December 2006 - montgomery_boats - mailman.xmission.com

San Juans "07
by Eeeisen＠aol.com 24 Dec '06

24 Dec '06

We would like information about the '07 San Juan cruise. We are located in Texas and own Motu iti an M-17. We have wanted to do a cruise like this for some time. Eldor and Dorothy Eisen Motu iti M-17 # 495

1 0

But first put your 'hockey puck' around your neck!
by GILASAILR＠aol.com 23 Dec '06

23 Dec '06

_Click here: SeaClear GPS Navigation Software_ (http://www.sping.com/seaclear/) No personal experience, but in light of the recent thread maybe the list techie could look into this and give us a report if they feel so inclined(?) Did this link come from this list - can anyone remember - I just came across it buried in a saved list?? Merry Christmas, I hope your Hannukah was enjoyable, Happy New Year, and belated freaked out Festivus! And to all a good night. Take Care, Have Fun (if you don't have fun it is hardly worth waking up every morn) Sail fast, and often! Peace in 2007. GO

1 0

Traditional Compass vs GPS
by Nebwest2＠aol.com 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

I'd like to throw in a couple of comments on the GPS/compass discussion. If you are already versed in the differences between the two you already know what's typed below. If not, it might be of some help. I'm far from an expert on anything but between the boating, flying, and working for a store the sells GPS I feel fairly comfortable talking about them. You'll also read a fair amount of opinion below. I know not everyone agrees with my viewpoints on this stuff, but maybe it'll spark some interesting discussion (been kinda quiet around here!) . And I'll be in no way offended should someone feel like posting a contrary opinion. Heck, maybe you'll change my mind! Here's some points that I try to explain to folks when I'm working my part time job at West Marine and I'm helping someone with navigation and gps. One thing to keep in mind is that you really cannot "replace" a compass with a gps, unless the GPS unit you purchase also has a fluxgate compass integral in the unit. Garmin does make a few models that do actually have a compass incorporated into the GPS but most do not. The difference is this. A GPS really only does one function and derives all of the information it gives you based off of that one function. The one function is triangulation of your position on the face of the earth based upon 3 or more time signals received from the artificial constellation of gps sattelites that the good old USA put in the sky. It gives you that position in lat/long format or on fancier models it will actually display your position on an electronic rendition of a chart. Most modern GPS units recalculate you position at least once per second. If your position changes from the last position, the GPS compares the two positions and can tell what direction you must be moving to go from point "a" to point "b". It uses the amount of time that it took you to go from A to B , and the distance between the two to figure out your velocity and there you have it...everything else it tells you comes from that basic info. Here's the rub about replacing your compass with a GPS (or only having a gps on board)....Lets say you are walking straight north and have both a gps and a compass in your hand. Both will tell you that you are going straight north or 360 degrees. The gps knows it because it keeps comparing you previous and present positions and drawing an imaginary line between the two. The compass on the other hand knows that you are going 360 degrees because it is aligning itself to the earths magnetic field. Now, lets say that you stop, don't move your position any further over the ground, but instead you pivot 180 degrees while looking at both instruments. The compass will have remained aligned to the magnetic north pole and when you read it, it will indicate that you are facing 180 degrees. The GPS on the other hand will still indicate 360. Why? because it has no idea that you have pivoted around. Your lat/long has not changed, so it sees no change in your position and it cannot tell you are looking another direction. It will continue to indicate 360 until you actually change you position on the face of the earth by moving one direction or another. Therefore unless you are moving the GPS's heading or track feature is useless, whereas a compass will always indicate the direction you are pointed. This is not to poo poo GPS at all. Just to say that you can't replace a compass with a gps. A compass is neccessary for basic navigation for finding directions, landmarks, taking bearings to draw lines of position, etc. And, the GPS can do many functions that the compass can't. It is espeacially good at indicating the direction you are traveling over the ground (track) regardless of the heading of the boat. This makes compensating for crosswinds, set and drift, and things like that a piece of cake. I have a gps, love it, and wouldn't be without it. I use it extensively when boating, and when I was still flying for a living ( a very meager living it was! hahaha) I used them there as well. But you will never find an aircraft without a simple magnetic compass in the instrument panel. In fact, it is a required piece of equipment even on the jumbo jets. And in my opinion, you shouldn't find a boat without one either. I guess I'll finish my soapbox by saying that GPS is great. But please, if you are going to be in situations that are going to require navigation techniques to be used in order to keep you and your family safe, Learn how to do basic dead reckoning with paper chart and compass!!. Supplement it with GPS. Many folks are now venturing out into unfamiliar waters totaly dependant on their GPS unit. If the unit has a problem, their lost. What kind of problems? 1. Handheld GPS failure rates are astoundingly high 2. Batteries run out 3. It is extremely easy to transpose numbers when entering waypoints. Everyone does it sooner or later. If you are also using conventional navigation techniques while using your gps, and you make an error, things won't jive between the GPS and your figures and you'll know something is amiss before you reach Hawaii. 4. Although this is unlikely, the GPS system is a US military tool. They built it maintain it, use it(we paid for it), , and have the ability to shut it down at any time should they feel it necessary to do so in tha name of National Security. It would really stink if they turned it off while you were in that fog bank and you had nothing else going for you to tell you where you are. As far as where to mount a compass on a small boat. If you cant find a good spot for a fixed mount compass you might consider purchasing a quality hand bearing compass. They are about the size of a hockey puck and are great for taking bearings on landmarks to form lines of position. Just food for thought on a cold winter day. Hope everyone has their Christmas shopping done.!! Well, what do you think??? :-) Sean M23 Dauntless

3 2

Re: Boarding ladder
by John Butler 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

I hope I never fall overboard when single handing in winter. BUT: If I did, a PFD would only preserve my body after I succumb to hypothermia. Can anyone recommend a really good boarding ladder for M15s, and where to mount it? John Butler, M15 "Rejoyce", #361 Do it now. You can't do it any younger! .--.-. ( ( )__ (_, \ ) ,_) | '-'--`--' \ _ / -== (_) ==- ^^ / \ ^^ | | /|\ / | \ / | \ /361| \ / | \ / | \ / | \ / | \ /________| \ _____|__ \_ ~^~_~^~_-~^~=~^~~_______/ ==== \_______/ ~^~-~^~_~^~=~^~-| /~^=~^~^~^ =`^~^`^~ ~^~ ~^=~^~_~-=~^-=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/^~_~^=~^~=~ ~^~-~^= ~^~ ~^=~^~_~-=~^~ ^ `--------------'~^~=~^~_~^=~^~=~ ~^~-~^= ~^~=~ ~^=~^~ ~^~^=~^~-~^~ ~^~=~^~^~ =~^~^=~^~^=~^~^ =~~`~^ ~^~= ~^~= ~~^~~`=~``^~^^~= ~^=~^~^~^ =`^~^`^~^=~^~-~~^ John Butler - Sailing again. Praise the Lord!

2 1

Re: Sails for Little Breeze
by George Morrison 22 Dec '06

22 Dec '06

Jennifer, When you order new sails be aware that early vintage M15's have a shorter rig than the current production models (19'-6" vs. 20' as far as I have determined, see http://msogphotosite.com/M15mastmeasu.html) Stock sails may not fit older boats. I bought a new set of "stock" sails from Elliot/Pattison Sailmakers for my '85 M15 #319 (Main: Slugs, Loose Foot, 1 reef, Standard Jib). If any sails would fit an M15, theirs would have, right? They didn't fit, both sails were too "tall" to hoist. Harry Pattison was VERY willing to re-cut the main, even offered to take the stock jib back and make another one to fit. I decided to alter the old mast and rig. I wanted the published M15 sail dimensions to fit my boat from now on, I didn't want to deal with this issue again. I sleeved/TIG welded an identical 6" section to the top of the mast, added a Race-Lite RL-425-H Hounds (from DuckWorks http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/rigging/rl325/index.htm it's bolted thru the existing shroud holes and raises the position that the forestay attaches to the mast by 4-5"), and had a longer forestay made by West Marine. It was a lot of work, but it turned out perfect. Your best bet may be to measure your old sails, or follow the measuring instructions on the Sailmaker's order form. It was my experience that stock sails did not fit my '85 M15. George M15 #319 San Jose, CA

1 0

Sails for Little Breeze
by Jennifer Tiernay 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

I just wanted to thank you for your help in, not only finding a way to get a mainsail for Little Breeze, but also for answering my question about the numbers on the sail. Armed with all your information, Ron went over to LB and looked at the hull number. So we are now officially Hull#117 built 1/1981!!! As I told Norm Bundek, it's like knowing your "birth mother"! LOL! Norm, I have to thank you OUT LOUD for your wonderful offer. Our next sailing video will have your hull number on the sail. Mahalo. Marc Escovedo, thank you so much! You've given me a wealth of information to tuck under my belt. And, yes, I am the first one to LET IT OUT, IF IN DOUBT! I'm slightly a bit braver than Ron only because, if he put it down, he'd never hear the end of it from me...I can be a little braver because I know he'll come to my rescue. Now how's that for female logic? LOL! The waves are pretty big over here so we have those to contend with too and they don't always come in the same direction as the wind, as you know. Around the time of the Big Island earthquake, we had strange and scary currents to deal with, too. Several days after the earthquake, we were sailing smoothly until some strange water formation came towards us and took us out of the wind and spun us around. It went under the boat and moved out into the open ocean. Who knows what it was but losing control was a lesson in itself. It's always an adventure out there and I can hardly wait for us to get back out there soon. I think we'll put her in this weekend and go searching for whales. My goal is to capture a whale on video...from a safe distance, of course. I'd also like to thank the person who showed us the Knots by Grog website. Now that was way cool and I got to learn how to tie my fishing line correctly for a change! LOL! Now, the next one won't get away... Thanks again to all of you. Warmest regards, Jen -- Jennifer Tiernay Certified Homes Services, LLC P. O. Box 75091 Honolulu, HI 96836 http://360.yahoo.com/gently444 RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

1 0

Re: M_Boats: Purchasing Sails
by Sailfan1 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

Aloha Jen -- Congratulations with Little Breeze and I trust she's taking very good care of you all, out in island waters. I hope you're going to hang on to the old mainsail if as you say, it's the one that carried your little gem all the way across the pacific..! Hang it somewhere proud..!! Just as do boats, I'm sure sails have soul.. :) Merry Christmas, Ashley M15 - H# 478 Morgan Hill, CA ----- Original Message ---- From: Jennifer Tiernay <gently444(a)gmail.com> To: montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 3:30:29 PM Subject: M_Boats: Purchasing Sails Aloha from Honolulu! Little Breeze is in need of a new mainsail. I believe it's the original one that was used on the sail over from the mainland. Since this is all new to me, I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to let me know if I can get it through Montgomery or somewhere else. Even a good used one would suffice. I also would like to ask what the numbers mean on the sail. I know what the "M15" means but do the other numbers on the sail signify anything? Ours says 117. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season! We celebrate Christmas...so from Little Breeze and her crew...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! or as they say in Hawaiian...MELE KALIKIMAKA!!! Thanks all, Jen -- Jennifer Tiernay Certified Homes Services, LLC P. O. Box 75091 Honolulu, HI 96836 http://360.yahoo.com/gently444 RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

1 0

Re: M_Boats: Traditional Compass vs GPS
by GILASAILR＠aol.com 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

Great boat that Ranger 20! If it is an 'InterMountain' built boat, they are as nice a quality fiberglass work as I have EVER seen - and I am still lookin too! GO

1 0

Traditional Compass vs GPS
by wcampion＠aol.com 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

This is a general questions to all who care to share. I was considering purchasing a traditional compass for my M15. Of course, I would need a nice gimballed compass which would need to be mounted in a location that is visable and out of the way. These requirements appear to be mutually exclusive, however, I don't want to be kicking it or knocking into it while I'm moving around in the cockpit. And mapping a course seems to require a degree of education or experience. I was also thinking of the advantages of a GPS. It doesn't have to be gimalled. Mounting should not be a major deal and a GPS seems to be more user friendly and more versatile than a traditional compass. I am looking for some feed back and thoughts from people who are currently using either a compass or a GPS or both. Thanks in Advance, Skip Campion M-15 #201 ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

5 4

Animated Knots by Grog
by Rick Langer 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

On the subject of whipping, I always have trouble inserting the needle through the area near the end of the rope where it was cut with a hot knife. This spot tends to be hard and the closer you get to the cut the harder it is to pass the needle through. I saw on the Grog site that he whips the line and then trims it down to the whipping with a hot knife. A simple solution to my problem, but for twenty years I haven't thought of it. I came across another good knot site; http://iwillknot.com/ It is not as detailed as Grog's site, but useful. There are many different ways to tie knots and I always seem to learn something from a specific approach. Rick Langer M15 #337 Bluebird > Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 23:17:59 EST > From: GILASAILR(a)aol.com > Subject: Re: M_Boats: Animated Knots by Grog > To: montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com > Message-ID: <be5.c19b1a9.32bb64f7(a)aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > > Rick, > A sailing friend sent it to me -I just used it today to check on > 'whipping' > methods rather than do my own "invented" version - you know the one you > figger out on yer own -sometimes works - mine usually doesn't! > Enjoy! > Happy Holidays, > GO

1 0