January 2010 - montgomery_boats - mailman.xmission.com

New years resolultion - first cruise
by Doug Kelch 04 Jan '10

04 Jan '10

In keeping with the suggested New Years Resolution to sail/cruise more, I just spent 3 days cruisng on Lake pleasant in AZ. The conditions were apparently typical for this time of year with high temps 65 - 70 and lows 35 - 45. The nights were cold enough to prevent any length star gazing but the stars were brilliant. The morning winds were around 10 kts, calm mid-day and 5-10 kts after 3 pm. The night winds actually get quite strong. Generally very nice though. The water level in the lake is up at this time of year and I was warned about the heavy brush and trees on the bottom of the coves shallow enough to anchor in. I bought a fish finder with a suction cup transducer to attach to the transom and it worked well. There were some areas that were very dense with brush and others relatively clear of debris. The waters here sure are deep and the bottom is hard packed stuff that is poor holding. Has anyone tried a fishermans anchor from http://www.blueoceantackle.com/kedge_fisherman's_anchor.htm ? I am not sure where to store it but I think I will try the 15 lb one. The local club had a 14 boat raft up on Saturday night with the boats alternating anchors, bow and stern. I skipped the raft up and anchored in a tiny little 12 ft deep cove at the far end of Coles Wash Arm. There was very little swing room so I anchored bow and stern. A CQR off the bow which was facing WNW and a 15 lump of vinyl coated lead off the stern. The winds that night were quite strong out of the North and I was nice and secure. The large raft up however got quite exciting. Many of the anchors dragged and 3 boats were on the rocks but little damage. Not much sleep there. One the way back to the ramp my topping lift block fell off the upper tang and I couldn't remember how it was attached except that it was a shackle on the through bolt at the hounds. In fear of loosing the mast I dropped/furled all the sail and ducked in a quite cove. The binoculars showed that the nut was still on the through bolt and it was safe to continue. When making the repair on land I discovered that I had use a shackle with a screw in pin. The pin had unscrewed itself. I gues the lesson here is that any upper fitting that cannot be inspected should be using good cotter pins. Well, Happy New year to all. Looking forward to the Lake Havasu Poker run. Thanks Doug Kelch M15 #310 G "Seas the Day"

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Advice Sought: Porta-Potti for '85 M15
by ndorf＠surfbest.net 04 Jan '10

04 Jan '10

Quick question, I want to put a porta-potti in my M15, and I have read all the information on the forums and M boat related sites. I understand that the Thetford 135 more or less fits, once coaxed with a soak in some hot water, then weight and wait. My question is, given the expectation that the fit will be tight in the sunken well where the 135 will sit, will I still want the "Marine" version of the 135--which has a secure-down kit--or will the standard one do just fine? I'm not sure there is really much difference in price, and my concern is also that, without actually seeing one of these, would the secure-down kit actually get in the way? Any advice? Thanks, and Happy New Year to all, Neil Dorf Roseville CA M15 1985

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Re: M_Boats: Advice Sought: Porta-Potti for '85 M15
by ndorf＠surfbest.net 04 Jan '10

04 Jan '10

Thanks Rik, Didn't know about the Pett but it does look like a fantastic solution. I have a porta-potti for my tent trailer and I know too well the hassle involved with cleanup after a camping trip. By the way you are the 2nd person I have run into on these bbs forums (so to speak) that has both a Flicka and a Monty. Must be a Flicka thing ? The Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 is a very cool boat, would love to sail on one someday. [Bert are you listening ? :-) ] Happy New Year Neil

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Re: M_Boats: Great Loop
by Larry E Yake 03 Jan '10

03 Jan '10

Hmmmm.... downstream, but upwind all the way. Not to mention the locks to go through, barge traffic, etc. Sounds like a great adventure! Larry Y. On Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:39:53 -0500 Larry Pegg <larrypegg(a)aol.com> writes: > > This is one of the trips I want to do. I'm going to try Lewiston > Id to Astoria first though. > > > > At your service > > Larry Pegg > > Pilgrim #55 M-17 > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: htmills(a)zoominternet.net > To: 'For and about Montgomery Sailboats' > <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Sent: Sat, Jan 2, 2010 9:25 am > Subject: M_Boats: Great Loop > > > There is a guy who is in the process of taking a WWP15 around the > Great > Loop, which, if you aren't familiar with that, is a loop around the > eastern > part of the US, normally made in a counter-clockwise direction down > the > rivers and canals, along the Gulf coast, up the eastern seaboard, to > the > Great Lakes, and back to the rivers and canals again. Along the way > are a > number of choices in route. Buzz started out in Demopolis, Alabama > and is > currently in Panama City, FL, on the Gulf coast. > > > > He has a web page here: http://greatloop.thedalamar.com/ which > includes a > link to Google Maps and details of his route. > > > > As you can see, he is not sailing (I expect there aren't enough > opportunities to sail to make having the extra gear aboard > worthwhile). > Instead, he has two 2-hp Hondas mounted. > > > > > > Tod Mills > > M17 #408, 1987 galley model > > BuscaBrisas > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > > Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > > Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! > >

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Great Loop
by htmills＠zoominternet.net 03 Jan '10

03 Jan '10

There is a guy who is in the process of taking a WWP15 around the Great Loop, which, if you aren't familiar with that, is a loop around the eastern part of the US, normally made in a counter-clockwise direction down the rivers and canals, along the Gulf coast, up the eastern seaboard, to the Great Lakes, and back to the rivers and canals again. Along the way are a number of choices in route. Buzz started out in Demopolis, Alabama and is currently in Panama City, FL, on the Gulf coast. He has a web page here: http://greatloop.thedalamar.com/ which includes a link to Google Maps and details of his route. As you can see, he is not sailing (I expect there aren't enough opportunities to sail to make having the extra gear aboard worthwhile). Instead, he has two 2-hp Hondas mounted. Tod Mills M17 #408, 1987 galley model BuscaBrisas

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Fw: Great ideas for 15 & 17 Montgomery boats.
by Keith Diehl 02 Jan '10

02 Jan '10

----- Original Message ----- From: "Conbert H. Benneck" <chbenneck(a)sbcglobal.net> To: "Montgomery Boats" <montgomery_boats-bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 12:33 PM Subject: Great ideas for 15 & 17 Montgomery boats. > Hi Gang, > > Happy New Year, and may 2010 give you lovely broad reaches on all the > courses you may choose to follow. > > In my latest issue of "MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS" January 2010, > published by Bob Hicks, 29 Burley St., Wenham, MA 01984, there is a > superb article about modifications a sailor made to his 16 foot > sailboat and to it's trailer for easy one man operation. The article is > by: Dan Rogers, pages 42 to 48 is titled: "So Little Time..... So Many > Holes to Drill, the process of simplicating and adding lightness. He > added lots of good photos of his modifications. > > His aim was to use his boat and van to travel the USA, by himself, > sailing wherever he was so inclined. To do this, he had to set up the > boat for easy single handed mast stepping and unstepping - ashore or > afloat. He describes the various steps in his systematic development > process that he went through; what was tried and didn't work; what was > changed and why; the next problems that arose; and his next steps at > optimizing the whole mast stepping and unstepping process. > > He rigged up a gin pole and tackle arrangement to control mast raising > and lowering. He added lower shrouds in line with the mast pivot point > so that the mast could only go up and down in a straight line, and > couldn't fall off to one side or the other. His system also allowed him > to stop the raising process - cleating off the mast raising halyard - so > that he could clear any tangles, halyard hang-ups, etc., before > continuing the raising process. > The mast he was using was 22 feet long (he increased his main sail size, > thereby requiring the longer mast) and it had to be slid fore and aft. > To make that easier, he built a stern mast support with rollers which > allowed him to easily slide the mast forward, after it was lowered, into > it's road-ready position. > > He added a multi-part tackle to the forestay so that he could just clip > it in place and didn't have to fumble looking for clevis pins and rings > to fasten the forestay. > > His trailer modifications are also noteworthy. > > He wanted to be able to back the trailer into the water and not put the > rear wheels of his Chevy van in the water. At this point he also wanted > to be able get on board the boat for the launching by stepping from the > van to the trailer tongue to the boat. His solution was to build a > walkway on either side of the trailer tongue on which he could really > walk and work. > > He found that the angle of normal ramps got the stern of his boat in > the water, but his boat wasn't about to float off. He came up with two > solutions to this problem. > > - the first was to install a second trailer wheel jack on the top of > the trailer, pointing upwards, with a "Vee" block in place of the wheel > that the jack normally has. This > "Vee" block then fitted on the lower bow of his boat, lifting the bow up > in the air which immersed the stern further into the water, and allowed > the boat to easily slide into the water. (the sliding also had to be > controlled, so he has a neat solution for that problem too) > > - the second was to raise his towing hitch on the van. He raised it > as much as he could, (8") which also caused the stern to be lower in the > water during launch, and helping the boat float off the trailer. His > example, "....lift the handles of the wheelbarrow to dump the load" > > These two ideas allowed him to effortlessly launch and retrieve his > sailboat all by himself, without any external help. > > He discusses many more ideas he experimented with; modified; tried > again; and now has things optimized, which include all electrical wiring > systems allowing the car alternator to also charge the boat battery > while on the road. He added side and back-up lights for easier parking > in tight places; a tool box; a fresh water tank for rinsing off his > electric trailer brakes when the rig was out of the water; a cornucopia > of ideas and experience to make the life of a trailer sailor easier. > > To guide his boat onto the trailer he added 2 X 4 side railings that > line up the boat over the keel rollers. > > Our Montgomery website should ask Bob Hicks for permission to reprint > the full article. It is the very best article of it's kind I have ever > read. > > > ------------------------------------------- > > MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS is a wonderful little magazine. It's aim is > mostly at small boats owners such as our Montgomery 15 & 17, as well as > rowing, and paddling stories. > Bob Hicks has old stories as well as modern ones, and most of the > stories are what his readers submit. What you don't find in MAIB is the > usual "the Pointy end is called the bow" and the "blunt end is called > the stern" that fill most of the "regular' sailing magazines - or tests > of medium sized cruising boats 45 to 60 feet long..... that only cost > $249,900 plus accessories and extras.... > > It's a delightful read whenever it arrives, and this article is an > example of what you can expect. > > Connie > > Charlie Matthews used to write about his M15 trips on the St. Johns > River in Florida, and he is the one we have to thank for his ingenious > Tool Box Galley. > > > >

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Fw: Uncaught bounce notification
by Keith Diehl 02 Jan '10

02 Jan '10

approve ----- Original Message ----- From: <mailman-bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com> To: <montgomery_boats-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 12:33 PM Subject: Uncaught bounce notification > The attached message was received as a bounce, but either the bounce > format was not recognized, or no member addresses could be extracted > from it. This mailing list has been configured to send all > unrecognized bounce messages to the list administrator(s). > > For more information see: > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/montgomery_boats/bounce > > >

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Re: M_Boats: Merry Christmas
by SALGLESSER＠aol.com 02 Jan '10

02 Jan '10

Connie, Your have many good ideas. I really like the companionway hatch board idea. Something that folds down could be built into the hatch board and it might be easier and more convenient that something that attaches to the hatch board and is removed and stored. sal M15 - #361- "Justus" In a message dated 1/1/2010 9:37:22 A.M. Mountain Standard Time, seagray(a)embarqmail.com writes: Great advice Connie. I'm a habitual list maker. I have lists of lists!! Do you have a design for a companionway hatch board to hold a table that you mentioned?? Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: "Conbert H. Benneck" <chbenneck(a)sbcglobal.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 3:59 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Merry Christmas > Joe Murphy wrote; > > Hi Joe, > > Lists of "things to do" can be roughly divided up into three categories: > > 1. The first is the - "don't forget to bring....." list, a shirt > pocket sized note pad which you should always have on board + pencil is an > easy way to keep track of these items the next time you go sailing: beer, > ice, the Philips screwdriver, the monel safety wire; or an oil can; > i.e., the things that you found you needed but didn't have on board. ... > or the things you might want to do (repack the trailer bearings) before > your next trip. If the next trip is two weeks later that thought might > have slipped your mind, till you are in the car and on the road. Then > it's, damn, I wanted to ..... > > 2. The next "to do" items are the normal maintenance items to keep your > ship in good shape: whip the ends of the lines; redo the anchor rode; > put a gasket under the sail locker lids to make them watertight; change > your reefing method; repair a sail, .... check your rigging. Most of > these items can be taken care of during your spring commissioning work > > 3. The final "to do" list are the small but steady improvements you > make to the ship to make life on board easier; more comfortable; or make > things handier to reach. These are items like a companionway hatch board > that has a holder for binoculars, your GPS or a radio. How about a > companionway hatch board to hold a table so that you can eat lunch in a > more proper manner, and not have to balance things on your knees or hope > that they don't slide off the sail locker lids.... ....or use the > filler piece under the M15 aft end of the mattress as a galley work area > at the aft end of the cockpit. .... or lead all your halyards back to the > cockpit so that it is easier to single-hand the ship. > > The items in the 1st list are all the things you have to remember to take > along on your next outing because you found that they were things you > needed and that weren't on board. > > The 2nd list items are the low key on-going things that have to be done to > keep the boat ship-shape. > > The 3rd list are mostly items that you can make during the non-sailing > seasons. Then you can putter around in your shop, making various things > that improve your ship. That's a lot of fun too, if the ground outside is > white; and you can't go sailing. Your winter projects make next summer's > sailing that more enjoyable. > > Connie > > > > > > >> ......or your insurance isn't paid up.. >> Merry Christmas all. >> Joe >> Seafrog >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Campion" <wcampion(a)aol.com> >> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" >> <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> >> Sent: Friday, December 25, 2009 9:24 PM >> Subject: Re: M_Boats: Merry Christmas >> >> >>> Merry Christmas to all. My stocking had a harness and teather for >>> single handling!!! I guess someone loves me. >>> >>> Skip >>> M-15 #208 >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>> On Dec 25, 2009, at 8:33 PM, Bill Wickett <billwick(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> And to you too Larry. It has been a blessed day here. I cooked, and >>>> "they" >>>> are all cleaning now. What a blessing!! >>>> >>>> Stocking held a Raymarine TP1000. Mmm-mmmmmmmm. >>>> >>>> Bill Wickett >>>> >>>> On Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 5:39 PM, Larry E Yake <leyake(a)juno.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> A Very Merry Christmas to all of you! >>>>> >>>>> Here's hoping that you are all having a blessed day, and that your >>>>> stockings were packed with boating goodies! >>>>> >>>>> Larry Y. >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats >>>>> >>>>> Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! >>>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats >>>> >>>> Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats >>> >>> Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats >> >> Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! >> > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > > Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet! _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet!

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Westlund's Writings
by htmills＠zoominternet.net 02 Jan '10

02 Jan '10

I thought I'd pass along a link to articles that Annie Westlund has written, since not only are they very well written but they also take place in an area that a number of us have visited: http://www.wwpotterowners.com/AnneMenu.html Enjoy, Tod Mills M17 #408, 1987 galley model BuscaBrisas

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Re: M_Boats: Merry Christmas
by Larry E Yake 01 Jan '10

01 Jan '10

A Very Merry Christmas to all of you! Here's hoping that you are all having a blessed day, and that your stockings were packed with boating goodies! Larry Y.

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