Mast Step removal from Cross Bar

I can't find it I know it was a recent post

How do you pull the dolphin striker post out of the step???

Rivets are removed, striker bar is loose...I have one damaged base and don't need two

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

OK, so I found it on thebeachcats
http://www.thebeachcats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album278&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php
My question now is...who has done this?
Are they always this difficult to get off?
I'm trying to remove one from a spare crossbar, I have it all lubed up with liquid wrench, have racheting tie down straps on either side putting upward pressure on the post, pounding with my deadblow hammer on the bar, the post, the step, this way and that and it's moved about an eighth of an inch.

If getting the broken one off the boat I'm fixing up is as difficult, I think I'll be better off removing the whole front crossbar and replacing with this one.

Will the good old propane torch help?

Or is 25 years of S/S seated next to AL too much to overcome?

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

This was written up in the Hotline:

http://www.hobiecat.com/hobieclass/eHCA ... _02-05.pdf

Not that hard to do usually, but corrosion around the post, through the crossbar, can make it tougher. Sounds like you have it moving. Try going back down then up again.

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

Heat, man... HEAT!
Beating stuff with a hammer is what to do after you heat it up, not before.
Get the MAPP gas and heat it up. It will break the corrosion. Anytime you are dealing with disimilar metals put together, the torch will become your best friend. Grease up the Dolphin Striker Post with Lanocote when you put the new step on. That way it will come off down the line if you have to do it again

Did this repair yesterday. The new step has a diferent arc than the old cross bar, but it didn't seem to matter.

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Sail Revolution
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Matt, Thanks for the link to the great article. Maybe you should start repeating some of these?

Jeremy, I learned something new today, MAPP, a step above propane. I really need to get out more often.

Thanks gentlemen, an excellent forum.

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

You know how I learned about MAPP gas? When I used to work at a boat yard in SoCal, I was struggling with a 3/8" pin that was stuck in an aluminum mast truck casting. I was starting to drill it out (3/8" stainless pin!!!) as I had been trying to bash it out it for hours. This older guy, who had been working on boats longer than I was alive, came over with a MAPP torch. He heated it for 1 minute, let it cool for a minute, tapped it gently with a hammer and it popped right out. Then he did the other 3 in about 5 minutes.

You know that shirt, "Old Guys Rule". Well...

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Sail Revolution
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The photo albums at TheBeachcats.com have had a major upgrade, unfortunately this broke a lot of links in these and other forums. The links are now much shorter, which should help in the future.

The link to the mast step replacement pictures is
http://www.thebeachcats.com/index.php?module=pictures&g2_itemId=10984

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
www.MemphisGuru.com
www.Catsailor.com
www.TheBeachcats.com