Your post makes me believe it is the mast base that needs work since you talked of a new mast. Jack responded to a problem with the "mast step" The mast step is connected to the forward beam and can be a pain to remove. The mast base is riveted to the mast. It's not very hard to drill out the old rivets and replace the mast base. A new mast base is about $45 in the hobie catalogue.
For more information about delamination search this forum for "soft spot".
Greg
H14, H15