How funny it is to have you reference motorcycles. I have a 1974 Honda CB 125. It don't get much simpler! Regards, Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Merrell" <mayrel@hughes.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 1:50:25 PM (GMT-0500) America/New_York Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17 Afternoon Joe, I too have read Lynn and Larry Pardey's books, begining many many years ago. I appreciate your comments about "bigger isn't necessarily better". I have experienced this with motorcycles going from a K1200GT with 130 hp and all the bells and whistles back to a simple retro 08' Bonneville Black with less than half the hp. There was a time I enjoyed the challenge of riding very fast, but having had that experience, I now enjoy riding much slower, on a bike that is much easier and less costly to maintain. Having owned several power boats and two sailboats(Skipper 20 and Morgan OutIsland 30) I think the same thing applies. There is a great deal of satisfaction in sailing a small boat where the big boats sail, and places they can't. As much as I enjoyed the Morgan, it was more work than fun in the long run. By the way, it was the only boat I sold and actually made money! I think I enjoy more walking the docks and viewing the bigger boats,and like you, have crewed on many, so have some stories to remember/tell. But I like the idea of sailing up to the dock on a small boat; you always seem to draw a lot of interesting comments. Speaking of minimalist sailing, I'm looking at the SeaPearl Triamaran. Basically a Herreshof designed whale boat modified and mondernized into a cruisable open boat with a retractible tent cabin. Reportedly they handle rough weather safely, are quite fast and can sail in 9 inches of water. At 21 feet long, with a center cockpit that is 6'X10' with the canvas enclosure and storage under the front deck and on the sides of the center cockpit, this is an interesting concept. Thanks Joe for your words of encouragement....happy sailing...John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Murphy" <seagray@embarqmail.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 10:45 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17
John, Have you checked the Montgomery web site and read about Willi and his M-17, Strawanza? He can be selfcontained for 100 days at a time sailing from CA to South Africa. Check it out. Sounds to me that you have the right spirit for being the minimalist sailor. If that's your idea of how to sail because you like it that way and not so much because of economic influence, then your next move is to pick the right boat. And I guess you've heard enough of us to suggest that you can't beat the Monty's. But I go back to what influences not which boat to buy but why do you want to go small. I've been extremely lucky in having crewed on a lot of different sail boats that included a 90' gaff rigged schooner, a 56' John Alden designed ketch, a 51' Hylas, a 42' Morgan and then having owned my own NorSea 27. And after having those experiences, here's what I found out myself. Keep in mind this only relates to me. I'm sure everyone has different reasons for all their different choices. The bottom line is I enjoy trying to experience things with the absolute minimun of things needed to do it. Even though I have a small motorhome I'm a backpacker at heart. While I hated to sell my NorSea, I didn't hate letting go of the trappings of work and worry maintaining her. It wasn't so much the cost. It was the hassle and the unfair balance between sail time and work time that I had to put up with. So I dusted off one of the first books I read by Lyn and Larry Pardey. Bottom line.. go simple, go small, but go now. And that mantra fit me. Now when I go down to check on Seafrog it takes about 5 minutes to do what I need to do and to feel comfortable. And when I drop anchor out at the Cape Lookout lighthouse, I see the same beautiful scenery out of my 6" port as the guy next to me in his 50' ketch. The big difference is that I'm looking at the scenery. He's checking his list of a million to-dos. Just do it. Regards, Joe Seafrog M-17
----- Original Message ----- From: "John Merrell" <mayrel@hughes.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 10:21 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17
Morning Eldor and Dorothy, Thanks for your good words. You're absolutely correct. You can make just about anything work for you if you have the passion. That's one of the reasons we're looking for a small trailerable sailboat; we don't need a big boat, nor can we afford the expense of a larger boat that isn't trailerable. If were going to liveaboard, that would be an entirely different situation. We're basically thinking about cruising the ICW and staying on the hook for not more than three nights, then seek a marina. We will be spending most of our time in the cockpit, and likely a generous amount of time motoring. We might venture out on those occassions we have a weather window and the passage is not too long. But I have enough sailing experience to know, if you go often enough, you're going to get caught in weather. Having a solid seaworthy boat and a reasonably capable crew is absolutely necessary for survival. I would think we would have ample room for a couple of solar showers, bottled water enough for drinking and rinsing off, some canned goods, coffee maker, small stove, room for trash, naturally the portapot, clothes enough for freshness and a stanction mounted SS BBQ for grilling in the cockpit. For longer cruises down a river such as the Tennessee Tombridge heading for Mobile would be more challenging; I'm not sure what's available along that route as far as marinas and places to get into for stores and such? We're still working to see if we can't find an M17 owner close enough to us to view....again thanks for your response...happy sailing..John and Joy ----- Original Message ----- From: <Eeeisen@aol.com> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 8:24 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17
I know our Mboat is configured differently from most but the basics are the same. We spent 6 days cruising the San Jauns in 2007 and plan to cruise for two weeks in 2009. If it is something you really enjoy, you'll find a way to fit. We did win the Sardine Award in 2007.
Eldor and Dorothy Eisen M-17 Motu iti fixed keel
In a message dated 11/16/2008 7:11:43 A.M. Central Standard Time, mayrel@hughes.net writes:
Morning Jim, Thanks for your comments; if a big guy like you can be comfortable in the M17 cabin, surely I can manage at 6'1" and 225lbs. However, there will be two of us, my wife Joy is 5'2" and less than half my weight, so is there enough room for spending several nights on the hook? This is our most basic question. From what everyone is telling us, this is not a problem. We are anxious to locate an M17 we can see for ourselves....thanks for your comments...John ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Poulakis" <picfo@comcast.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 3:02 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17
John, I'm 6'4" 230# and can sit in the M17 cabin seats without having my head touch the cabin top. I put a foam floatation cushion behind my back to position myself away from the side deck.
As far as comfort goes, you gotta be kinda philosophical when it comes to the M15 and M17 cabin. Sarge, if you've ever spent time in a Vietnam era pup-tent then you'll find the interior of a Montgomery to be downright luxurious.
Jim Poulakis M-17 "Spirit"
On Nov 15, 2008, at 7:13 PM, John Merrell wrote:
Evening Joe, Thanks very much for your response. I'm curious however, how tall are you? I'm 6'1" @ 225lbs; is there ample room for this old retired sargeant? I've always thought the Norsea 27 one of the prettiest boats afloat. The other boat I always admired was the Flicka 20. The closest I got to either of them was a Skipper 20 and a Morgan OutIsland 30; that was a few years ago. What we hope to do is utilize a trailerable "pocket crusier" as both a means to explore various waterways, lakes and rivers, and to use it as a land camper. I know it may sound rediculous, but if you can sleep in it comfortably on the water with a portapotti and solar shower, you can certainly sleep aboard on land at a KOA campgrounds. We can't quite afford to purchase a new boat, but we hope to find a good clean used boat in the $10K price range. Of course, we need to see one before we put our money down. I realize these boats are highly sought after, and they don't last long once put up for sale. However, it's possible the M17 wouldn't work for us? Again thanks for your time and good information....John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Murphy" <seagray@embarqmail.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 7:36 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17
John, You'll not be disappointed with the M-17. I bought mine this summer sight unseen. The only time I saw one was 4 years ago at a Lyle Hess Rendevous up in Solomons MD. At the time I had a NorSea 27 and spent most of my time talking with other NorSea owners but I couldn't help checking out these other little sisters, the Montgomery boats. I opted for the four round ports to get some cross through ventilation. I live on the NC coast and it can be nearly tropical at times. The interior is workable. I sit on the port side berth facing aft with my legs up stretched out. I find it to be pretty comfortable. The V berth is very comfortable. The compression post doesn't really get in the way and serves as a good hand hold to spin around to get out of bed. There is great storage room and everything is pretty easy to get to. True, you can't stand up unless the hatch is open. If you decide to buy one from the factory you will find Bob Eeg extremely easy to work with and very accessible. Figure on 6-8 weeks start to splash. Good luck with your search. Joe Seafrog M-17
----- Original Message ----- From: "John Merrell" <mayrel@hughes.net> To: <wdscobie@yahoo.com>; "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 5:12 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17
> Afternoon Dave, > Thanks for your response. I understand, if you see a lot of > anything on > the market it's probably because folks don't like them that > much. But we > need to physically see one before we make any decisions to buy one. > That's why we're researching owners' in the hopes of finding > some one > within 150 or so of us(Mentone Alabama) that would allow us to > take a > look. > Thanks for your time....John > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "W David Scobie" <wdscobie@yahoo.com> > To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" > <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> > Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 1:57 PM > Subject: Re: M_Boats: Montgomery 17 > > > john & joy: > > i'm a M15 owner (wishing to 'move up' to the 17). > > sleeping - the forward v-berth is the location. the compression > post does > 'split' the berth. the 1/4 berths are good for seating, not adult > sleeping. > > seating - one can sit in the 17 no problem (unless you are long > in body > and > over 6'4"). one cannot stand when in the cabin. > > overnighting - if you work well together one can do multiple > weeks/months > in > the 17 ... but my perspective is from the M15 and tent-camping. the > Mboats > can carry more stuff than you can really need ... under the > berths, the > stern end of the quarterberths and cockpit locters. > > potty: under the v-berth, starboard side of the compression post. > > steel centerboard & ballast - only the older boats the the steel. > the new > boats are lead. the current model M15 & M17 use the same > centerboard. see > SCRED's www-site for a page about the steel centerboard/ballast > and the > M17 > (link below). > > you are correct that there are not many used M17s available ... > there is > a > reason for this. they are GREAT boats! > > > dave scobie > M15 #288 - SCRED > visit Scred's www-site: http://www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred > > --- On Sat, 11/15/08, John Merrell <mayrel@hughes.net> wrote: > > Greetings, > We're researching various trailerable "pocket cruisers" such as > the Montgomery 17, ComPac Sun Cat, Precision 18 and Catalina 18 > MK II. > Since > Montgomery sells direct to the public from California, it's > difficult to > view on of these fine boats. With that said, we're soon to be > retired > and > want to do some "trailer sailing" to enhance our retirement > activities. Having owned a Skipper 20 and a Morgan OutIsland 30, > we have > some > sailing experience. > We've emailed Montgomery with some questions, but we'd prefer to > obtain information from M17 owners. One of our first questions > is does > the > cabin have sufficient room for two adults to spend 3 to 4 nights > on the > hook? > How much sitting headroom is there, especially where the head is > located? > How > long and wide are the berths? Without opening ports, is there > enough > ventalation, or would dorades be a good idea? What about the steel > centerboard; > is maintenance difficult and what all is required to keep it > working > properly? > We realize we're asking a lot of questions, but Montgomery's are > expensive new and there doesn't seem to be many pre-owned M17's > on the > market. Again, it's difficult to find one to even look over. So > we are > hoping we can find some help through this avenue. > Early thanks for any help you can provide. > Sincerely, John and Joy > > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ > montgomery_boats > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ > montgomery_boats
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