When I replaced my mast base, I found that the new one had a fractionally shorter flange. Since two of the three original holes hadn't properly pierced the original base (one hole made a nice semi-circle in the rim of the flange; the other had a [broken] thread of aluminum at the top). So, I guess I really only had one good hole.



I checked with the experienced cat sailor at the local Hobie dealer and he said the best thing was just to drill new holes.



As to the plug, that came up too as there was clearly water in the mast. His advice: drill a hole through the plug to let it drain and then seal it back up with silicone caulk. I decided not to bother with that right now because I concluded the water had mostly gotten in through the top plug and I didn't have any more 3/16" rivets so I wasn't going to take the halyard sleeve off that day. But I do need to do that because the water that came out was very dirty indeed.



BOL,



John