Hello Wrinkleboaters! I need your wisdom and advice in replacing a small (I hope!) section of wet balsa core. While doing some maintenance last Saturday on my M15, I found some wet balsa core around the strap that holds the jib halyard block on the deck. The deck was not springy or hollow sounding. I only noticed this because there were some brown stains on the bolts in the cabin. The strap is close to the mast step, so I pulled that to check. Balsa looks good there. Whew! My plan is to cut out a 5x5" section centered on the strap and replace it from the inside. Assuming I can cut it away neatly enough, is it OK to reuse the inside skin? Or should I just put new glass on it? Should I use balsa or is there some other gee-wiz core material I should consider? Any special considerations if this has progressed far enough that I have to cut out from under the mast step? Thanks for your help, Charlie -- Charlie Fortner Earth, USA, GA, Atlanta M15 #411