My M 17 Ol'44 came with a hawse pipe ( aka stovepipe) and other hardware on the foredeck to stow a danforth anchor. The navigation light is mounted on the foredeck, also, leaving precious little room to stand. As I rarely anchor, I dont need an anchor close at hand, and having fewer trip hazards is always desirable. I removed all anchoring hardware. My solution for anchoring is to stow anchor and rode under the cockpit sole and rig a messenger line to the bow. The rode is passed thru a carabiner that can be hauled forward. This approach adds complexity to anchoring but the benefit is that you never leave the cockpit. I do have a rather large hole in my foredeck. Jerry commented here that the early boats did not have balsa coring. Should I be able to see the coring in the deck where it was cut? Does anyone know when the use of balsa began? Thanks, Jon Barber Monty17 Ol'44