I know what you mean by replace that piece right away... I bought a used Cheata Mount and that little allen screw is corroded so badly it might as well be welded right into place. Overall, the Cheata is a great design though and if this is the only shortcoming, I can deal with drilling it out and re-tapping the hole.

On another subject, any thoughts on those Weed Eater Outboards? Are they reliable? I'm planning on buying an outboard over the winter, but those 25-28lb - 2.5hp outboards seem like a ton of weight hanging on the rear bar of an H16. Seems to me it would really upset the balance of the boat.