Freeing a Rigid Gooseneck
Page updated 8 October 2004
It is possible, when you buy your SeaHawk, that the stainless steel gooseneck will appear "welded" to the aluminium casting at the end of the mast. It shouldn't be like that! You should be able to pull it out from its square seating and then rotate it. Without this facility it is considerably more difficult to roll the sail round the boom for both reefing or stowage purposes.
Try a good soaking in graphited oil, WD40, or other releasing fluid, and then lever the gooseneck out of the casting. Each side of the fitting has a small lip to assist with this. If it's really badly stuck you may need to spend some time gently hammering on a chisel forced under the lip of the side of the gooseneck to shift it. When it finally does come free you may find a bit of white gritty powder comes with it, the aluminium equivalent of rust.
I guess this might be a problem with boats kept on the coast more than inland, especially if wintered in salty conditions with the boom in place.
Note also the cord set into the "spare" hole which secures the split pin. When the sails are set and it is under tension, a slight bend in the middle of the pin is all that is needed to hold it in position. The cord is there so you don't lose it when hoisting the sails and the tension goes. There should be no need to splay the ends of the pin to hold it in position.
