The wood is probably there to help spread the load on the mast at the bottom where it inserts into the hull right at the edge of the deck.
A couple possible options. - See if the mast from a Laser might fit. The Laser mast is very similar in size, so it might work, and there are a lot more Lasers around than Holders, so more likely to find a used Laser mast.
- Weld the mast and sleeve it. See if you can source a 2 foot piece of aluminum tube that fits snugly inside the mast to act as a sleeve. Use a couple rivets to hold the sleeve in place and then weld around the joint.
- Source a new lower mast tube. The bottom of the mast is just and aluminum tube after all. I would suspect that it is likely a standard diameter and wall thickness. So maybe you can go to a metal supply house and order a section of 6061-T6 tube of the same size. Then you would need to transfer all the hardware to the new mast section.
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