Cleaning Mast on a 83 H-16

I am in the process of coating my hulls with Poliglow,so I have the mast off.I was wondering what is the best way to polish the mast? I have looked at other threads,but I'm not sure if the 83 mast is annodized or not.Some say to use a automotive polish like Mothers. Has anyone used it?

I would not polish the mast. I can take off the annodized coating. Kepp it clean and rinsed with fresh water and maybe apply a paste wax or even petrolatum (vaselin) in a think coat on it and wipe i off to help prevent corrosion.

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Why did I sell my 16?

Don't use Vaseline - it never dries and it attracts dirt like you won't believe.

ALL the masts are anodized. Some are clear and some are black. The black can fade over time.

I've had some luck with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner:

Spray on / wipe around / wipe off. Give it a while to dry or you'll leave fingerprints. It cleans the surface and leaves a nice shine.

If the mast is black a product called Penetrol works great for bringing back shine. Just wipe on a thin coat with a lint free rag and let dry. You can get it at Home Depo or any paint strore in the paint dept.

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ADDICTION
1989 HOBIE 18 SE/sx wings
HOBIE ALTER SIGNATURE MODEL

If it is black will the penetrol bring back some of the faded black?

It sure will. It will make it look like new. The only thing it will not due is make areas where the black is scratched off look black again. As far as just dull anodized it will shine like new. I do it to all my parts mast, boom, x-bars, tiller etc. It lasts 6-8 months and just do it again. I am in Florida where sun is blistering.

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ADDICTION
1989 HOBIE 18 SE/sx wings
HOBIE ALTER SIGNATURE MODEL

Is the mast clear or black you can use penetrol on black if clear almost any marine store will have alumniun polish

On our 1981 H16 the black was almost gone from years of sun. Although some don't recomend it I put a few coats of glossy black rustoleum on figuring I'd touch it up when needed. It's been 3 years looking great and no touch ups. We do store it in the garage in winter.

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1981 H16.
1993 Macgregor 26S