Hey guys, im having a bit of trouble with my mast, it may seem a bit trivial but my mast wont pull apart..

ive tried hot water, cold water but i cant get it to pull into 2. is there a trick to it? in the past ive had absolutly no trouble, but the other day after a few hours out on the water no luck at all?
i am new to windsurfing, but if anything i would think this would be the last of my troubles haha

its carbon fibre,

thanks,

Discussed here a bit:

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Western-Australia/Mast-Stuck-Very-Stuck/?page=1

Good Luck!

very simple...

All you need is:

- you stuck mast (duh)
- mast extension
- piece of wood
- hammer with rubber head

1) insert mast extension into mast
2) hold piece of wood against mast base
3) hammer piece of wood, this will send a shock wave up the mast and eventually drive the two pieces appart

works every time.

i agree with Mark {with the nose n finger issue}
carbon masts are costly and sometimes sensitive
also, this is a common issue and s/b somewhere in an FAQ

personally - pulling with with van and letting parts fall on ground = DANGER
- hammering the mast with a hammer = DANGER

have seen 4 guys workin on a mast and gave up... i went over and 2 of us did it alone
make sure hands n mast are dry ie no slippage, grap tightly and rotate in opposite directions ie simple version of the 2 booms

how about the management question - what can we do to avoid this issue ?
wipe down the ferrule section before putting mast together ??
tape the joint with electrical tape to ensure nothing gets in ???

last time my mast was stuck, it was frozen together :-)
put it in front of car heater and voilà :-)

Since the last time my mast got stuck I have been using electrical tape to cover the join and I haven't had any issues since then.

If water pressure from the tap will "pop" the mast apart it'll be tight enough to separate by hand! BTW, if you've ever tried to pull off a cap from an Artline marker pen you'll find that twisting is much quicker and less effort rquired to remove the cap. So are mast pieces, twist is best!

So with this thought, first bit of kit are dishwashing gloves with two people and twist apart from either end. If that fails inner tube wrapped around one side of the join and then a wet towel over that wound on tight like a tornique (sp?) with a length of anything eg. mast extension, don't overtighten! One person holds the mass of tight towel and the other with rubber gloves grabs the other end and twists the mast apart. The trapped sand will grind a nice little spiral on the stubby bit of your mast.

If that method fails sell me your mast bag coz you have created a one-piece mast like the old days and won't be able to use the bag. It was so much simpler...and cheaper then.

Seriously:
Go to $2 dollar shop, Bunnings etc. Buy roll of duct tape and Box cutter.
When rigging up put 2 bits of mast together, cut 6" of tape. Tape mast joint.
Go sail. Come in, have beer. de-rig and mast comes apart like its supposed to.
Every time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Works all over the world too, funny that

My Ezzy 430 rdm mast recently got stuck together. Brought a piece of wood dowel from Bunnings approx the length of the base with diameter smaller than inside of mast at join (measured inside diameter on my Ezzy 400 rdm which is same as 430). Luckily, Ezzy masts don't have a plug in the base and the sleeve is part of the top section. Also purchased a small length of solid nylon rod which measured close to the inside dia of the mast at join which I placed up the inside of the base before the dowel. Mast came apart very easily with a couple of taps from hammer on end of dowel. Always keep the wood dowel and nylon rod in my van in case it happens again!

When you finally do get a good mob together for the job it's important you use the day's last burst of forearm strength on the joint, not fighting each other.

The mast's owner should take command of the procedure.

"Anticlockwise everybody, on the count of 3, as if you're undoing a threaded ferrule - 1,2..."

you were lucky, you didn't crack it....

Just stick it on the roof rack Its now a 1 peice mast lol

Hi,

What I have done is I have sanded the bottom section just enough that the mast sleeve together with abit of space less friction together, therefore allow the mast to twist apart at the end of the session easily.

Kind regards
Walt

moondo said...

After all the threads on 2 piece masts being stuck together you would think that this problem would be rectified by now. Taping the join is by par the best way to fix the problem and I think that if each sailor with the knowledge was to say G'day to one that doesn't and show them how to do it, then the problem would go away.
Thank god we dont have 3 piece masts!

Isn't it a rite of passage to windsurfing greatness. Your not a windsurfer until you've had 6 old timers telling you that you should put tape around the joint whilst watching you, 6 of your windsurfing buddies, 2 booms and a van attached to a snatch strap attempt to prise the f'n thing apart.

shark said...



Im in WA where sand is everywhere but it gets in while rigging not when sailing-not sure how it could get in after its rigged?

Sand is suspended in the water.

If you drop the sail while sailing, the sandy water will get into the gap that is created at the front of the mast due to the mast being bent by the sail's downhaul.

When you let the downhaul off, the sand will dig into both the top and bottom sections of your mast, 'glueing' them together.

Use tape. Trust me.

Walt said...

Hi,

What I have done is I have sanded the bottom section just enough that the mast sleeve together with abit of space less friction together, therefore allow the mast to twist apart at the end of the session easily.

Kind regards
Walt

Great work there Walt Now you have more room between your 2 halves to let the sand in. I wouldn't recommend sanding your bottom section down. A snug fit is best and TAPE TAPE TAPE