The following paragraph discusses some possible methods for removing and replacing the end bungs and also considers some novel ways of avoiding the problem of bung removal.

The 'destroy' method of removing a Bowsprit End Bung

If you are unable to easily remove the rear bung the simplest and most expensive way of solving the problem is to cut free the old Tack line and then drill a sizeable hole in the bung and use a pad saw to cut the bung in half, then remove both halves, and purchase a new bung..... but note that replacing the bung will need care as it is a tight fit and careless force might damage the aluminium pole.

Possible options for avoiding the purchase of a new bung

The following suggestions are intended to avoid the costs and difficulties of replacing the End bung(s), although the extent of work and time involved is fairly similar, whether you reuse the existing bung or purchase a replacement.

Bear in mind these are suggestions only, you must decide on your competence to attempt replacement. At worst it will cost you £18 to replace an end bung assuming you do not damage the Bowsprit pole in the process of removing or replacing the bung.

If you decide to remove a bung then make sure it is the rear bung, unless the front bung is damaged or worn there is never a need to replace it.

There are a number of untried options available for removing an End Bung;

1. If it is possible to grip the end bung with wide jawed pliers heat the aluminium pole with very hot water (suggested by Topper). Aluminium will expand very readily and this may enable the end bung to be pulled out. Hold the end of the into a pan of very hot water for up to a minute. If possible use a twisting motion as you pull. Make sure the hot water is not around when you start pulling!
2. A variation on the above method is to cut the Tack line free at the front of the pole and pull the internal stopper knot to the end of the pole. Heat the tube as above and use the old tack line with its internal stopper knot to try to pull the end bung free, perhaps with an assistant using pliers to apply a pull and twist to the bung. One Xenon owner has tried this without success with the result that the internal stopper knot pulled out of the rear bung - not a disaster as he found a neat way to solve the problem - see below.
3. An engineering approach to the problem of removing the rear bung could be to drill out the centre hole, large enough to insert a butterfly bolt, sometimes known as a 'spring toggle'. The hole will need to be in the order of 11-14mm depending on the type of bolt you select. Insert this bolt into the hole drilled in the bung, the toggles will spring apart inside the pole and the bolt can then be used to gain a purchase to pull out the bung. If you adopt this approach choose a strong toggle bolt. Heat the pole as above. The bung can be reused as the enlarged centre hole will have no practical effect on the operation of the tack line.
4. A rather different (recommended and tested) approach is to avoid removing the bungs - Use only external knots.  This approach has been successfully tried. The advantage of this approach is that no damage will be done to any of the bungs and no force is required - the whole job can be done in 45 minutes.   Remove the bowsprit pole from the dinghy. Pull the old Tack line through to the front of the pole as far as it will go and cut the line as close to the end bung as possible. Next pull the old Tack line to the rear of the pole and again cut the line as close to the bung as possible. The internal stopper knot will now drop into the pole never to be seen again! With the pole held in a vertical position, use a long thin stiff wire, eg. the core of an electric cable or stiff garden wire or ideally an electricians rod, to pass through the length of the pole from bung to bung twiddling it to coax it through the far bung - this may be a fiddly task. With the wire threaded use it to pull a fine thread through the pole and then use the fine thread wrapped around the new Tack line to gently pull the new Tack line through the length of the pole. You will need to make sure that the new Tack line does not snag as it is pulled through the bung - this is difficult and time consuming. There is no need for an internal stopper knot if this approach is used. Instead a knot can be tied at the rear of the bowsprit pole to achieve the same result as the old internal stopper knot. Afurther advantage of this method is that the knots can be easily repositioned to ensure the perfect launch and retrieval of the bowsprit pole.
5. Another approach that avoids the need to remove bungs - Drill the rear bung. This approach has been successfully tried - thanks to Colin who wrote to describe his work and provide some images - This requires the old Tack line to be cut free, as noted above (Colin simply pulled the internal knot forcibly out through the rear bung- hoping, without success, that the rear bung might come free). The next stage is to drill out the central hole in the rear bung. The hole should be as small as possible but large enough to enable a stopper knot (this will be the internal stopper knot) to be pulled through into the hole and into the pole (Colin used a 10mm drill to enlarge the hole). As above use a length of stiff wire (longer than the bowsprit pole) to act as a line puller. Poke the wire through the central hole in the front bung and fiddle until it emerges from the larger hole drilled into the rear bung. Attach the new Tack line to the front end of the wire using a fine thread wrapped around the wire or insulation tape. Use the wire to draw the new Tack line through the narrow hole in the front bung and then out of the larger hole in the rear bung. This procedure will be made easier than that described above due to the larger hole in the rear bung. Once the new Tack line has been threaded through the necessary stopper knots can be added as described in the main section (Colin tied a stopper knot but left the knot in a very loose state such that he was able to wriggle it through the enlarged hole in the rear bung, pulling it tight only when inside the Bowsprit pole). The enlarged hole remaining in the rear bung will have no detrimental effect on the operation of the launch system.

Photos courtesy of Colin

Shows rear bung with new tack line. Note the drilled out centre hole and neat appearance of the finished job.

Bowsprit pole complete with new Tack line.

Please let us know if you discover other ways to solve this knotty problem! Login and Comment or use the 'Contact Us' facility.