slipping mast

Question
Hello!
I am taking up the sport again after 25 years of being away. Just bought a used Mistral board and when I tried to secure the mast to the board, I can not get it to lock in. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I insert the  mast end, turn it until it clicks, but any pulling of the boom results in the mast coming out of the hole. I assume there is a locking mechanism either on the mast, or on the board near the hole, but I have not been able to figure it out. Any ideas? I would sure love to get out before the ice forms! Many thanks! Pete

Answer
Hi Pete,

I'm guessing that you have the older style Mistral mast foot to board connection. There are two styles of this connection. The mast foot has a round part that is flat on two sides with lips on the rounded part. You slide the round end in with the flat sides slipping past the two metal bars in the board interface. Then twist the mast foot 90 degrees to get the lips to catch on the bars. (Am I guessing correctly?)

The clicking you are hearing may just be the tabs on the bottom of the mast foot slipping into the tabs that help keep it from turning. It sounds like the locking mechanism is not locking.

The newer style interface has a spring build into it that keeps tension on the bars to hold the mast foot in place.

The older style is designed to manually lock the bars in place. Look for something (tab or such) that slides in and out. It should slide towards the front of the board to release and to the back to lock. You have to slide it forward (release postion) to insert the mast foot. Then slide it back to lock the mast foot down. It may also be on the side which would mean sliding it side to side to lock/unlock.

Check your mast foot to determine if there is damage or too much wear on the lips to hold it in place.
Check the interface (on the board) to determine if there is a way to lock the bars. It may be modified, or the tab is broken, or maybe stuck in the open position.
If is seems stuck, rinse the part with really hot water and try to move it manually. Could be sand, salt, or rust in the part not allowing it to move.

You may need to lightly tap the part/tab with something. Use a rubber mallet with a flat punch or similar. Try to avoid damage to to the board or part. Think wisely about what tools you use. You may be able to pry lightly with a screwdriver to get the part moving. The bars are usually a U shaped part. The tab may be broken or the top/bottom/rounded part of the U may be visible. If so, this is where you would pry with screwdriver or channel locks to get it moving. This is where the tab is usually factory molded to the part.

If there is just too much wear on the mast foot lips, or the bars/tab interface just doesn't seem to work, you may need to replace the whole system. Depending upon the year of your board, this may be a problem. If you are not able to get it to work and feel you need to replace parts, write back to me. I have some resources for finding older parts. I hope this helps and you can get on the water.

Keep on sailing,
Windlover