I understand about applying multiple coats of the same color but what I'm talking about is where different colors come together and overlap. I certainly can't mask off and paint a second color on the edge of another while the first color is still wet. Recoating time on the can is less than 15 minutes. I contacted the companies and they admitted they changed their formulas which made multiple color overlaps more difficult but increased other properties in the paint.

It can be done - but it involves spraying very light coats of the subsequent colors where they overlap...which means you can't lay down a smooth coat. It will be orange peeled and will need to be sanded and clear coated.

Spring for the AWLGRIP and someone to spray it. It's as tough as nails, but it's very toxic. Every mast that leaves our local spar shop with paint is Awlgripped. It's the right way to go.

They are there just for support

Just my .02 but I think I'm going to have to agree with everyone telling you to use a quality product. I would highly suggest you visit a local Paint and Automotive supply shop that is a jobber for the local body shops. They will likely have several people on staff who have sprayed catalyzed product or single stage acrylics and can tell you what will work best for your situation. The problem that your going to run into is deciding if you want to do the work yourself or have someone do it for you? I would strongly suggest you do it yourself for several reasons.

1: Do you really want to load up that mast, haul it off to a custom paint shop, pay and arm and a leg, wait several days before you can pick it up, and then risk damage while transporting "soft" paint?

2: If you already have a compressor of a decent size you can pickup a very usable generic gravity fed HVLP spray gun for about 75 bucks. A quart of reduced and flattened ready to spray acrylic enamel(which is a lot more than you'll need but probably the smallest they will sell you the way I described,) should only set you back around 30 bucks at your local automotive paint jobber and will give you a professional finish and durability that will far exceed anything you'll get out of an aerosol. You'll also end up with a lot less unnecessary product on your mast which while minimal, is a good place to reduce weight.

3: When you finish this project and see how awesome it turned out, you'll wonder why you waited so long to start spraying things the "right" way. You'll also have the tools and confidence to tackle other projects that may have seemed like a job for someone else before. Just make sure to spot prime the bare spots, final sand, and wipe every thing down with a good solvent based wax and grease remover. Good prep will make every paint job better regardless of the product used.
Best of luck with whatever you end up doing.

Actually we just got the gun and will be using a product from Interlux called Britsides. I am not set up for the two part and knowing my neighbors once I start that I'll the AQMB knocking at my door.

Let me give you the breakdown on how I got to this point.


1.) Scraped off all the stickers and the crud they leave behind.

2.) Coment clenser, a Scotch pad, and the hose. Once I had the epoxy work done to patch the holes the whole mast was cleaned using this.

3.) After we hosed it it down we washed it again with with dishsoap and water.

4.) Then we went to work wet sanding with 180 - 220 - 400.

5.) Repeated steps 2 & 3.

Nice! I google'd your paint and it looks perfect for your carbon mast. Poly's are always great for a surface that's going to see some flex. Couple of questions, did you get reducer for the paint? It's going to be to thick to spray as is, unless your a fan of the textured look. Also I would suggest that you final sand (wet sand would be best,)with at least 600 grit and then wipe it down again before spraying. Honestly it's probably a little anal for a Mast but I grew up prepping and later shooting cars for my dad, so I go with what I know.

Hope everything turns out well!

They do, it is Interlux Spray Reducer 216.

Still trying to figure the viscosity, any recommendations for a starting point?

couple of things to mention. if the gun is brand new, do a small project with it before you spray the mast. they pack the guns with grease fron the factory and the first time you run material through there especialy something hot like marine poly, it will spit globs of grease on your stuff. learned that the hard way, gun puked on my hood in the middle of the paint job. paint a chair or something then clean her up proper and its ready.

as far as reduction, follow the destructions but stay on the lesser side, you can always add more(cap fulls at a time). test the spray pattern on some scrap material until you get the fan and material flow where you like it before you touch the mast. don't try to put a fat coat on and cover on the first coat, hit a light/med 1st coat, let it flash for 15 mins. or so then another medium coat to cover. whites useually cover real good, reds and yellows not so much. the main thing is not to run/sagg the material. your better off with several light coats than to drench it. don't forget beer...can't paint without it!

Problem with spraying the one part paint is technically you should let each coat dry, then sand, then recoat the next coat. Because it is so thin to spray, you won't get much build up. You can hot coat the paint, but it can have problems with adhesion. This means you use up a lot more time and energy than if you used a two part paint, which will get a great finish with three consecutive sprays to build up the paint.

If you are going to use Brightside you'll be better off rolling and tipping, using the brushing liquid. This actually leaves a very nice finish if you get it thinned right.

Or, you can base coat with roll and tip and spray a final coat after sanding, which would produce the nicest fastest result for that product.

I agree with coastrat of this advice. The first thing you should do is run some lacquer thinner or similar "clean" solvent through the gun to flush the needle, cap, and atomizing points. If you have another project to practice on great, but don't sweat it if you don't.

Follow this link for the MFG product sheet that will give you all the specs you need. http://www.yachtpaint.com/MPYACMDatasheets/Brightside_Polyurethane+eng-usa+A4+Y+20100614.pdf

Reducing your product should be done based on the size of the nozzel your gun has. Every gun can be different but it's probably around the 1.5-1.7 size range. Reduction should be based on the manufactures recommendation for the product (if it's not on the can call the store where you bought it or check the MFG website,) and adjusted only slightly to compensate for a smaller nozzle or temperature challenges in the curing environment. The reducer you purchased is specific to the spray application because it will allow the paint to be thinned without decreasing dry time and in a lot of cases actually increasing dry times. This will allow you enough time to coat the entire mast allow it to flash off then re coat while the paint is still "open" and able to bond with the consecutive layers. Single stage products can have very long dry times so be sure to follow the MFG direction on this and don't rush it. Don't put to much on the first coat. Thinner coats make for better adhesion to both the mast and each other. Your final coat should be the thickest and around .5 mils and in regular applications will give you the best gloss. Remember to watch your overlaps, release the trigger and re engage at both sides of your stroke, and always work directly in front you trying to avoid crazy angles or blind spots. And one last thing, make sure you drain your compressor really well before spraying. There is nothing more sickening than seeing your work ruined by water contamination. If you live in a really humid area I would pick up an in-line air dryer. Their available for around $5 and screw directly on to your gun in between the nipple. Sorry about the ramble I've been awake way to long and I'm a little jealous that you can even go outside and work without getting soaked.

Once again good luck and post some more pics when your done, I'd love to see how it turns out.