My boat came with a Forespar Anodized Aluminum whisker pole that had been little used in recent years. I believe it is model 407100, adjustable between 7 and 17 feet in length.
The pole consists of three parts, and I believe that after one has determined the desired length of use, one is meant to twist the sections to hold them in place. The pole had received little use in preceding years and the three pieces were more or less 'frozen' with corrosion. I googled some and dangerously read the instructions right on the pole. "Rinse with fresh water or vinegar." I leaned the pole upright, and poured some white vinegar down the tubes to encourage flow in between the pieces. Within 10 minutes one of the two joints had freed.
I came back the next morning and tried the second joint. It resisted somewhat. I gingerly placed one of the cast ends in my bench vise for a bit of leverage and twisted again. It would be easy to over-do the grabbing and twisting with mechanical help (like a pipe wrench) so I relied on my middle age homo-sapien grasping and cursing. Finally, it too loosened up.
I am sure corrosion will return with time, but if I actually start practicing with the thing, the corrosion locking/freezing problem will be kept at bay.
Pixie the dog was only somewhat impressed with my accomplishment:
The pole consists of three parts, and I believe that after one has determined the desired length of use, one is meant to twist the sections to hold them in place. The pole had received little use in preceding years and the three pieces were more or less 'frozen' with corrosion. I googled some and dangerously read the instructions right on the pole. "Rinse with fresh water or vinegar." I leaned the pole upright, and poured some white vinegar down the tubes to encourage flow in between the pieces. Within 10 minutes one of the two joints had freed.
I came back the next morning and tried the second joint. It resisted somewhat. I gingerly placed one of the cast ends in my bench vise for a bit of leverage and twisted again. It would be easy to over-do the grabbing and twisting with mechanical help (like a pipe wrench) so I relied on my middle age homo-sapien grasping and cursing. Finally, it too loosened up.
I am sure corrosion will return with time, but if I actually start practicing with the thing, the corrosion locking/freezing problem will be kept at bay.
Pixie the dog was only somewhat impressed with my accomplishment:
