Hi.
Just had my first session tonight on my new Starboard setup. 147L foil board and GT foil, blown away how good it is, but that's for another post. The mast has jammed in the fin box with no movement or chance of removal, I did sand the top of the mast and a little in the box, but now, after the first ride, it refuses to budge. Any one else experience this? Any ideas? Thanks

Try a nyalon mallet or rubber leave the fin bolt screws in with a few threads then hit the end of the screwdriver on the bolt heads and it should release I use this method with tight fins hope you have some luck !

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stroppo said..
Try a nyalon mallet or rubber leave the fin bolt screws in with a few threads then hit the end of the screwdriver on the bolt heads and it should release I use this method with tight fins hope you have some luck !

Hi Stroppo,
I was a bit worried about damaging the threads as the foil was full on jammed in.
Had another message from Bushfire and he said,
"Just push on the mast towards the back of the board with your hand while your foot is on the bottom of the board well in front of the finbox.. Mine usually releases with a loud "crack". I assume you have a carbon mast? If it is alu then this method might not be right."
Bloody worked too, really loud crack as well.
Cheers mate.

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fordy007 said..
Hi.
Just had my first session tonight on my new Starboard setup. 147L foil board and GT foil, blown away how good it is, but that's for another post. The mast has jammed in the fin box with no movement or chance of removal, I did sand the top of the mast and a little in the box, but now, after the first ride, it refuses to budge. Any one else experience this? Any ideas? Thanks

Try using Sailkote, its a teflon spray the yachties use available from any yacht chandlers. I use on my foil and boom extensions for that guaranteed smoothness and quick release.

A light spray down around the foil head should release it.

Don't make a habit of doing the "loud crack" method. The corner of the mast can crack open the inside of the Tuttle box.

Do put your foot on the board and do pull the end of the mast, but what you're looking for is a gentle pop as the mount releases. We're talking about millimetres of movement of the end in the box.

Once it's pooped then you can gently wiggle it back and forth until it comes out.

Once a corner of the mount comes out, you can put a bit of rag or towel under the end and that make a fulcrum to lift the rest out. That avoids you levering on the edges of the box.

I have put a bit of spit on mine to make it easier to seat the foil in the hole. A bit of sanding helps too.

My H10 Horue stainless steel mast wouldn't fit into my deep tuttle Futura until it had both sides (one more than other) angle ground down so the screw holes would line up. A scary business. Don't know how accurate their mold is. Comes out quite easily now!

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WindsurfSystems said..

fordy007 said..
Hi.
Just had my first session tonight on my new Starboard setup. 147L foil board and GT foil, blown away how good it is, but that's for another post. The mast has jammed in the fin box with no movement or chance of removal, I did sand the top of the mast and a little in the box, but now, after the first ride, it refuses to budge. Any one else experience this? Any ideas? Thanks

Try using Sailkote, its a teflon spray the yachties use available from any yacht chandlers. I use on my foil and boom extensions for that guaranteed smoothness and quick release.

A light spray down around the foil head should release it.

Thanks mate, have yet to see you on ya foil, how was Lake Eppalock, was it windy enough? I use Sailkote on my bolts each time when I wash it too, didn't think to use it on the foil.

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Gorgo said..
Don't make a habit of doing the "loud crack" method. The corner of the mast can crack open the inside of the Tuttle box.

Do put your foot on the board and do pull the end of the mast, but what you're looking for is a gentle pop as the mount releases. We're talking about millimetres of movement of the end in the box.

Once it's pooped then you can gently wiggle it back and forth until it comes out.

Once a corner of the mount comes out, you can put a bit of rag or towel under the end and that make a fulcrum to lift the rest out. That avoids you levering on the edges of the box.

I have put a bit of spit on mine to make it easier to seat the foil in the hole. A bit of sanding helps too.

Thanks Gorgo, appreciate that, will take that on board, have sanded the mast and fin box but obviously not enough!

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fordy007 said..

Gorgo said..
Don't make a habit of doing the "loud crack" method. The corner of the mast can crack open the inside of the Tuttle box.

Do put your foot on the board and do pull the end of the mast, but what you're looking for is a gentle pop as the mount releases. We're talking about millimetres of movement of the end in the box.

Once it's pooped then you can gently wiggle it back and forth until it comes out.

Once a corner of the mount comes out, you can put a bit of rag or towel under the end and that make a fulcrum to lift the rest out. That avoids you levering on the edges of the box.

I have put a bit of spit on mine to make it easier to seat the foil in the hole. A bit of sanding helps too.

Thanks Gorgo, appreciate that, will take that on board, have sanded the mast and fin box but obviously not enough!

This is one time sanding with a high grit matters. The smoother the finish on both the mast and box, the easier it goes both ways. Also check for any rough spots, say, where the top of a conventional fin rubbed against the box.

I put tennis balls in my straps so when I push down with my foot I don't crush them out of shape.

I've had the same issue. I have a SB foil147 and a GT foil... they are a tight fit. I've sanded my foil down some to make it easier to insert and remove.

My aluminum foil inserted pritty easy on my first outing. It seemed to be jammed as i tryed to take it out after my run. Pulled back a bit on the mast, which is what I normally do to my formula fins and it came out with a loud "Crack" as said above. I did notice some tiny lose pieces of fiber glass in the box (which I don't think we're there before??) at the front of my fin box, i don't see cracks or weird indentations so.... hopefully the box will hold up for many more flights as i have only got out once. I don't think sanding will help in my case much as it slides in easy. Maybe will try some Vaseline in the box next time and try not to tighten those 100 mm bolts too tight. I would try to avoid the "crack" method as its probably not healthy for the fin box.