Guys,

I've dropped the mast in preparation for new rigging.  However, now that the mast is horizontal I've tried to remove the pin but she's stuck fast. I tried a 5lb sledge and bronze drift punch but that sucker is NOT moving.  I'm thinking that I'll have to rig some kind of hydralic press insitu.  OR I'll have to sawzall the pin and then press the remenant out after removing the mast from the boat.

I'm hoping there's a better solution.  Is there?

Paul:

Some thoughts.

1.) if you can, drilled, then flat bottom tap into the al tube but not the ss for a grease zerk  and grease it, a few times again and again (may or may not allow the al oxide out (you may or may not need additional holes for the grease and al oxide to flow in or out??) and it may not work? I would give it a 50/50 chance.

2.) a hammer (Hammer Drill for concrete) may or may not rotate and drive it out?  I would give it a 10% chance of success.

3.)  If you drill and tap the pin you may be able to use a slide hammer to pull it out, Note: any beating to push it through can flair the ss out and if you do flair it, it will not ever come out. I would give it something like 20% chance of success.

4.) This will work on removing the mast from the boat at the yard. Undo the hold down screws and lift the mast and base together (Make sure you get all of the screws)

After #4 I had to cut my base off, just to solid to remove (and I mushromed the pin Ugh!)

after that I drilled out what was left and replaced it with a ss sleeve and new ss pin (it has been 12+ years with no issues)  one note: it is critical to get the sleeve in at exactly 90Deg, to the mast, try to keep it in alignment at less than 1/64" off (drill press and reamer) I also glassed the sleeve on the inside of the mast i.e. the sleeve goes all the way through but is held by corrosion from the mast to ss sleeve and the FG wrapping on the inner mast and ss sleeve (fixed very solid) . OH; I also had the base hard anodised and painted while it was off the boat.

Best of luck

Norm

p.s If the crane is not to many $$ then cutting pin with a sawsall could be OK (like Mark & Kevin say), and would save un-mounting and remounting the base. But in any case if you keep the al tube, I would add a grease fitting to prevent this in the future.

If you have a hole through the length of the pin what would happen if you filled the hole with liquid nitrogen? If you get the pin that cold and put a little heat on the compression tub it might come out easily. Liquid nitrogen is easy to come by.

We built two masts, put them together the same way. A decade ago the first one was removed. That put the base of the mast on the yard's hydrolic press. Maxed it out, nothing happened. The idea of the liquid nitrogen is to cause the stainless steel pin to contract, it will not get cold enough to shatter it. With the pin really cold and the aluminum compression tube heated very hot it might change the dimensions enough to be able to press it out, or go to the default and use a swasall. I was looking at pipe and rod dimensions and found 1" rod is. 1" in diameter. 1" pipe is .095+/-". Either way, have fun,  that is why we do this stuff.