Well, I can help you with one. I have a great sail maker locally here that I have used for various odd sail jobs, such as putting in reef points. The guy is terrific and very reasonable. His name is John Amen, and he can be reached at sailamen@sonic.net He also has a website. Just google Amen sails. You'll find him. Daniel On Jun 2, 2013, at 7:12 PM, David Grah <d_b_grah@yahoo.com> wrote:
I always appreciate the perspectives, stories, and information provided by this discussion group. They are invaluable. I find I have three questions about my 1986 Montgomery 15:
1. One of the plastic ends to my whisker pole (or is it a spinnaker pole?) broke. Both ends used to attach to both the mast and sail by fastening or snapping. The pole is fixed length. I tried replacing the broken end with a spike but found the pole would fall out of the sail, at least when used with the spinnaker. The pole isn't handy at the moment, but I think it is about one inch in diameter. I haven't been able to find replacement ends or even figure out what new pole would be a good replacement. I did find old discussion in the group that seemed to indicate that a Forespar 4-to-8 foot adjustable pole worked for a Montgomery 15. Can anyone tell me where I could get a replacement pole end (ideally) or (if I can't get a new end somewhere) a new pole and what particular models of ends and poles and what sources I should consider?
2. In what I think is unrelated to my new spike-end on my whisker pole, I notice my spinnaker has a 3 to 4 inch horizontal rip in its body about 2/3rds the way to the top. The cloth of the spinnaker seems to otherwise be in good shape. Who could I contact for this repair? Note the nearest sail loft is a 5 hour drive away so I will almost certainly have to ship it somewhere.
3. When I bought my boat it had what I think is called ablative bottom paint. Since I store the boat on the trailer and typically sail in mountain lakes, this paint has been little else than a nuisance. It is a nuisance because every time I touch it I come away blue. Also, it is uneven and worn away from parts of the bottom and on one side doesn't even follow the water line very well. This makes it sound worse than it is, but you can probably see why I want to repaint the bottom. My general plan is to paint the bottom back to a cream color similar to the above water portion of the hull, probably with a new red strip at water line to hide the uneven boundary between old and new bottom paint. This may be my fall and winter boat project this year and I'll plan to figure out the exact process and paints when I get closer to starting. The question I have now has to do with how to lift the boat off the trailer bunks for the preparation and painting process. I understand the boat weighs about 750 pounds and can be lifted from the shroud chain plates with balancing lines to the bow and stern. I don't have access to stands. The nearest boat lift and yard is a 5 hour drive away. I would like to allow myself 2 weeks to a month to complete the process. What great suggestions does the group have to lift the boat to paint it?
Thanks very much for any and all responses!
David Grah Bishop California