I'm fixing up an old Solcat 18. The hulls are the original yellow and the crossbeams and mast are painted black. The old black paint is scratched pretty badly so I am stripping off the old paint down to the bare aluminum to re-paint.

I think that the black looks nice, but I'm wondering if it will get too hot in the sun. Would it make sense to paint them a lighter color? Do any of you who have black masts/crossbeams ever wish that they were not black (like when you burn your hands or butt on it on sunny days?) What would be the best color for beams and masts?

I've researched the problem of painting aluminum and have found what I hope will be a cheap but effective way to paint aluminum. First sand it down to bare aluminum. Then wash thoroughly with vinegar (the acid removes any oxidation). Then as soon as the vinegar is dry, prime with zinc chromate primer or a self-etching primer. And finally paint it with a decent but cheapish paint made for aluminum (like Rustoleum).
There are much more expensive and labor intensive ways to do it that will probably look better but this is a cheap and easy way to do it that should look ok and last at least for a while.

sounds like you have a good handle on it all

imho black masts blend into the background better than silver ones

on our beach my silver mast sits between 2 black masts and from most distances the blacks masts disappear but the alloy mast is still visible

usually once a bit of alloy as big as a mast has been painted black it is easier to repaint it black or repaint it silver

stripping such a big item back to bare alloy can be done but most feel the investment in time is not returned in usage with such an old boat

while you are sailing it any blemishes will catch you eye and annoy you, but everyone else is 10-300yards away and can only see the hulls and sail

yes black gets very hot here in fla... i have had my palms SCREAM at me when stepping my h18 mast (or helping others with their mast).

my current mast is white and i LOVE IT.... for that reason alone..