mast extension stuck in mast!

[sundowner]

This damn thing wont come out. So far I've bounced on it and had someone turn and pull one way while I turned and pulled the other way. It's really jammed, any tips?

[jp5]

Fill the mast up with water and let it sit in the hot sun for a couple of hours. Then get a rubber mallet and beat it out. If you can put a screw driver in the extension and beat it with the mallet so that it twists loose in the mast then use the mallet to strike directly outward on the extension driving it out. This is a regular occurence for me.

[bred2shred]

The water trick can work if the bottom of your mast doesn't have a plug in it. I'd stay away from screwdrivers- that's a quick way to gouge your expensive mast.

The technique that always works for me is flex the joint (a lot) and get more people. Three or more people per side pretty much always gets the mast apart (assuming they're all turning the right way). Much better for the mast than using a screwdriver and better than trying to use boom heads.

The last tip, something I recently started doing, is to use electrical tape on the mast joint. It really helps keep sand out.

sm

[gboehm]

Needless to say, this has happened to me so many times I've lost count. I have always attached 2 booms - one on either side of the joint, and used the leverage to twist the two sections in opposite directions.

Always worked till one time it just didn't. After about a year of trying various things, I finally came up with the ultimate solution - a pressure washer. Just direct the stream at the joint - washes the sand out and works like a charm. If you don't have one, I imagine the wand at a car wash might work (it isn't nearly as powerful as the pressure washer, though).

[psmith2004]

I assume the downhaul line is still attached to the extension?
Find a cooperative tree and tie the free end of the line around the trunk of the tree ( use a bowline knot) and then give it a few sharp tugs. The extension should come out without too much trouble.

Peter

[drysuit2]

Use the two boom method as described by others. But if it is really stuck, fill the inside mast extension with ice cubes. Stop it up with a plastic bag or something. Then heat the out side of the mast at the base with a blow dryer. The melting ice will cool, and contract the mast base, [works especially well with aluminum. But I’ve done this with carbon as well] the heat will expand the mast. Use the booms to apply a gentle twisting force. Do not jam a screwdriver anywhere or bang any thing. Carbon is very expensive and does not respond well to blunt force trauma.

[theq]

I've seen most of those techniques suggested work one time or another. Since it's your extension that's stuck in the mast, you probably won't get much flex at the joint the way you can with a stuck mast ferrule.
You can get extra torque strength by using a downhaul crank tool as a lever. Just place it in the base, get someone else to hold the mast from twisting (perhaps with a boom attached), stick the crank-tool handle out for maximum leverage (Using like star lug wrench, "T" handle), and give it a twist. Good luck.

[speedysailor]

[btbill]

If its the mast extension that is stuck in the bottom of the mast, try a rubber mallet. Lay the mast on a flat surface such as the open tail gate of a pickup, hold the mast with one hand, and bang the extension "away from you" on the pulleys/grommets. Once it is freed enough to turn, then work it out by hand. Only use a rubber mallet to avoid damaging the extension. Note that the mallet will get chewed up, but I keep one in my gear box just for that purpose. Works every time, especially living here in Hatteras where sand sticks everything together!

Good Luck!

Bill
www.obxbeachlife.com
www.obxloopfest.com

[sundowner]

Thanks for the mallet suggestion bill. Worked like a charm. Hey bruce, by chance did that young windsurfer have a dark complexion and drive a blue jeep with a mistral sticker on the back?