Thank you guys! I have a new Pivot Bolt that came with the boat so I guess part of my project will be to grind down to the existing pin and replace it (and repair whatever he was trying to cover up!). I greatly appreciate the replies. And the point of the "C" bolt make sense now.

Hello to all, I'm a new sailboat owner (never sailed before so green and ignorant) and have been watching for an inexpensive sailboat for a few years now and finally found one that fit my requirements (size, price, condition, etc). It is a '73 MacGregor Venture 2-24 that has been gutted and has almo...