Help:)

I have just purchased a 1998 C36 MkII and am a new member of this forum. After the survey, I found that the original forestay stem fitting has a crack through it approx. 1/3 across it's width which makes me nervous. I found that Catalina Direct sells a newly designed replacement for it but the forestay mounting hole is in a different location, requiring the forestay to be re-tensioned or it's length redone.

I just had a professional stainless steel welder look at the stem fitting who stated that he could repair it to an as-strong or stronger than original condition, but that he would have to have it taken off the boat in order to do the best repair job at his shop.

I have taken down the roller furled jib in preparation to remove the forestay so that I can unbolt the stem fitting and remove it. Since I am a newbee and not a sailboat rigger, this is where I have some questions that hopefully some of you can help me out with.

In order to temporarily remove the forstay, I need to release the tension off of it so that I can remove the pin that attaches it the the stem fitting. The questions that I have are:

1) Do I have to remove the Shaffer roller furler to get to the turnbuckle that I assume is hiding inside the roller furler, so that I can loosen it?

2) I would assume so, but do I also need to loosen the back stays to take the tension of of them also? . The back stay turnbuckles are hidden within small cylindrical cover tubes that protect them from the weather but they don't want to slide up more than a half inch or so because the stainless fitting above them blocks them from doing so. How do I get to them? I can take a photo of them and attach it to this thread if it helps. ADDED PHOTOS OF BACKSTAY TURNBUCKLES - SEE THAT I CANNOT RAISE THE TUBE COVERS TO GET TO THEM FOR LOOSENING - THEY GET STUCK AT THE TOP - WHAT AM I MISSING?

I know that I need to count the number of turns when I loosen the turnbuckles so that I can put them back to their previous tension positions when done.

Finally, do you this that I should hire a professional rigger to accomplish the repair of the stem fitting? This sounds expensive and doesn't excite me too much.

Thanks in advance for any who can help:)