myosys

Some of the finish is high gloss; Pilkington definitely had molds. Some part of the boat had woven that the previous owner merely painted. It'll be a project one day to putty it smooth... or maybe that will be the next owner's project

When I haul the boat (it's autumn here in Connecticut, USA), I'll measure the angle and let you know. Interesting...

Hey kda, Yes, the dolphin striker, which goes through the beam and is welded to the mast step, is free to move up and down. The beam itself inserts into a socket laminated into the hull. I've attached a photo showing how far the socket goes into the boat. It is integral to the bulkhead. Yeah, I think the stainless plate performs a bunch of functions; wear, centering, and strengthening. The rope is actually a stainless wire with a turnbuckle. According to the importer, Pilkington built the boat with this to stop the beam from rotating when "under extreme load." That's never happene

Ken, for what it's worth, here are pics of the mast base on my Dakota 33 (Pilkington-built, exported to the U.S.) There is a chrome plated bronze hemisphere that is not shown in the photos. It is fitted flat to the bottom of the mast. The curved part fits into the delrin bearing. You can see the "boot" sitting off to the left. The entire step is welded to a dolphin striker strut which goes through the crossbeam.