Copy the skin weights over, works superb.

Just thinking you might need to select the curve then the circle, cant remember off the top of my head

You create a curve, then create a circle, put the circle at the end of the curve, select the circle and then the curve and go to surfaces extrude and check the settings for the output to be nurbs.

I would start with a poly cube, then add divisions and move them to suit, placing ones in positions where holes are going to be then delete the polys where the thoes are going to be, in fast I pretty...