Hi, I went windsurfing a couple of weeks ago and after done I could not pull the mast apart. I thought it might be because the mast was wet so I brought it home and let it be for a few days which turned to few weeks. The mast is obviously dry but I still can't separate the two pieces. I'm thinking of heating it with a torch to see if the metal expands and I can separate it, but before it gets an ugly stain from the torch I wanted to check if anybody has a suggestion or has it happened before to you.
Thanks for your help,
Vicente.
Help - can't pull the mast apart!
Moderator: MK
Re: Help - can't pull the mast apart!
This is why I need to remember to google before posting. I found this and it worked like magic in less than 10 minutes. By the way, the mast was still wet! 
Well, in my opinion, after separating probably 50 masts over the years, some that were stuck together for years, using 2 booms, or any kind of \"twisting\" force actually sticks the mast together even tighter, and in almost all cases does some damage to the fit of the internal ferrule in the ID of the external ferrule.
If you study why most masts get stuck, it's due to sand or grit being
\"washed\" into the tiny opening at the front of the mast, inside the luff sleeve of the sail where you normally cannot see it.
Why does this happen you ask.
Well, when you downhaul your sail, you put lots of pressure and bend on the mast. The rear side of the mast is in hevy compression from the downhaul forces so it closes up tight.
But due to the bend and the fact that the front side of the mast would be in \"tension'if it were a one piece mast, the mast tends to go slightly oval at the front and pull apart very slightly.
So, some sand or grit gets into that tiny space. As long as your sail stays rigged, it's not a problem.
But as soon as you release the downhaul, it becomes a BIG problem. The bend comes out of the mast, and the compressive forces come off the back of the mast and it returns to straight.
But wait a minute..... what happened to that little pocket of sand at the front of the mast. It's now tightly trapped in between the inner and outer diameters of the ferrule. So the mast is now held together by that little pocket of grit.
Best way to get it apart is not to try and twist it at all.
Better to support the mast at the tip and base and put your hand right near the joint and work the mast up and down in a \"bending\"
direction. Rotate it about 30 deg. every 3 or 4 strokes. At some point you will hear a nice (well, not so nice when you are talking expensive carbon masts) 'crunching\" sound. That's the pocket of sand grinding
\"grain on grain\". Keep working the mast until the crunchy sound almost goes away. Now your mast will come apart easily, with only a very limited amount of \"scuffing\" in the area where the sand particles
broke down to dust.
Well, in my opinion, after separating probably 50 masts over the years, some that were stuck together for years, using 2 booms, or any kind of \"twisting\" force actually sticks the mast together even tighter, and in almost all cases does some damage to the fit of the internal ferrule in the ID of the external ferrule.
If you study why most masts get stuck, it's due to sand or grit being
\"washed\" into the tiny opening at the front of the mast, inside the luff sleeve of the sail where you normally cannot see it.
Why does this happen you ask.
Well, when you downhaul your sail, you put lots of pressure and bend on the mast. The rear side of the mast is in hevy compression from the downhaul forces so it closes up tight.
But due to the bend and the fact that the front side of the mast would be in \"tension'if it were a one piece mast, the mast tends to go slightly oval at the front and pull apart very slightly.
So, some sand or grit gets into that tiny space. As long as your sail stays rigged, it's not a problem.
But as soon as you release the downhaul, it becomes a BIG problem. The bend comes out of the mast, and the compressive forces come off the back of the mast and it returns to straight.
But wait a minute..... what happened to that little pocket of sand at the front of the mast. It's now tightly trapped in between the inner and outer diameters of the ferrule. So the mast is now held together by that little pocket of grit.
Best way to get it apart is not to try and twist it at all.
Better to support the mast at the tip and base and put your hand right near the joint and work the mast up and down in a \"bending\"
direction. Rotate it about 30 deg. every 3 or 4 strokes. At some point you will hear a nice (well, not so nice when you are talking expensive carbon masts) 'crunching\" sound. That's the pocket of sand grinding
\"grain on grain\". Keep working the mast until the crunchy sound almost goes away. Now your mast will come apart easily, with only a very limited amount of \"scuffing\" in the area where the sand particles
broke down to dust.
Re: Help - can't pull the mast apart!
If you have two windsurfing booms attach one to each half of the mast. Rotate the booms in opposite directions. It always works for me.
Re: Help - can't pull the mast apart!
Another way to do the bending technique is have two people hold the mast at each end and shake up and down. Some people pulverize the sand with a rubber hammer. The rubber hammer is useful for stuck fins, too.