[Public-List] mast support in liner boats

[via Public-List]

First, I will admit that I have not reviewed the discussion about mast
supports as I thought this was a problem for older boats as I have a
liner boat. i will be reviewing this discussion tomorrow morning.
so here is my first question. How is the mast supported in liner
boats. My boat is 432? 
A little info may help. (1) I have seen the repair of the mast step
done on 499. I sure there is water intrusion under the mast step. (2)
On my boat there are about five bolts that run through the "beam" that
runs across the v berth bulk head. The heads of the bolt are on the
aft side of the boat and the nuts are on the forward side of the boat.
(3) there is a "dimple" in the aft side of the "mast beam". It is
located right under the mast step. 
Any help would be appreciated. I have a water intrusion on the port
side of the mast step, but do not know its extent but I am am certain
that now is the time to fix it. The intrusion shows up in the ceiling
of the head. There is some water dripping down the port side salon
bulkhead. and a small drip in the port side of the v berth just a few
inches inside the forward side of the v berth bulkhead.
I hope this makes sense. This is way beyond my skills and so I need
any help I can get to give guidance to the pros who will do this job.
Thanks for any help any of you can provide. I think the thing I need
first is a good idea of how the liner boats are different from the
stick built boats with respect to the way the mast is supported.
David, 432