Here's something that I need help and information about that perhaps someone on the list has dealt with. My new/old M17 Cloud Girl (#393) is sitting on the trailer while I get acquainted with all the work ahead of me. I want to get her on the water this summer at a local reservoir. But...I bought the boat based on an ad, sight unseen, because it was too far away. The ad cited a new mast as one attraction. Of course, I began to wonder. What happened to the old one? I learned that it broke off at the spreaders, no reason given why. I found the port shroud turnbuckles had some bent toggles and damaged parts to replace (and she is more than overdue for all the standing rigging to be re-done). Looking further into things I discovered that the mast compression post seemed not to be quite straight. So I delved even further to discover my current problem. Under the forward berth there is a 15 inch post down to the mast step. The mast step is partly molded into the liner. My compression post there is of the same stock as my boom, 2 inch diameter and complete with sail groove. (Please pardon my lack of nautical terms here.) It was definitely not vertical, but at an observable angle, and crudely bedded in silicon caulk. I took out the upper post, and removed wires that were running in the sail groove of that (in fact removed all the wiring for future replacement), and cut the caulk to release the lower compression post. I discovered one end of the post was poorly sawn--uneven--but I easily filed it flat (with only 45 minutes of steady labor). Now...what do I use to re-bed it on the step? The silicon caulk was easy to remove, but seems not to provide any strength at an important spot. Would 3M 5200 or some similar stuff be a better choice? Should some sort of metal or plastic keeper be bonded in place? I am in a "do-it-right" frame of mind about this. When I put the upper post back I think I also need to know how to properly connect it to the 3/4 inch wooden backer for the mast connection above, as well. Anybody out there have any information or advice for me about these problems? And Danielle in Ketchikan, my daughter lived in Ketchikan, not me. But I got to see where you are. For sailing, it beats being a mile up in a near desert. Oh well! David in Boulder