Rivets

Finally removed the rivets holding on my old VHF mounting plate to the top of my mast. Had to drill off the rivet heads and then tap out the rivet pins. Because the rivets were stainless steel rather than aluminum I needed to buy a cobalt drill bit for the job and run the motor at low speed. It took about 25 minutes to drill out 3 rivets and it looks like it used up the drill bit by the end.

Aluminum Corrosion

My mast has a few spots where the metal has started to corrode. It looks like in most places, this has been caused by stainless steel items mounted on the mast (for example, the mounting bracket for the VHF antenna).

My job for this weekend is to remove these items and clean up the mast.

1. sand down with paper and brush
2. apply etching paint and wash
   
3. apply expoy primer
4. paint with aluminum spar paint
   

I've bought a new antenna (the old one looks like it has had it). All of the stainless steel needs to bedded with a layer of silicone to provide an electrically insulated layer between the aluminum and the steel (electrolosis between the metals is what causes the corrosion).

Some of the fittings are riveted to the mast. I need to find a way of removing these. I think if I try and drill them out, the rivets will just spin in place.

I'm also installing new lights at the top of the mast. I need to find a way of securing the electrical cables and the VHF cable at the top of the mast so that they're not secured by the equipment alone.

Steaming Light Flooded

Checked on the boat this weekend and found that the rain had flooded out the steaming light. Seems like the light isn't designed to be waterproof, especially when oriented this way round. Gonna replace it with a new one.