Francisco,

Leave the pin in the mast base. The mast rotates fine with it in, and then there is no way it can come off the ball. That way, shroud extenders should be okay.

I'm very surprised you couldn't get the mast clear of the water, even at 160lbs, and especially with a water bag. How long were you hanging for? When I right my 5.0 alone, it seems like I'm hanging forever with nothing happening. Finally, after what seems like an eternity (but is really probably about 20-30 seconds), I see the mast start to move. Very slowly it starts to rise. Then, as soon as the mast finally clears the surface of the water, the whole rig just pops up in a matter of a couple seconds. So I'm just wondering if you were hanging long enough?