What is inside the mast? How to pull of mast head?

I think my problem with my boat is when I flip it, the mast fills with water too fast and thats why I cant get it back over. I put my mast in the pool today and found that its leaking in by the mast head ( i think thats what its called.....the top part of the mast).Can I just drill those two rivets out, get the mast head off and then reseal and put on with screws? Is there foam inside the mast? It almost feels like water is still down by the base of my mast even when I have it comepletely upside down. I guess what I am trying to say is are there compartments/baffles or foam inside the mast and what is the best way to get the mast head off/on.

At both ends of the mast (non-Comptip), there is a press-fit, closed-cell foam plug about 3" long, with a thin aluminum plate on top. Both are sealed in place with polysulphide caulk (BoatLife is one brand of this type of caulk that stays flexible).

If you pull off the mast head, you'll see them an inch or two inside the mast. Same thing at the bottom.

There are 3 sections in a non-comptip mast where water can collect. The bottom few inches or so between the base and plug. Between the head and upper plug, and the center section.

Grab a 3/16" drill and drill out the rivets on the masthead and pull it off. You may need to use a little heat to break the corrosion between the head and the extrusion. Gently tap the head with a block of wood, don't use a metal hammer. Seal the upper plug. If it's really broken down, pull it out and make sure there's no water in the center section. If it's good, seal it and leave it.

Next, pull off the base the same way. Did any water come out? How's the plug? If you didn't pull out the top plug, pull the bottom one out, drain and reseal. Reinstall base. Seal tang and cleats and call it good.

Rivets:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Af7Q58FRk[/youtube]

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Thanks for the video. It must have broken down because I can hear the water(along with some rocks or something) going from end to end when I teeter totter the mast. Ill give it a try next time I get it a chance! Thanks

Not rocks. Rivets. Somebody replaced something on the mast and punched in the rivets after drilling the heads off. That or the tails of the pop-rivet mandrels fell into the mast.

That also means that they didn't use the rivet caps to keep the mast watertight.

Thanks, I took the top plug off on Wednesday. The top metal plate had some gaps where water could get though so I removed it and out came some mud, rocks, rivets and more water! I also saw the foam plug down there which looked pretty gross. I pulled out the foam plug, rinsed the inside of the mast with water, put new expanding foam in towards the top, added the metal plate on top of that and sealed it with 5200. The top piece (dont know the name) where the main halyard goes through is just held in place with some grease and a screw until I get the right size rivet to fasten it down. I also found that water/air was coming through the center of my rivets that holds down my jib halyard. I am going to put a dab of black sealant to plug that up too.

Ps. Thanks for the help!