Wood Spars - Tayana 37 Operation & Maintenance Manual

1. Wood Spars

If you have wooden spars with your yacht you can be assured that you have
some of the finest available. TaYang uses a very fine grade of spruce that has
been well seasoned. All glues are epoxy and screws and fittings are stainless
steel or marine bronze. The workers in TaYang's spar shop are among the
yard's most experienced.
Probably the single most important maintenance item on a wooden mast is
the condition of the bedding under the fittings. Normally fittings are bedded
in polysulphide at the factory. This is done to keep water from gathering
under the fitting and causing dryrot. The bedding of fittings should be
checked at least once a year. If the bedding shows signs of deterioration, the
fitting should be removed, all of the old bedding should be cleaned away,
and new bedding applied.
Varnished spars are certainly the best looking, but they also require the most
maintenance. This is particularly true if the yacht is operating in southern
waters. The biggest enemy of varnish is the sun and the finish must be
watched very carefully. The varnish job done by the factory is barely
adequate. They use reasonably good varnish, but it does not contain
ultraviolet shielding and insufficient coats are applied to insure long life.
We recommend to all owners with varnished spars, particularly those in the
south, that at least five more coats of varnish be applied before the spars are
installed on the yacht. These additional coats will insure that additional
varnishing will probably not be required for about eighteen months.
Varnished exterior surfaces should be examined constantly. If deterioration
or damage is spotted, it should be taken care of immediately. The damaged
area should be sanded and new varnish applied to the area using four or five
coats. A useful maintenance item is a spray can of spar varnish. If a
varnished surface is damaged during a cruise or race and there is not time for
a permanent repair, the area may be prayed to prevent further deterioration.
We recommend that owners who operate in southern waters with wooden
spars paint them white or off-white. The paint is not susceptible to ultraviolet
damage and they tend to reflect heat. A well painted wooden spar does not
need to be repainted for at least 24 months if the finish has not been
physically damaged. Bedding is just as important as with a varnished spar
and should be checked regularly. One argument against painting has been the
perception that paint might hide an area of rot and the resulting delay in
discovering the problem could be serious. We have not found this to be the
case. If painted spars are examined on a regular basis, rot and excess
moisture will be readily apparent --paint will discolor and peel.
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