One of the three bolts that secure the mast step through my M15's deck top is rusted at the lock nut, so I decided to replace it. I only acquired the boat this summer, and it was built in 1985, so I suppose that sometime in its life it was exposed to rain or constant wet sailing conditions where water seeped down through the holes. Actually, the mast step looked fairly well sealed with clear silicone, or whatever was used. Nevertheless, I decided to remove it and all three bolts completely, clean up everything with a little paint thinner and re seat the mast step with new sealant and three new stainless steel bolts. I poked a small nail through the holes sideways and as far as I can tell from gently poking around and also knocking on the deck around the mast step, I don't appear to have any dry rot issues--at least nothing warranting radical surgery. My question is, what do recommend as the best sealant for the job when I reseat the mast step. I am not sure if I need a "sealant-adhesive" or just a "sealant" Is 3M Marine Sealant 101 as good as anything else? Also, to replace the three bolts, washers, and nuts, will stainless steel hardware from Ace suffice, or do I need to order special "marine" stainless for this purpose. All opinions welcome. Thanks, Neil Dorf 1985 M15 Roseville CA