While you're at it Steve, why not enlarge the through-hole for the bolt and install an aluminum sleeve when you reinstall the bolt? This will do a couple things; it will prevent crushing the mast when you tighten up the bolt, and provide greater surface area to bear the stresses of the wires. I suspect it'll help keep the bolt straight too.
When I had Jerry build my new shrouds, I made this modification when I put everything back together. The 1/4 inch bolt had elongated the holes over time (like yours) and this mod fixed that. I used 3/8 aluminum tube with a quarter inch i.d. I cut a length to span the mast, then cut it in equal halves to accommodate the forestay. I enlarged the holes in the mast to 3/8, then carefully filed and fit so the sleeve is flush to the mast. Works good. t � Tom Smith and Jane Van Winkle M15--345 �Chukar M17--064� Unnamed _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
