Transporting the Masts

 I wanted to paint the masts but not do the work in the boat yard because of the amount of dust and traffic in the yard. The best place for me to perform the work would be at my home behind the garage.

I used a 10 x 8 foot board attached to the mast head that made it possible to fasten to the hitch of the truck.

The harbor freight trailor used is placed so the the weight of the mast is supported. Having the mast on the trailer aligned in the center prevented tire drag. 

Having a person follow was helpful to keep an extra set of eyes on the tow while also adding safety to the transport. I traveled 16 miles from marina to my residence on all back roads.

The masts were transported in September of 2020. My plan at that time was to sand the old paint off and inspect the integrity of the carbon fiber/S glass underneath. 

The masts were built in 1988 and the paint was becoming thin with scratches and some bubbling underneath caused by moisture getting between the winter tarp and the mast - effectively creating a green house effect. In the past, I used white paint to just cover areas where the glass was starting to become exposed, but it was time to strip the masts and paint the entire masts.