December 2003 - montgomery_boats - mailman.xmission.com

Re: M_Boats: Grounding durability
by fml162＠aol.com 11 Dec '03

11 Dec '03

The thing about the tides in Maine is that they are predictable. The rocks never move. And that cannot be said for the sand bars on the coast from New Jersey to Texas. Lobster pots are thick, especially in the height of the season, but there are ways to avoid them if one really pays attention to the driving. The good news is that they will just slide over the c/b/keel and should be easy to push off of the rudder with a boat hook. In truth, it is not a big deal, especially when you do not have a prop and strut hanging down and spinning around. Cheers. Skip

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Re: M_Boats: Grounding durability
by chbenneck＠juno.com 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

Hi Steve, The rudder on an M15 will kick up by itself when it hits and obstruction; or you raise the tiller and the rubber comes up. A very neat and elegant design that works beautifully. Connie M15 #400

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RE: M_Boats: Grounding durability
by Shawn Boles 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

Steve and Mark: Now that Mark is proud owner of a 23, maybe we could work a deal. Grey Mist has an iron cb (newly refurbished) New standing and running rigging, new electrical system as well. Rigged for single handing. Steve buys Grey Mist and I buy Grace. Contact me backchannel if interested. cheers- Shawn Boles Grey Mist (M17 #276 1978) -----Original Message----- From: Honshells [mailto:chonshell@ia4u.net] Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 5:52 PM To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Subject: M_Boats: Grounding durability Sounds like yours is the rare case where you'd want an early M17 with the cast-iron centerboard, Steve! I did some damage to my stub-keel when I grounded in the harbor of Mackinac Island, Lake Huron, Michigan. As long as you're sailing in over 1' 9" of water, you'll be okay. The old cast-iron centerboard is indestructible. The stub-keel is not. If you think you'd repeatedly ground that 1' 9" on rock, you're better off with a pure-centerboard boat . . . Or a Monty with depth-sounder! :-) --Craig, M17 #389 ----- Original Message ----- From: <IDCLLC(a)aol.com> To: <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 7:51 AM Subject: Grounding durability Greetings M Boaters: For years I've been admiring the Montgomeries. I reckon I'd own an M-15 or M-17 by now, but for one significant problem: I live in a shallow water area with lots of rocks. My current boat has a steel centerboard, which is good at detecting and surviving rock collisions without damage. How would an M boat fare? Has anyone hit rocks with their boat? Draft challenged in Tennessee Steve Tyree, P-15 #2098 "Amy Ann" _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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Re: M_Boats: Re: Cruising SW Harbor Maine
by fml162＠aol.com 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

Good morning, Doug. Picking a favorite anchorage in Maine is more difficult than picking out the best looking model in the Victoria's Secret TV Special. Within a four hour sail from Southwest Harbor alone there are at least 100 great spots. Often we just let the wind determine where it wants us to go. On the whole, however, I think that the greatest cruising is the area which extends from Camden to Mt. Desert Island. In that area you can stay in the bay system (Penobscot, Jericho, Blue Hill Bay), avoiding a lot of the summer fog, have your pick of nearly 3000 islands (no kidding), walk around a number of small towns, and never have to stick your nose out into the Gulf of Maine (read North Atlantic). There are a number of good cruising guides, and I will be happy to help you mark the charts when you get here. An accurate compass is a must and the remainder of navigation equipment depends upon your expertise with navigation in the sometimes fog and always current. If you are comfortable in the Pacific NW, you can do Maine just as well. I suggest a good motor because the winds tend to be light in the mornings. Incidentally, Southwest Harbor is a very good jumping-off place with good ramps and supplies, including a West Marine store. I hope that this stimulates some adventuresome spirits. Cheers. Skip

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Re: M_Boats: Grounding durability
by fml162＠aol.com 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

Tod, we will look forward to seeing you in Southwest Harbor. We have been cruising the area for the last 25 years and can suggest some really nice little spots to hide out in. Our back yard is also a great spot to park the trailer for a few days while you enjoy the serenity of the upper bays. Of course, Rockport, Texas is also an ideal spot for some nice winter cruising as well. Happy Holidays. Skip

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Re: M_Boats: The black hole...
by chbenneck＠juno.com 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

Hi Rusty, To get you up to speed:............ My M15 #400, has a port sail locker that goes all the way to the hull. The inboard side, at the vertical side of the cockpit wall, is closed off with a plywood panel so that anything I drop into the port sail locker stays there, and can be easily retrieved. My starboard locker had the shallow molded sail locker. I cut it out to gain access to all that storage area, and built supports so that the cutout portion can be put back in place and used for small stuff. Now to answer your question: In the area below the cockpit I found Styrofoam logs, about 12" x 12" x 24" (just a rough guess). I also gained access to a bilge area that is behind the centerboard trunk. Having had a centerboard slot leak, which I found with Jerry's excellent advice, and several cans of Forsters beer, while I lay under the boat waiting for water to drip in my face and show me where it came from, I also found the small bilge area full of water. ............and no, this bilge area is not self draining. If you get water in there, it just stays there.............! I put a hose down into the bilge, and with my small PAR hand operated pump got all the water out of there. So, what you have under your cockpit sole is a large amount of good, useable storage space; a bilge that is the aft end of the keel - behind the centerboard; and the Styrofoam logs for flotation. You might be able to snake a hose down into the bilge from inside the cabin P/S sides, but without access from above, that is probably very difficult to do, and leads to the creation of new and improved foul language. An inspection mirror, with a long telescoping handle, plus a flashlight might give you a look at what is down there. Connie

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Re: M_Boats: Grounding durability
by fml162＠aol.com 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

It looks to me like the rudder and its fittings would be more vulnerable then the keel/centerboard. At least on Hull #624, the rudder is a tad bit lower than the keel with the board up. Just a thought. Skip

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Re: M_Boats: Grounding durability
by IDCLLC＠aol.com 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

Greetings M Boaters: For years I've been admiring the Montgomeries. I reckon I'd own an M-15 or M-17 by now, but for one significant problem: I live in a shallow water area with lots of rocks. My current boat has a steel centerboard, which is good at detecting and surviving rock collisions without damage. How would an M boat fare? Has anyone hit rocks with their boat? Draft challenged in Tennessee Steve Tyree, P-15 #2098 "Amy Ann"

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RE: M_Boats: M17 Backstays
by Smith, Tom 10 Dec '03

10 Dec '03

Jerry, with the masthead rig and the way the shrouds are arranged on the M17, I'm guessing backstay tension will mostly affect the headstay and flatten the foresail rather than put any bend in the mast. Am I missing something? t Tom Smith & Jane Van Winkle Sandpoint, Idaho M15-345, Chukar M17-064, Unnamed

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Re: screw jacks
by MC Carpenter 09 Dec '03

09 Dec '03

The model I am building now is using an old trailer screw jack (advise!!!! get the grease off first) and I measured it tonight and it takes a little over 30 turns to go from up to down, On my other centerboard boats I always left the board up except to windward. This is just the test to see if it works stage so there will be changes to be sure. The top of the plate I have added the a lower end of a open-ended turnbuckle with the upper end a swivel, The inside of the swivel is tacked (brazed )to the inside screw mechanics of the jack. The whole thing is way to big to use in real life as yet and it will have to come down in size a lot to fit inside the center board trunk. I tried to get a single lever ratchet to work but it was too much like hard work. Plus I ran out of beer that day. The idea was to take the wheel hub of the kids bike which is about 10 inches across and hook it to the ratchet so one turn of the ratchet would be about 15 inches of movement, but like I said that didn't go far as the spokes on the wheel couldn't take the pressure and crumbled under the load. Well the kid gets a new bike for Christmas from a mysterious source. . And any questions about the bike,, well I never saw that bike, what missing wheel??? So I moved on back to the screw idea because I like the thought of some method of a lock down in rough weather. Mike

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