Hobe 16 mast repair

Looking for an opinion or suggestion on how to repair a bend in my main mast. I pulled a bonehead and attempted to assisting righting our cat by pushing up on the mast top. A 1/2' x 3" bend occured in the mast just below the top of the rigging connection.

Reckon I can get this welded for added strength or will have to replace it?

The welder thought he could help but was concerned it may cause the mast to have a warp. He was looking for the type and thickness of aluminum for the right welding rod. Anyone have the specs?

Thanks much

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the mast is 6061 T6 which is very heat treated and doesn't need to be welded because it'll weaken it by 70%.

Without a picture, I'm assuming the mast buckled given your dimensions of the "bend". The mast is toast as-is.

The easiest way to fix it is to install a Comptip. You might have to bang out the buckle from the inside, once you cut the mast off. It should be right near the cut.