Hi Ed,
Sorry to hear of your trouble. It ought to be a tight fit, but reasonably easy to slot together if clean and straight.
1) rinse it clean of salt, grit and sand.
2) Ensure it is perfectly straight, this is critical (lying it down on the boat is a good gauge)
3) Use a dry lubricant (McLube or SpeedSix's dry lube)
(don't use a wet grease that might attract dirt build up)