The strut has a retangular plate that is thru bolted in a recess in the hull and covered with fairing compound that can safely be grinded away to expose the plate. I did just that at the beginning of the season, tightened the mounting bolts and reglassed the plate with epoxy and matt. Finished task before fairing can be seen at http://bp3.blogger.com/_lkgJ09tvrwg/SAPMI8WjLqI/AAAAAAAAAIc/QnvcNe5OE7k/s1600-h/IMG_0150.jpg