just arriving in Charleston. Been coming in and out of the icw from Moorhead city down.