While taking my boat down (it had been together for a week straight in rather warm temperatures), I had problems with the mast step ball and pin. The pin was in as it should be and the mast was unstepped straight back, nice and slow. As I brought the mast down, I noticed that the ball had slipped by the pin about half way, wedgeing the pin in very tightly. I very carefully restood the mast and drove the pin out with a hammer and clevis pin after which the mast promptly reseated itself as it should on the ball. I reinstalled the pin and brought the mast down. The ball was not terribly damaged, only a good dimple in it where the pin had become compressed into it.



Nothing bad came as a result of this, but it bothers me anyways that it even happened... Any ideas why, or just one of those things that happens once in a while?