Recently, my 5 year old son and I got to participate in the Sail a small boat day at Richmond Yacht Club (San Francisco Bay). It was really fun, we got to take people from the community on rides all day long and teach them about sailing and sailboats. I can say I was a bit annoyed that almost everyone familiar with boats assumed my M15 was a Potter, even to the point of telling *me* I was confused about what kind of boat I had! We even got to take out two blind sailors, as well as two young kids (age 5-7 ish). One of the blind sailors was actually a Montgomery enthusiast and had owned M boats before! It was raining all day long, but that didn't turn people away at all. Also, for the first time ever, I tried using a small electric trolling motor instead of a gas outboard. I have a Watersnake Asp T24, which is a tiny 24lb thrust trolling motor designed for kayak use, that only weighs 6.7lbs, is highly corrosion resistant/salt water grade, and costs only $150 new. With a 55ah sealed lead acid battery, we were able to exit the harbor under power, directly into a 12 knot wind with the main up, about 6 times that day using the motor. It could motor directly into the wind about 2 knots, and at the end of the day had 90% of the battery remaining. I have decided to start using this in place of a gas motor, and include a large flexible solar panel to recharge while at anchor/dock. Sincerely, Tyler '81 M15 #157
