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I have the strangest problem with the front of my port side railing!

I took everything out of my 1969 13 foot Whaler to repair and paint. After finishing all that work, I put the starboard side railing back in just great as detailed in the Boston Whaler owner's manual drawing for side railing install.

But the port side railing will not go back in correctly. The front stanchion, though the original part and exactly the same as the front stanchion on the starboard side, will not let me screw the bottom of the railing in against the hull. It is sticking out about 1 1/2" from the side of the hull where it should attach like the starboard one. I can not push it againt the hull to put a screw in, it is under too much pressure.

This is crazy, each side is a mirror images of the other, what can be making this side so different. It wasn't like this when I removed them. No it is not bent. Like this, it is very loose and much too unstable and there's no way this can work.

I have removed the screws and filled with epoxy several times now because attempting to position the front of this railing by pushing it in towards the hull causes the stanchion mounting screws to loosen.
PLEASE HELP!!