Removing Silicone from Mast

I tried, very unsuccesfully, to seal the base of my mast with silicone years ago. I am really tired of my otherwise dry sail getting wet while stowed from water seeping out of the mast.

I am in the process of removing the remnants of the silicone and am going to try some Goop. What solvent can I safely use on the mast to aid in removing the old silicone?



Edit: What are the specs for the rivets that secure the mast base?

8030131 RIVET POP 3/16x3/8 PH-SS

8011291 RIVET CAP (seals the rivet hole)

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

The good news, silicone is good stuff; the bad news, once it cures it is almost impossible to remove with any type of solvent.

Actually by accident I found that if you spray WD40 on the Silicon it can cause it to wrinkle around the edges as it pulls away from it's adhesion. I found this when I was removing some black stains off the side of one of my older RV's near the windows. I apparently oversprayed and hit the clear Silicon that was used to seal the actual window. That stuff peeled right off after that. You know how hard it is to remove Silicon from an RV window seal, right? Piece of cake after that!