Hello,
<br> Does anyone know how to remove the mast step on a Hobie 16 ? I feel the dolphin striker is somehow intergrated with it.... I drilled out the pop rivets and she will not budge.... Can anyone help me? <br><br>

It is not an easy procedure, but can be done. Must remove the dophin striker. Generally takes some hammering to get it out of one of the corner castings.[Leave the bolt on end of the long rod to protect the threads] Then keep working it out until it is out of the hole in the vertical rod. The vertical stainless steel rod is threaded into the bottom of the mast step. Since the rod is stainless steal and the step is aluminum, it takes a lot of liquid wrench, propane torch to heat and cool, and muscle to unscrew that vertical rod.
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<br>After changing out the mast step be sure to reinstall the dolphin striker through the corner casting before riveting the mast base back on to the crossbeam.
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<br>Good Luck<br><br>Stew Barcalow
<br>Fort Lauderdale

Thanks so much......<br><br>