UJ on Mistral Bermuda

Question
Hey Windlover,

Just bought my second used windsurf on Craigslist. Nice condition Mistral Bermuda, with the exception of the universal joint.

I'll be using a 2 year old chinook replacement UJ from my old mast- but I'm again a little uncertain about beginning the disassembly process on this mistral mastfoot.

Here's a link to my picasa album, 6 pictures of the mastfoot. As you can see, the foot separates from the epoxy mast quite easily, it is really only held in place by downhaul tension when sailing.

I've not seen a set up with this plastic tendon that just sticks into a stationary hole in the board before, have you? I'll begin the dissasembly soon enough, but I thought it might be prudent to run it by the expert first, ha.


Thanks,
Jake

Answer
Hey Jake,

I didn't get the link to your photos but I think I can answer your question without the pics.

I'm guessing you have the original mastfoot that includes the part that goes into the board. That part is the most important part as they are obsolete. The UJ's are replaceable with new or used ones as they are all universal. You can also change the top part if you choose to so that you can use an extension.

There should be a nut (probably a nylon lock nut) up inside the part that goes into the board. Use a socket (might need a long socket), should be about 10-13mm, to loosen the nut. Spray the nut and bolt area with a penetrating fluid and let it set for a while. It will probably be quite tight so you will need to secure the UJ into a vise or similar. A strap wrench will work if you don't have a vise or large channel locks. The UJ will have a metal washer molded into the UJ at the widest points of the UJ. You can grip this section with the vise to hold it while you turn the lock nut.

Once you have the part off, just put things back on the new UJ the same way you removed them. If you need to remove the stud for the new UJ, thread a nut about 3/4 down and then another nut on top of it. Snug the two nuts together and thread the stud out. If you can't get it out, you may need to buy one. They are readily available at chinooksailing.com or oceansports.com.

When replacing the stud and nut, use BLUE locktight to secure the threads. Blue can be removed in the future, RED is almost permanent and will normally create damage when trying to remove items with RED. Use ONLY BLUE.

Hope this helps,
Keep on sailing,
Windlover