April 2003 - montgomery_boats - mailman.xmission.com

Dry Tortugas trip
by Doug Kelch 25 Apr '03

25 Apr '03

We are back from another enjoyable cruising adventure. Due to some communications problems John Edwards and I got separated. John made it to the Dry Tortugas and I only went as far as the Marquesas so I will let him tell the sailing stories. Short highlights from the M15 standpoint. - the wind vane transom attachment came loose three times on the first day of trials - 2 - 3 ft waves and 12 kts gusting to 17kt was not the best of trials but I removed the wind vane for the rest of the trip. Best M15 sail was a 17 nm beam reach from Marquesas keys to Western dry rocks - GPS speed reading never dropped below 4.7 kts for over 3 hours and exceeded 5.4 kts on a couple of spurts - Bright sun, clear water 2 - 3 ft waves, never saw another boat until I reached the reef - AAAAAHHHHH perfection - a truly memorable sail. The 3 hours of snorkeling at the Western Dry rocks was superb - even meeting the 6 - 7 foot reef shark in person was a thrill. The second best sail was another M15 only sail in waters an M17 would not likely be found. The area north of Key West has a water depth on the charts of 5 ft to 1/2 ft. I sailed over the shallowest areas into the mangroves at high tide (adds 2 ft to charted depth) leaving sand contrails in my wake while I watched the Manta rays and turtles looking up in consternation. I found a roosting tree for frigate birds which was occupied by about 10 birds ( 6- 9 ft wing span) Winds were 8 - 10 kts and I was cruising along standing up looking through the crystal clear waters - yet another very good day. Wildlife sightings - The best was sailing 4 ft away from a 12 ft long nurse shark which swam parallel to the M15 for about 40 yards. This was in 9 feet of crystal clear water on the eastern side of the Marquesas. A mighty big animal. Lots of sea turtles, largest about 3 1/2 feet across, a few sharks, manta rays and dolfins - a wonderfully rich marine environment. First dive off the stern I found 4 "lobsters" within 50 feet. The must have known the lobster season just closed. I also found bushel basket sized basket sponges here. Lots of shallow waters in the areas I sailed and it reinforced my personal preference for the shallow water M15. To sail the same places in a M17 you would have to compromise the M17's excellent sailing characteristics by cutting off enough of the rudder so you could risk the inevitable groundings which will occur. All in all a very good trip. Doug Kelch M15 "Seas the Day" PS - not many pictures - the first 36exp roll didn't rewind and I lost it. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo http://search.yahoo.com

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Re: montgomery_boats Digest, Vol 2, Issue 19
by Wendell Spence 24 Apr '03

24 Apr '03

[Wendell Spence[wwspence(a)earthlink.net4/24/03 7:09 AM]] > Send montgomery_boats mailing list submissions to > montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > montgomery_boats-request(a)mailman.xmission.com > > You can reach the person managing the list at > montgomery_boats-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of montgomery_boats digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. p.s. / thanks . . . (Honshells) > 2. Re: Transom tales (Larry Yake) > 3. Re: Dry Tortugas trip (IDCLLC(a)aol.com) > 4. Re: hats, pants, bushing . . . (chbenneck(a)juno.com) > 5. Re: Dry Tortugas trip (chbenneck(a)juno.com) > 6. RE: Transom tales (Bill Riker) > 7. Re: Transom tales (htmills(a)bright.net) > 8. Re: Dry Tortugas trip (htmills(a)bright.net) > 9. Re: Transom tales (s.mcclellan(a)attbi.com) > 10. Re: Transom tales (wayne yeargain) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 22:15:57 -0400 > From: "Honshells" <chonshell(a)ia4u.net> > Subject: M_Boats: p.s. / thanks . . . > To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" > <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Message-ID: <001d01c3093e$4787a480$0642b3cf@ajrogers> > > > p.s. I talked to Jerry @ Strictly Sail Chicago about featuring smaller boats > in G.O.B. and mentioned the M17. > > Thanks, everyone, for answering the questions I posted yesterday. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Honshells" <chonshell(a)ia4u.net> > To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" > <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 10:12 PM > Subject: M23 in G.O.B. > > Thanks for the heads-up, Bones! I'm still not a subscriber and looked at the > newsstand as recently as last > Friday. --Craig > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Michael L Bowden" <bownez(a)juno.com> > To: <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Cc: <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 5:44 PM > Subject: M23 in G.O.B. > > Karen and Jeery have the latest issue of Good Old Boat out, and as > promised, there is an article on the M23. > Nicely done with good pictures and a few comments from Ted Brewer as > well. > > Good to see credit where credit is due! > > Bones > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 21:00:06 -0700 > From: Larry Yake <leyake(a)juno.com> > Subject: Re: M_Boats: Transom tales > To: montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com > Message-ID: <20030422.210007.-394127.1.leyake(a)juno.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > All this talk about installing adjustable motor mounts, and I'm doing > just the opposite. I had the "brilliant" idea last year of moving the > motor out of the cut-out in the transom (older model M17) so I could put > a swim ladder there. The idea was that the cut-out would make it easier > to get into the boat off the swim ladder. And it did. I then moved the > motor to the starboard side onto an adjustable motor mount, which I > thought was a great thing. (I'd never had one before.) After the first > trial run, I knew I wouldn't like it. The boat felt different. It's hard > to imagine moving the motor back just a foot would make a difference, but > it did. The trim felt different under sail, and when motoring, well, she > just seemed to plow through instead of slipping along like she used to. > And to top it all off, I now have to remove the motor when trailering. > So, it's coming off, and the swim ladder is moving to the starboard side > so the motor can go back where it belongs. Anybody want to buy a Fulton > motor mount? It'll be listed under Parts For Sale on the web page. > Larry Yake > M17, #200 > Tullamore > P.S. Doug, I like the new pictures on the MSOG home page. Tullamore is > the yellow one. :-) >

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RE: M_Boats: Transom tales
by Steve R 24 Apr '03

24 Apr '03

Greetings Gang, I too am installing a ladder and adjustable OB mount. I got a Garelick mount and the pad is too thick for the Honda. I will have to glue one up. I went with Bomar hatches as per Connie. I put them on both sides. There is an awesome amount of storage space available now. Things like fenders, clothing, PFDs, towels and trash bags should go there nicely. I wish I had done this before. The hatches have been through several thunderstorms without a leak. One thing cutting the hatches showed me (again) is that Jerry put a lot of fiberglass in the boat. I raise a glass in his honor. Last year I installed a tiller extension lock box and a cleat on both sides of the cockpit. I piled up some old towels and blankets to bridge the gap between the berth and styrofoam logs. At 5' 10" and 200# I got back under the seats OK by pushing off the berth with my feet. However, I had difficulty getting out as my hands were over my head and there was nothing to push against. If I had to do it again I think I would use a length of vinyl flooring so the wife could slide me back into the cabin. I've repaired a gash in the hull where the narrow edge of a lapstrake section hit the trailer at some time in the past. The gel coat shows my rookie status but few will ever see it. I'm changing bunk boards and brackets on the trailer and the boat sits an inch or two lower. I shortened my tongue extension from eight feet to about six feet to make it easier to handle. To compensate I made up a draw bar to mount in the receiver that is 36 inches long. That may be overkill but it is easier to make it shorter than longer. I had both pieces powder coated and will pick then up tomorrow. I should get the boat back in the water this weekend to mark the waterline and then mount the ladder and OB mount. I should have marked it last year. I have wanted to keep it dry until I finished the fiberglass. I hope all projects go well and you are on the water soon! steve Steve R. M-15 #119 Lexington, KY --- "Bill Riker" <wriker(a)mindspring.com> wrote: >I still have mixed feelings about cutting a hole in the cockpit seat for a >hatch.

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Standing Rigging from Jerry
by Smith, Tom 24 Apr '03

24 Apr '03

For the group's information, I just had Jerry build some new standing rigging for my M15. He did a great job, and he's pretty fast for an older fellow... Tom Smith & Jane Van Winkle Sandpoint, Idaho M15-345, Chukar

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Re: M_Boats: Transom tales
by chbenneck＠juno.com 24 Apr '03

24 Apr '03

Hi Steve, That is a nice place for more ballast, but I'm afraid that you will find that it is too far aft, causing the boat to be down at the stern when you are sitting in the cockpit. If you add weight there, you'd also have to add weight in the forward compartment to keep the M15 on it's lines. My thought would be to add removable ballast as a tryout in that keel cavity (old sash weights?). If it causes too much of a trim problem, then you can always remove it again. Don't pour concrete and then find that it doesn't work as anticipated. Then you really have a problem! Connie

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Re: M_Boats: Transom tales
by chbenneck＠juno.com 24 Apr '03

24 Apr '03

Bill, Same problem; two different thought processes! I made my mockup and checked prop depth based on the original fixed motor mount. Then I removed the fixed mount, and started playing with the location of the lift mount. Somehow, I never thought of using the existing holes as a reference point for the new mount - as I recall, the spacing was different. The lift mount is the way to go, as you will discover as soon as you are in the water again. No more dragging the prop through the water on a starboard tack............... I am adding a motorcycle battery for 12 volt power for my GPS and for my SONY CD player. That puts weight up forward even if it is only about 5 lbs. I will mount the battery in the forward compartment (in a battery case I'll make). The fuse panel with power socket was going to be installed in the wall next to the porta-potti, but someone else had it mounted up near the cabin ceiling in the aft corner of the cabin. That makes a lot of sense - no stooping and crawling to reach the plug. When I start working on the boat, I'll have to check out that idea. Connie

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Re: M_Boats: Transom tales
by Larry Yake 24 Apr '03

24 Apr '03

All this talk about installing adjustable motor mounts, and I'm doing just the opposite. I had the "brilliant" idea last year of moving the motor out of the cut-out in the transom (older model M17) so I could put a swim ladder there. The idea was that the cut-out would make it easier to get into the boat off the swim ladder. And it did. I then moved the motor to the starboard side onto an adjustable motor mount, which I thought was a great thing. (I'd never had one before.) After the first trial run, I knew I wouldn't like it. The boat felt different. It's hard to imagine moving the motor back just a foot would make a difference, but it did. The trim felt different under sail, and when motoring, well, she just seemed to plow through instead of slipping along like she used to. And to top it all off, I now have to remove the motor when trailering. So, it's coming off, and the swim ladder is moving to the starboard side so the motor can go back where it belongs. Anybody want to buy a Fulton motor mount? It'll be listed under Parts For Sale on the web page. Larry Yake M17, #200 Tullamore P.S. Doug, I like the new pictures on the MSOG home page. Tullamore is the yellow one. :-)

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Re: M_Boats: Transom tales
by s.mcclellan＠attbi.com 24 Apr '03

24 Apr '03

I also recently put in a new motor mount on my M15 -- tightened the nuts cutting out the small box in the cockpit hatch and reached in -- it was a stretch! I must have looked pretty funny to the neighbors with my head and shoulders straining into that hole while my feet were up in the air and all over the place. Being down there gave me a new perspective -- I too had the idea to add a little more ballast. My idea was to fill the unused hollow aft portion of the keel with concrete. Looks like it might be a third of a cubic foot -- maybe 50 pounds. Maybe I'd try embedding some lead scrap which would add some more weight. Does anyone have any thoughts about pouring concrete into fiberglass areas like that? Any problems anyone could see? -- Steve McClellan~~M15~#152~~Chicago > > >Has anyone thought about dumping something heavy, like chain or, ideally, > >lead, into the bilge, to make the M15 stand up a little more in a blow? You > >could probably get 50 or 60 lbs. down below the cabin floor. I haven't > >tried it, but keep thinking it might be useful.

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Re: M_Boats: Dry Tortugas trip
by chbenneck＠juno.com 23 Apr '03

23 Apr '03

Doug, Great report! Makes us snowbound New Englanders envious. Sun! Warm clear water! Warmth! ..........but even up here spring is slowly edging it's way into the area. At temperatures in the mid-50s it's warm enough to start thinking "sailing" again, and I had a man visit me who had to have a look at an M15, so the winter cover came off for an hour, and there it was............... Ah, it's almost sailing time again...........! Connie

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Re: M_Boats: hats, pants, bushing . . .
by chbenneck＠juno.com 23 Apr '03

23 Apr '03

Hi Craig, I too was looking for such a hat, and found one while in Road Town, British Virgin Islands at the Pusser store (Pusser rum.........) and very nice clothing for the sailor. Unfortunately, they didn't have my size, so I couldn't buy one immediately, but, ............they also have a store at 80 Compromise Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, and they were able to supply me with the hat. It's called the "Supplex Sailing Hat". It is lightweight and unsinkable: has two straps so it won't blow off, and it has a snap on the brim so you can wear it Aussi style if you want. The brim is fairly wide - i.e., good sun protection. ...........but no back flap for neck protection. The only catch is that they charge $38 plus S&H for the hat. Pusser's Annapolis phone number is: 1-800-442-6724, and a charming voice on the phone called Judy Adams took good care of me. I think the hat is made in California, so if you go to Google and try "Supplex", you may find other sources of the hat. After using it for two years, I'm sold. It does the job, is lightweight; floats; drys fast when wet, and is retrievable. Connie

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