Hobie 16 - Freeing a frozen Goose neck?

The gooseneck pin in the end of my boom is completely frozen and will not rotate. Since it can't rotate, the torque bends the U-Shaped shackle that holds the sail.

Any idea how to get this thing free and moving again? I've tried Liquid Wrench penetrating oil but that hasn't had much effect. Any tricks I should try?

It is possible the aluminum cap and steel pin have corroded and formed a bond?

Pretty much a guarantee that's what happened.

Remove the rivets that hold in the end cap and then remove the end cap. Spray some liquid wrench in from both sides. Then put the cap in a vice, remove the clip/roll pin and tap the gooseneck pin free from the back side using a hammer.

Once its free, clean up the cap and pin and re-install.

sm

Is putting a torch to it a bad idea? I've read that Aluminum expands faster than steel and may do the trick. Anything inside that boom that would be damaged from heat? Any one tried that?


I figure this may be worth a try before moving on to SRM's suggestion.

had the same problem on mine. Pretty much what SRM said. take it apart and spray it with penatrating oil. I didn't rush it. I would spray it from both sides and tap on it with a hammer and leave it alone for a few hours... and do it again. after about 3-4 times it started to move then you can twist it, wiggle it what ever you can to get the oil in deeper. polish everything up and your all set for the water again.


I haven't tried it but in theory a product like CLR might work too by eating the corrosion and freeing it up.

i'm not a fan of heating something i'm going to reuse. get it too hot and it could become brittle. besides you need to take it apart anyway to clean it properly. You can remove the pin without taking the cap off.

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'73 hobie 16 restored 2011
'00 Seaswirl fishin boat

Personally, I would stay away from heat unless as a last resort. At the very least, I'd be concerned that heat would damage the finish/anodize. Drilling out the rivets and tapping out the pin is simple and straight forward so should work fine unless the pin is really frozen solid in which case you may have to replace the entire assembly. Even if you do end up using heat, you'll want to apply the heat inside the end cap along the support for the pin, so if that's the case, you would have to remove the end cap anyway.

sm

Well, I've tried all of the above and here's what worked...

1. Apply Liquid Wrench every day for a few days - Fail

2. Remove end cap, soak in Liquid Wrench, then tap the pin out with a hammer - Fail

3. Heat cap with a torch and tap with with hammer - Fail

4. Loose all patience and beat the he## out of it in a vice until the pin breaks - Fail

5. Get a beer, go online, and order a new cap and pin from the Hobie dealer.

sometimes brute force is the best choice not always

Not the best plan. That was a last ditch effort to just try to salvage the cap at the expense of the pin. I'm now convinced those two pieces wii be fused together until the end of time.

I've spent a week on it. That's about all I the patience i can muster for a $30 part.

i did the same thing on a bronze drain plug on my power boat. I rounded all the corners off, drilled it and used easy outs but the bronze kept shredding because it was so soft. messed with that thing for over a week. Finally gave up and went to the marina and found a full drain plug assembly for $10.... WTH was i thinking

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'73 hobie 16 restored 2011
'00 Seaswirl fishin boat

It took 5 days of torch heat and liquid wrench, and the gooseneck boom sleeve came out, after 40 years of bonding. I need a new stainless goosneck, as it broke on a gibe in 15 knots of air. Any suggestions how to prevent that? I was sailing on one hall, so it the main sheet was in most of the way.