Teak mast cover

[xort]

I'd like to wrap my mast below deck with teak. I've seen this done with some sort of vertical slats that must be attached to a fabric backing. Haven't seen it up close so I'm guessing. I've surfed around and can't find anything.
Any leads?

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by xort

I'd like to wrap my mast below deck with teak. I've seen this done with some sort of vertical slats that must be attached to a fabric backing. Haven't seen it up close so I'm guessing. I've surfed around and can't find anything.
Any leads?

I know it sounds cheesy but I've seen a teak & holly linoleum product that looks darn good... I think you'd need to make up your own teak "roll top" like for a roll top desk for you mast as I've never seen teak glued to the flexible fabric..

[Gary1]

I suppose you could wrap it in teak veneer. The prep work would be the lion share of the job.

If the mast is bare aluminum, I'd sand it down with 180-220 wet or dry paper, wash it good with detergent and water, rinse it, then dry it off. Then, just to be safe, I'd do the Aluma-prep and Alodine thing to it. That way you've go a good surface for the contact cement to stick to.

On the subject of contact cement, don't use the water-based stuff. It doesn't do well in the marine environment. The solvent based stuff works much better, but it is brutal to use belowdecks. Open the boat wide open, put a cheap box fan as close to the mast as you can, and evacuate the air. Wear a good respirator mask if you have one, otherwise I can almost guarantee you the headache from H**l.

After you've got the veneer on, put a LOT of varnish on it, because the actual teak is very, very thin.

[jbondy]

I would also consider how such a treatment would stand up when you unstep the mast. This is a matter of some debate, but I think everyone agrees it should be done with some frequency.

[sailingdog]

The other issue, is how would the covering affect the mast in terms of corrosion and holding water trapped between it and the mast? Also, if the mast has any water coming down through the partners, there's a good chance that the covering will act as a retainer for the water and become a breeding ground for mold and mildew.

[Freesail99]

Why not use Bella Wood prefinished tongue & groove solid teak flooring ? Simply make a box around the mast, with one wall of that box, a hinged door.

[duffer1960]

A friend of ours used that around her poles in the basement of her house. You can probably find it a the hardware of flooring store. We wrapped our mast with 1/2 or 3/4 inch hemp type rope. It was a pain to do but it looked good. Though, after a few years of getting wet, it started to stink (it stunk anyway when we first installed it) so we removed it. If you use the wood planking stuff, I wouldn't attach it directly to the mast but would make it into a tube so that it can be removed when you need to pull the mast.

[Rockter]

Good point there Saiidog.
Imagine the steamy horrors behind that teak cladding.
I'd rather have the corrosion enemy I can see.
My own mast is deck-stepped, with a big handsome stainless sampson post holding it up.

I wouldn't do it Xort.

[RAGTIMEDON]

All the Endeavours I have seen have keel stepped masts. I would be inclined to use that contact cement outside, gluing strips of teak to a canvas backing. Put a couple snaps on it to hold it around the mast below deck, so it could be easily removed for inspection or when you unstep the mast. Veneer glued to a mast will get scraped badly going up thru the deck when the mast is pulled - they always ruin my paint job, so the Admiral re-paints with Rustoleum! But you know, a mahogany cover sounds good; The interior of my Endeavour is mahogany, only the floor is teak. I have some mahogany and some canvas- maybe I should add that to the project list!

[duffer1960]

This is from the Home Depot website. Do a search for "Pole Wrap", and keep your minds out of the gutter!