November 2004 - montgomery_boats - mailman.xmission.com

Fwd: M_Boats: New Monty 15 owner introduction
by Steve R. 04 Nov '04

04 Nov '04

Hi Norm, Welcome to our group. About raising the mast, once you have seen it done it is a piece of cake. There is advice on set-up from Jerry M. on the msog.org website: http://msog.org/models/m15/m15_setuprig.cfm I added a line for a jib downhaul. You may have one now. It runs back from the bow fitting through several fairleads and is secured with a clam cleat on the side of the cabin. When I lower the jib and remove it, I leave the downhaul attached to the jib halyard fitting. (There is a small loop in the end of the downhaul.) The other end of the halyard is of course cleated off on the mast. With the mast in the highway travel position, I uncleat the downhaul and make sure it has some slack. I have a mast cradle that has a roller. I untie the front end of the mast from the trailer support, then roll the mast back and bolt the mast base in. (I am thinking of going with a slotted tabernacle to eliminate the bolt, as has been discussed in recent days.) Now I stand in the cockpit. I have the jib downhaul line in one hand. I take the slack out of the downhaul. I lift the mast with the other hand. If I need to stop at any point on the way up, I simply take out the slack and cleat the downhaul. The mast stays in place. I can then reposition to raise the mast the rest of the way, or untangle anything that is snagged. When the mast is up, I cleat the downhaul. Again, the mast stays in place. I have the forestay coiled up and fastened to the mast with a bungee cord. I remove the bungee and walk to the bow to fasten the forestay. It takes a lot longer to write about it than to do it. When you remove the sails and lower the mast, you just have to do things in a way so that you will be organized for the next time you go sailing. For example, I leave the main on the boom. Good luck. You have a great place to sail. steve Steve R. M-15 #119 Lexington, KY --- Norm Bundek "nbundek" <nbundek(a)earthlink.net> wrote: Subject: M_Boats: New Monty 15 owner introduction I just bought a 1981 Montgomery 15' hull number 172. <...> I only need to figure out a way to raise the mast by myself and set up the sails for single sailing. Any suggestions? <...> If there are any Montgomery's in the Ventura area, please contact me to sail around the area. Norm Bundek nbundek(a)earthlink.net

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mast tabernacle
by Richard Cottrell 04 Nov '04

04 Nov '04

after removing the old tabernacle I decided to have the new halyard organizer plate welded to the new tabernacle plate and have the aft two holes enlarged and have the forward two holes enlarged, as well and drill them through both plates. The new plates are a bigger and better product. I think four holes are better than the three. They are at the machine shop now and should be ready soon. I purchased a uni-bit today at Home Depot for $ 17.95. Thank you, Bob, for the latest advise re: location of mast hole and filing at base of mast for easier set-up procedure. Rich Cottrell

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Re: M_Boats: Downsizing to a smaller trailerable
by Saltm17＠aol.com 04 Nov '04

04 Nov '04

Michael, The time it takes to rig a trailerable sailboat is often a factor of organization. When I was day sailing Miss T, in the days before the bimini, I could easily have it in the water sails rigged and ready in 20 minutes. But I was much better organized back then. The hardest part was getting the motor from the truck to the boat. These days with the Bimini and extra stuff, it takes longer, and now that I am retired, I am not in as much of a hurry. John Edwards

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RE: Downsizing - Catboat?
by Todd N. Swift 03 Nov '04

03 Nov '04

Michael, I'm mostly a lurker on the list. I own a 1985 Sanibel 17 (www.widgetsailor.com) which is fairly easy to rig. As a suggestion, if speed at the ramp is a primary concern, perhaps one of the little catboats with a tabernacle mast would be the solution? Leave the main sail on, pop up the mast, pin it, and you're done? I've no experience with these boats, but others on the list might and I'm sure others on the trailersailor lists would. Maybe the suncat or something? (http://www.com-pacyachts.com/com-pacsuncat.php) Keep us posted! Todd S. Dubuque, IA ---------------------------------------------------------------------- So I've decided that smaller and simpler is better. Everyone in my family owns a boat so I have access to bigger sailboats. My goal for a trailerable is something I can rig by myself at the ramp in less than half an hour. The quicker the better. It must have enough room for a useable porta-potty. So this is my dilema. I would like a small trailerable that's easy to rig, easy to launch and has a small cabin with a useable porta-potty. Sounds like the M-15? Yes? No? Take care, Michael

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Re: M_Boats: RE: Downsizing - Catboat?
by David Thomason 03 Nov '04

03 Nov '04

I watched the salesman at a boatshow in September lower & raise the mast on a Com-pac Sun Cat in about 2 minutes flat. There're pretty small, but if your going to be happy with an M15, you'd be happy with everything but the price on the Sun Cat. I looked at the larger Horizon Cat (LOA 20, LWL 17' 10"), which will sit four comfortably in the cabin, sleep two, and has a vee-berth for the port-a-potty. With all of the toys, trailer and diesel engine, it was listed at 44K, but could probably be had for 38K or so since it's a 2004. They're very pretty, however; and have the tabernacle on the rigging. I noticed the salesman chose to demonstrate on the Sun Cat, and not the Horizon. I'd bet that an M17 is faster than the Horizon Cat under sail because of the jib, certainly at least to windward. Funny, under power, the Horizon would walk away from an M17. For about the same price, you can get a Com-pac 23/3 with trailer & diesel, but at LOA 23' 10" it's a completely different boat (no standing headroom, however). My understanding is that it can take about 90 minutes to rig one without help; so, it's really only for occasional towing. Of course, for 44K you can get a good used boat that's big enough to live on, but that's different story. ;-) >>> mike_matthews(a)comcast.net 11/03/04 12:24PM >>> Great suggestion! It seems to me that a tabernacle setup would be a trailer sailor's dream. That or something with a free standing rig (as long as the mast isn't too heavy). Unfortunately, boats of this type seem to be few and far between out here on the west coast. Occasionally I've seen a Com-pac cat for sale, but they tend to be very very expensive. The Nimble Peep Hen really intrigues me but I've yet to see one for sale out here on the west coast. And the odds are not getting better with Nimble Boats shutting down. Although I did hear a rumor that Marine Concepts, the builder of the Sea Pearl (another boat I'd like to look at) has bought the molds for the Hen line from Nimble Boats. I've since regretted letting the owner of the M-15 talk me out of going to look at his boat. If it's no harder to rig than a Potter 15 then that's good enough for me. Take care, Michael > Michael, > > I'm mostly a lurker on the list. I own a 1985 Sanibel 17 > (www.widgetsailor.com) which is fairly easy to rig. As a suggestion, if > speed at the ramp is a primary concern, perhaps one of the little > catboats with a tabernacle mast would be the solution? Leave the main > sail on, pop up the mast, pin it, and you're done? I've no experience > with these boats, but others on the list might and I'm sure others on > the trailersailor lists would. > > Maybe the suncat or something? > (http://www.com-pacyachts.com/com-pacsuncat.php) Keep us posted! > > Todd S. > Dubuque, IA > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > So I've decided that smaller and simpler is better. Everyone > in my family owns a boat so I have access to bigger sailboats. > My goal for a trailerable is something I can rig by myself at > the ramp in less than half an hour. The quicker the better. > It must have enough room for a useable porta-potty. > So this is my dilema. I would like a small trailerable that's > easy to rig, easy to launch and has a small cabin with a useable > porta-potty. Sounds like the M-15? Yes? No? > > Take care, > Michael > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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Downsizing to a smaller trailerable
by Rik Sandberg 03 Nov '04

03 Nov '04

Michael, "claiming it was way too hard to rig by himself" Hello, I just downsized from a Rhodes 22 that we trailered and set up regularly to the M-15. I cannot imagine anyone with any mechanical ability at all thinking that the M-15 is difficult to rig. We have rigged our M-15 both on the trailer and in the water and I cannot imagine what boat could be much simpler than this. Literally, I would not need both hands. As well as being easy to rig, It is my opinion that the M-15 is one very seaworthy little boat. I have been out myself single handed in 15 to 20 knot wind with gusts higher and found our little M-15 to be quite comfortable and dry with a reef in the main. Rik Sandberg 1981 M-15 S/V "Just Little"

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RE: M_Boats: Downsizing to a smaller trailerable
by Smith, Tom 03 Nov '04

03 Nov '04

An M15 owner claimed the boat was too hard to rig by himself? Have I got that right? The only boat easier to rig than an M15 is a boat with no rig at all... Regardless, you mention your family. How many people do you plan to sail with? The M15 is a great boat, but not for a crowd. If you plan to sail regularly with more than two people, I'd recommend you look at an M17, which is not as easy to rig as an M15, but still quite reasonable. t Tom Smith and Jane Van Winkle M15--345 Chukar M17--064 Unnamed

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RE: M_Boats: Downsizing to a smaller trailerable
by Morris, Giles 03 Nov '04

03 Nov '04

>claiming it was way too hard to rig by himself I just have to step in here.... I owned an M-15 for several years, until selling it this past spring -- and I still have mixed feelings about how good an idea that sale was. Although I have no experience of the M-17, I can say without doubt that the M-15 is a lovely little boat. I'm in my mid-50s (how did _that_ happen?) and reasonably fit/active. The least time that I could hope to lapse from driving into the ramp parking lot and the boat being off the trailer and ready to go was about 20 minutes. Having assistance would increase that minimum time by about five minutes :-). The hardest part by far was carrying the outboard from the trunk of the car to the motor mount. Yes, there would occasionally be a hitch of some sort in the process -- but in general I'd say that rigging the M-15 for launch is as easy as it gets. It sits a bit higher on the trailer than a flat-bottom boat (e.g. a Potter 15) so you have to expend a little more effort climbing aboard, but that's not a significant problem. Raising the mast is _not_ a problem. The fractional dinghy rig makes it exceptionally quick and easy to get everything tied down. The cabin is comfortable for one (at least, for one who can deal with not having sitting headroom) or one plus a child. Two adults is a tight fit (depending...) and two adults plus a child is like sharing a telephone booth with a whale. The M-15 is a great boat, and one that I cannot recommend too highly! Giles Morris -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+giles.morris=unisys.com(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+giles.morris=unisys.com@mailman.xmissio n.com] On Behalf Of Michael Matthews Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2004 11:20 AM To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Subject: Re: M_Boats: Downsizing to a smaller trailerable Thanks for the great info! I'm coming from a background of bigger non-trailerable keel boats. I currently own at 26' Tartan sloop and a couple of small homebuilt wood boats. I live an hour away from the water and have found it's too far for me (I have a young family) to do all the maintenance on the boat that it needs. Also, I have a very large backyard and a great place for a trailerable. Two summers ago I bought a MacGregor 19' Powersailer. I was hoping to use it on a couple of the local lakes and occasionally down in SF Bay. However, the boat was big and hard to rig, sat high on the trailer and I ended up almost never using it. In fact, this last summer I used the boat only once! It was just too much work to tow and launch. So I've decided that smaller and simpler is better. Everyone in my family owns a boat so I have access to bigger sailboats. My goal for a trailerable is something I can rig by myself at the ramp in less than half an hour. The quicker the better. It must have enough room for a useable porta-potty. I've looked at a lot of boats on paper but it's becoming clear to me that I really need to go look at the boats in person to get a real feel for them. There was an M-15 for sale a couple of months ago but the owner talked me out of looking at the boat claiming it was way too hard to rig by himself. So this is my dilema. I would like a small trailerable that's easy to rig, easy to launch and has a small cabin with a useable porta-potty. Sounds like the M-15? Yes? No? Any other thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. Take care, Michael Saltm17(a)aol.com wrote: > Michael, > > The mast on the M15 is easier to raise than the one on the M17, > however, I have an M17 (Miss T) and even at 60 don't have any problem > at all raising the mast. If I were trying to decide which boat to > buy, I would look at where I want to sail, what towing vehicle I > have and the number of friends/family I normally sail with. There is quite a difference between the two models and > you might want to look at both before deciding. The M17 handles steep chop > better than the M15, has more room and has at least one comfortable > sitting nposition below. Both boats can take a lot of weather, but > the M17 does better in rough conditions. I think either boat would be > a good choice depending on what you want and where you sail, > > John Edwards > Miss T > M17 # 372 > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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Re: M_Boats: Downsizing to a smaller trailerable
by Saltm17＠aol.com 03 Nov '04

03 Nov '04

Michael, The mast on the M15 is easier to raise than the one on the M17, however, I have an M17 (Miss T) and even at 60 don't have any problem at all raising the mast. If I were trying to decide which boat to buy, I would look at where I want to sail, what towing vehicle I have and the number of friends/family I normally sail with. There is quite a difference between the two models and you might want to look at both before deciding. The M17 handles steep chop better than the M15, has more room and has at least one comfortable sitting nposition below. Both boats can take a lot of weather, but the M17 does better in rough conditions. I think either boat would be a good choice depending on what you want and where you sail, John Edwards Miss T M17 # 372

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Re: M_Boats: Downsizing to a smaller trailerable
by Randy Watkins 03 Nov '04

03 Nov '04

Hello Michael, I did a similar move, 20 ft, to a M15. The mast is easy to set up. Mine came with the slotted tabernacle with a stern mast carrier. The mast slides in and locks down, I put it in the mast carrier, pull it up connect the forestay and it's ready to go. This makes it a one handed lift, very easy. The M15 is a good choice. Regards, Randy W. M15 Becca Anne, 1981 Texas >>> mike_matthews(a)comcast.net 11/3/04 12:30:58 AM >>> Hello, I just sold a 19' trailerable and am looking to downsize to something smaller. What I'm looking for is something I can easily rig and launch single handed. Several boats have been suggested to me, one of which is the Montgomery 15. Is there any M-15 owner in the San Francisco Bay Area that would be willing to let me take a look at there boat? What I'd really like to do is watch and/or help raise the mast. Over the weekend and I met a bunch of West Wight Potter owners and watched them rig and launch their boats. While they're cute I didn't really care for the interior layout of the Potter 15 and the boat seemed pretty lightly built. Everything I've heard about the Montgomery 15 and 17 indicates that they are much more heavily built. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can be reached at any of the following: mike_matthews(a)comcast.net Cell: (925) 216-4911 Thanks and take care, Michael Matthews _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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