There is no other reason why the top of the mast gets stuck in the base. It’s dirt in between. Always make sure the top of the mast and the ferrule are fully clean. The top needs to be washed all the way inside as the wind could blow dirt and send all the way up. It could feel clean, but as you sail, the dirt will fall from the top, and fall in between the two and ferrule. This will than get the 2 parts stuck together. What not to do when the mast gets stuck: When trying to open the mast with too many people, they don’t pull it out straight but the rotation applied to open it, makes the ferrule rotate at a different angle to the top of the mast. This creates even more dirt (liquid, sea water with dirt and carbon which gets grinded off), and the friction makes the mast not get hot, but boil. You are not even able to touch it as it burns! This is how they even get more stuck as when it’s starts boiling hot the material react and the ferrule gets wider.
1 – Shake the mast hard so that the dirt gets broken in the ferrule in smaller pieces. This is done by holding in 2 people the 2 ends of the mast. Rotate the mast 90°left 90 degrees right. The mast will open a bit, it’s important that the rotation is done by pulling straight and not only rotating, and when rotating trying to keep the 2 parts on a straight line. At one point the mast from opening, will get stuck again. No need to rotate it anymore with extra power. It will get hot and get damaged.
2 – So once is stuck a second time, it needs to be shaken again, and automatically the top and bottom will reach a straight position between the 2 parts, so you can start repeating point 1. And this needs to be done till the mast is not out. Every time it gets stuck let it rest, otherwise it can get too hot even like this, so it’s than impossible to open it. DON’T GET IT HOT. COOL IT DOWN EACH TIME IN THE WATER
3 – If just power is applied, without the shaking, without pulling it and rotating it in a straight position, by letting it get hot, it gets even worse stuck.
4 – Remember that if it was stuck, it was only because the mast was not clean in the inside. No other reason.