I have a slight bent base on my mast, has anyone ever taken one of these off? It is the one attached to the mast itself, not the one on the deck. There are 2 round fittings of some sort on the bottom of the mast, I can't tell if these are removable or not? Any advice on how to remove the base so I can have it staightened would be appreciated.
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My 1976 Model
If it's like my 1976 model, there are four screws that old the base in place. I had to tap mine out (gently) with a hammer. A rubber hammer would probably have been better.
If it's like my 1976 model, there are four screws that old the base in place. I had to tap mine out (gently) with a hammer. A rubber hammer would probably have been better.
I'm not sure what kind of fitting you are describing, but most typical are pop rivets, believe it or not... they are pretty rugged! All you do is drill them out... use a big smaller than the rivet, since all you have to drill out is the center piece, which is pretty slim, and drills out pretty quickly; once you get it out, the mast will come right off. Get two of the same size pop rivets (have to be sized exactly; a sailboat shop will have them, as will a full service hardware store, and a pop rivet gun (less than $10) and you can re-attach them. Alternately, you can use stainless screws but it's a little more work; when I replaced mine, I drilled in holes for four screws, but pop rivets are easier and you can use the original holes if you're careful about removing the old ones.
1984 25' O'day
I had a the same problem with my mast base. The reason mine was bent and twisted was do to the fack that the two round spacers were missing. I made up two out off .750 dia. S/S. The purpose for these spacers is to fill the gap between the deck plate and the bottom of the mast. When you are under sail these spacers prevent the mast plate from bending do to the downward force of the mast and sails. Hope this helps!
I had a the same problem with my mast base. The reason mine was bent and twisted was do to the fack that the two round spacers were missing. I made up two out off .750 dia. S/S. The purpose for these spacers is to fill the gap between the deck plate and the bottom of the mast. When you are under sail these spacers prevent the mast plate from bending do to the downward force of the mast and sails. Hope this helps!
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