Mast repar H18

Can this be repaired or used?
This is my last back up mast...except for a bent one!




Also is there a trick to getting a dolphin striker loose?
I've got to repair the mount

That mast scares me. If there's corrosion like that at the head, it's bound to be elsewhere in the mast. You could comp tip it... But like I said, the rest of the mast is suspect.

Sorry.

Brian C

The mast can probably still be used. A couple potenial options.
- Get a comptip. Not the cheapest solution, but it will completly eliminate the corrosion issue at the mast head. Some other options. Maybe you can bend the stainless halyard hook the other way so it will fit on the other side of the mast. Or, you could relocate the hook slightly lower on the mast (maybe one inch). This would reduce your ability to downhaul slightly, but for recreational sailing, you're probably fine. Or, maybe you could use a piece of the broken mast as an internal backing plate to back up the rivets where the holes are corroded.

As far as getting a frozen dolphin striker free, it's a pain, but I have done it before. Mostly its a matter of WD-40 and gently pounding the crap out of it. First thing I would do is pull the crossbar off the boat and fully inspect it to make sure it's worth salvaging (make sure there are no cracks and minimal corrosion). I think what I did was pull the striker post and mast step assy out of the crossbar (it should just pull right out since the rivets are gone). See if you can get the crossbar endcaps free from the crossbar extrusion (this may require a mallet, but since both parts are aluminum, it should separate). If you can get the end caps out with the striker rod still attached, then you can put the rod in a vice and try to spin/mallet the end caps free. And of course, use WD-40/Liquid Wrench liberally.

sm

Heat. Break out the torch. Then gentle tapping, no pounding. Don't melt the tramp.

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With the mast I'm going to probably install the hook just below the corrosion. The rest of the mast looks ok.

In this thread http://hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=9654
srm says to use a jack between the crossbar and striker. Has anyone done this?

Thanks for all of the input.

J

That's actually Hobie's recommendation, I believe there is a diagram shown on one of their FAQ's. When I did it, I used the winch on my trailer fed under the trailer crossbar and up to the dolphin striker to pull the base down. I think the jack would probably work better (didn't think of it at the time). In any case, you just need to get the mast base fully seated to the crossbar before installing the rivets.

sm

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

Should I loosen the nuts on the striker?

This is an old mast and has the small sail feeder area without the
feeder/guide for the sail and there is not room to add it. Is there any problems hoisting with this older mast?

J.

Yesterday I used a small hydraulic jack -and it was quick and easy.