After at least a decade in her berth without any maintenance much renovation was necessary. In comparison with having to replace the transom (see the other article in this section of the Boatyard) major surgery on the mast seems like a piece of cake. As this article is written the mast has had much accomplished, as chronicled in the photos below, but much remains to be done. As the further steps are undertaken and completed we will post the photos and updates. The after piece of the four piece, boxed mast needed to be removed in order to replace the wiring (stapled to the interior of the mast rendering it imcapable of being pulled), apply the resorcinol glue (recommended by Larry Pardey in his recent book on classic boat building techniques as the ONLY way to glue wood if you want to have a reliable bond under all conditions), and check for water damage due to a serious split in the wood. By the way we've posted the source of the glue on the Links section of the webpage. West Marine is perpetrating a myth that this glue is illegal in Calif. Once opened up it was determined that the small blocks of wood glued in the interior corners of the mast would all have to be replaced as most had come unglued and were no longer serving their purpose. We further intend to fasten conduit of pvc to the interior of the mast to carry the wiring and radio antenna. Removing the plank required a careful hand sawing of the seams utilizing a thin bladed japanese saw. An accomplished and steady hand and eye took approximately 10 hours of sawing to traverse the 47 feet of spruce. (photos a & b) A   B As the seams were cut small wedges were inserted in the now open seam to keep the two pieces of wood from binding the blade. Eventually the weight of the loose piece obviated the need for wedges. (photos c & d). C   D   A careful sanding of the cut edges was aided by placing a piece of wood in the hollow of the mast to help the sanding block remain true and square to the edge. The resorcinol glue comes in two cans. Mixed 1 to 1.   Small pegs of wood were cut, dipped in the glue and inserted into every screw hole.