How to remove wooden mast plug

[Andy B]

My older boat has wooden mast plugs.  The plugs swell from time to time, making them a tight fit to step.  Conversely, they are showing some checking/splitting on the exposed wood.  Ideally I'd like to replace them with the starboard plastic plugs that B&B sells.

 

My problem is how to remove the wooden plugs.  It's obviously an all-or-nothing job--I can't get tart hacking away at the wooden plugs and then quit if I can't get them out.  Based on some holes I drilled I would estimate the plug goes at least six inches into the mast (I didn't build the boat so I don't know for sure).  That's a lot of tight wood to remove!  Any suggestions?

[Mike Vacanti]

Could you drill a hole into the plug and drive in a lag with an eye and then attach a slide hammer?

[Reacher]

Andy, assuming the worst—it is epoxied or glued in and can’t be pulled—I’d start the hacking with pilot holes and spade bits. Multiple smaller diameter spade bit holes around the perimeter to remove the bulk of the wood. Then gouges and heat if it is epoxied.

 

Alternatively, if the gouging isn’t good, some Core Sound mast plans included a short (maybe a foot?) wooden section on the top, set at least 6” into the mast. I saw one being built like this and it was fine. You could cut off the top part of the mast with the old plug and insert a new section of the correct length. I realize you still end up with a wooden plug, but a better one. 
 

It is very cold here, so I’m just tossing out thoughts. Have fun.

[Reacher]

Sorry, Andy, about not understanding that you were talking about the bottom of the mast. I’m not really sure about the swelling, is there an exposed “foot” of the plug that is swelling and not going down the tube? Or something to do with the whole plug?

 

If slide hammering or prying on a bolt head doesn’t work I would still drill out as much of the plug as possible but only really clean out enough depth to insert the plastic plug.

[Andy B]

Thanks, guys.  Like Reacher I'm mainly thinking about this because it's cold here and my mind turns to summer boating when I'm not downhill skiing!  My set up is more what Reacher described--there's about 3 inches of wood coming out each end of the mast, and that wood extends into the mast at least six inches, I believe. 

 

I did not know what a slide hammer is--thanks!

 

Regarding the swelling--I was initially concerned about it being treated wood and thus leading to a mast failure (I know there's at least one story of that on this forum).  But I don't believe it's treated wood.  The swelling is on the part of the wood that protrudes out from the mast.  I see it mainly on the bottom of the aft/mizzen mast, as it's a tight squeeze into the hole/step in the thwart and then into the holder.  The other issue, much more minor, is that it is cracking just a bit and I worry about the strength of the hardware screwed into it (halyard block).

 

As I type this, I realize that the wood on my boat underwent a significant change in humidity, moving from dry Denver to the the variable moisture of the upper midwest.  That doesn't matter much for the epoxied plywood, but exposed timber like the mast plug would change.  That would explain why in the first year I had to file the plug down a bit to get it to fit, but it wasn't an issue this year.

 

Sorry for the rambling, but talking out loud is valuable, even on a forum.  I think my plan will be to watch it more this coming season, and if cracks continue, I can gouge out as much as possible and insert the plastic plug like Reacher mentioned.

[RED]

You could try as someone suggested stepping up spade bits until the wood is very thin on the walls.  Heat the aluminum mast with a heat gun all the way around in the affected area until its so hot you can only touch it with your bare hand for like one second max. Then see if the remaining bits of wood will chip away.