Epoxy Coating Mast

Did some final sanding on the mast and laid down the first coat of epoxy. I was planning to use the wet-on-wet technique Mik recommends but with temperatures in the low 60's the epoxy just would not go off fast enough so a bit of sanding in between coats will be necessary. It was easiest to hang the mast from both ends but the swinging proved to be a nuisance. The next coats will be done with the ends of the mast resting on something rigid. Spreading the epoxy with a foam brush was slow and cumbersome. I also tried skidding a foam roller as per Mik's instructions and that was slow as well and the swinging mast made it infuriating. I ended up just slathering the epoxy on with gloved hands like greasing a pole. It was fast and worked surprisingly well.

I did not bother to shape the base plug accurately since it is bedded in thickened epoxy and the mast base is not visible with the boat rigged. But it looks ugly and I just realized that with the mast de-rigged on the trailer the base of the mast is very prominent.  Oh well next time the base plug fits better.

Total time to date:  120hrs