Ian K said..

John340 said..
I've never had a stuck mast when I tape the joint.

Never had a stuck mast in 10 years of rigging on grass. Saved myself metres of duct tape. ( That's a silent "t" in duct )

My theory is - Just a theory. It's the derigging sand that sticks masts. If the inside of the mast top is wet sand sticks and doesn't shake out. If it gets wet while sailing it all flushes down into the joint. Tape keeps the inside dry.

(there's a wise old proverb I read once along the lines of if each grain of sand could tell a story - relevant here but I can't find it )

Not if you sail waves. The sand gets in it while you are in the shore break.

reading through this thread.....i don't recall anyone mentioning the two boom method. This works great for a stuck mast (provided you have two booms). clamp one boom on bottom section...and the other on top. make them tight.... but not too tight as to damage the mast. the booms become like giant wrenches... this works 99% of the time for me. the other 1%, like the other day my mast was really stuck. I then used a garden hose with a jet type nozzle. shoot the water into the joint. the water will get into the mast and joint dislodging that pesky grain/s of sand....then follow up with the two boom method.

some also boiling water over joint... haven't tried that.

I wish I never said lets go thru all of them again.....

Richiefish said..
I find that if you soak the whole assembly in a tank of high concentrated hydrochloric acid you will no longer have a stuck mast. This is also a sure fire cure for the aids virus.

and if you can't find any at Bunnings ...just nip down to your local Saudi embassy.

forceten said..
So reading this: it's a drawing, not photo, the first sentence says"somewhat mythical ".
made sense to me.

This is why the best mast is a single piece, two piece masts should only be a compromise for transport problems.
Then you wouldn't have to worry about getting them unstuck!