outdoor wooden mast storage

Why not just an extra coat or two of varnish?

 

A few "hoops" of what ever, block the mast up and cover it (the hoops) with a tarp, leaving both ends open to the weather. It'll self ventilate, nothing except the blocking is touching the mast, nothing can rub the mast and condensation will form on the tarp, not the wood.

 

Just make sure the tarp is sloped throughout, so condensation won't drip onto the wood.

 

Would a vent at the top be advisable?

 

The typical arrangement would be a tent shaped set of braces placed over the blocked up mast. The tarp draped over and tied or attached to the braces, hoops or what ever the stand offs are. A top vent would be a luxury made better with a day/night Nicro vent, though probably not necessary in most environments during winter.

 

It really matters where you live. I get the feeling that Florida's climate is far more damaging to anything made from wood either painted or varnished than way up here.
In my northern climate experience, winter weather pretty much suspends biological activity, at least insofar as insects and mold are concerned.
I would imagine that in warmer climates, one must be a lot more scientific about protecting wood.

 

You imagine right. The little buggers chew slower in the winter, but they never stop chewin'.

 

Bet they stop chewing when they freeze!

 

Where I live it only freezes for maybe 4 hours per night less than 5 days per winter.

 

We've had one hard freeze here in the last 11 years and it was for about 3 hours. This isn't enough to kill off the little beasties. Up north, you have a long freeze and it kills off most everything and they start over from scratch in the spring. Here, they never die. We have bugs big enough to knock you in the head and drag you off to their den, to dine in leisure.

 

-here it maybe thaws about that often.

-them's called gators, right?

 

Skeeters. Long range. Look like tankers when full of you.