1979 Nautique PYLON Removal

   I have never removed the tow pylon before, and must do so to accomplish some deck repairs. Are there any secrets or shortcuts I must be aware of before attempting the removal of the Ski Pylon? If anyone has any advice on how to remove the PYLON it would be greatly appreciated!

Cary'
Check out the" 79 Nautique rebuild" in the Maintenance section.

I am sorry, but I happen to be working on the same boat. The past couple of years I posted the same question but when it came to using the information provided I either got sidetracked or had forgotten and got lazy.....so I never got around to actually removing it.

hey boeing....safe to assume you're a 777 driver? I fly the 73N. Where in Canada are you located?

Carey,
There isn't a cross pin at the socket glassed to the keel. Again, it's simply the 1" male pin out the bottom of the aluminum pylon that fits into the female socket at the keel. The floor plate holds everything in. The pin is rusted into the socket - very common!

Carey,
The "ant hill" description is good! I'd say the 1" pin goes into the socket less than 1". This 1" pin is carbon steel as well as the socket and the reason they rust together frequently. This 1" pin is fastened to the aluminum pylon the same way the ring and finger is - a cross drilled hole and a roll pin. Trust me that removing it that way would be impossible. Removing the ring and finger has frustrated may a 70's CC owner!!

Yes, it would have been nice for CC to have made the pin out of brass stainless or even one of the corrosion resistant aluminums but they were in there "economy" mode at the time!! It is NOT threaded.

Get some penetrating oil down at the bottom and let it soak. Then get a bar through the ring and finger and state twisting back and forth.

It sure doesn't sound like you took the suggestion of Brady and looked at the "79 Tique rebuild" thread so here to make it easy: Tique rebuild. Look at the pictures!!!!

Pete (8122pbrainard)
     Your communication and especially your pictures of the task that lies ahead for me are a life saver. I thank you in advance for the work I must try. I will keep you posted of my success!!!!!!!!!!

Nevermind....I found out how it works:

How my wife's brain works

boeing777 wrote: Obviously since the socket is entirely glassed into the bottom of the boat, there is no way around getting the pylon out without removing some of the glass. Is this correct?

No. Get some good penetrating oil in there and let it sit for a few days. Then put a breaker bar through the ring and finger and twist. That should break the pin and socket free. Dont touch the glass around the socket.

No I am not suggesting that if I can't separate the two, it will come down to grinding away the fiberglass to take the whole "assembly" out! Either the pin socket has been reglassed or CC overdone it with the glass and bilge paint, because you cannot even see any sign of foreign metal surrounding the PYLON. The paint and glass run right up and around the 1" pin. So at the very least I think I will have to grind or sand away the paint and or a layer of glass in order to expose the metal socket. Then proceed with the saturating of the socket with penetrating oil!
Also is the 1" PIN secured in the socket by anything like a crosspin or does it just sit in the socket freely?

Carey,
No pin!! CC didn't overdo glassing in the socket. It's typically done when the stringers are glassed into the hull. Any extra glass would have been done by a PO. How about a picture?

8122pbrainard wrote: Carey, Get some penetrating oil down at the bottom and let it soak. Then get a bar through the ring and finger and state twisting back and forth!

I soaked mine for several days with penetrating oil. Then I had to use a pipe wrench with a cheater bar because the previous owner had cut off the ring finger to fit on the tall pylon. At first I just got it to barely move but I kept working it back and forth till I spun it completely around. Then lifting up and twisting it finally came out.
I put it back in the socket the other night and It was loose and sloppy. go figure?

Having same problem getting cutoff pylon out of my newly acquired 1979 SN.
My main problem is I can'y get the bolts out of the top plate, had to get a younger friend come over and He got the nuts off. Seems the heads of the bolts are really wore down since 1979????

The PO cut off the ring to put that tall pole on.