how to remove frozen spinnaker pole

[Mariner777]

On my port deck I have a large spinnaker pole permanently mounted with heavy deck fittings. The hook mechanisms that snap it into the deck fittings are completely seized. I have tried spraying awl grip and DW 40 and gone blue in the face trying to get the thing off. As I dont have a spinnaker and cant anticipate having one its just taking up valuable deck real estate. I would love to free up that space. I am contemplating taking a hack saw to it but even then I am not sure how I would get it off even if I cut it up. The bolts are frozen in the deck fittings. Perhaps some sort of giant dremel tool would work? I bet the pole is worth a pretty penny but its just something to trip over and I want it gone. Anyone have a similar experience? Any ideas?

[PaulfromNWOnt]

PB Blaster, and a little persuasion from a hammer. Another penetrant that I've heard good things about is Sea-Foam Deep Creep.

Spray the stuff on, let it work for 24 hours, tap item in question with a hammer, spray again. Repeat if necessary, I'd say it should come loose in a couple of days.

Maybe try drilling out the bolts to remove the whole shebang from the deck, then fill in the holes.
p.s. WD40 is not very effective in this application (read useless)

[fryewe]

Vinegar will soften aluminum corrosion. Buy a spray bottle and spray the fittings with vinegar, then let it soak into the corrosion, wait until the vinegar is nearly dry, then spray again and try to get the fittings to move. Repeat until the fittings loosen...they eventually will.

And if you ever have a problem with steel or bronze fittings and fasteners, use a fifty-fifty mix of auto transmission fluid and acetone. Far better than either WD40 or PB Blaster.

[deniseO30]

Try a very sharp edge knife on the pins and try to wedge them back a little bit.. then try something a little thicker, like a chisel. With luck you can wedge the pins back so you can get it off the deck chocks. The deck bolts have to be removed to fill the holes it won't be pretty.

[PaulfromNWOnt]

Hey fryewe, thanks for the ATF and acetone tip! That one will be filed away for future use. I've also used kerosene in the past with great success to un-seize an engine (might work here as well)

[Mariner777]

Will try the vinegar idea thanks for the tip have tried beating/ chiseling on the pins but they just won't budge may have to destructively remove it...

[fryewe]

Paul, I can't take credit for the ATF and acetone idea...don't remember where I found it...on line or in a magazine or somewhere else. I have used it regularly for a couple of years. Works great. Also passed it on to a friend who had been trying unsuccessfully for months to free up a seized Model A Ford engine that had been in a barn for over 40 years. He sprayed it into the cylinders, waited overnight, then barred the engine over the next day!

[xort]

I had the exact same problem. A whisker pole that had not been used in many years. I repeated the PB Blaster treatment several times per week for a month. Supplementing the treatment with light tapping from a hammer gets the PB to penetrate better. After it finally came loose, I was able to sand the release pin with 400 grit paper and further treat with PB blaster.
Take your time, let the PB do its job. Patience.