Well I don't subscribe to Sail magazine, and having just moved out of my 16 foot 1965 shasta camping trailer, in which I lived for 4 years, I have no grand delusions of what life on a small vessel would be like. As for the deck hardware though, I still think it would be a good idea to as least start re-beding it, after looking through some of the threads on recoring, I think in this case an ounce of prevention is worth way more than the nightmare that re-coring looks to be. Oh and by the way, you guys are great. I never expected this much interest on a forum that is dedicated to a 44 year old boat. I think I will be sending some money the forums way, and definantly getting the manual.