Hi Tom, You're right. A boat only becomes yours, after lots of navel contemplation, and many modifications and improvements. On a rainy weekend back in the early '90's, sitting in our cozy cabin, Katrina asked how many thing had I modified since we bought the our T-L29 in 1966? I got out my ring pad and started listing ..... and then listed more; ..... and more. Our T-L was new; picked it up at the yard in Vianen, with "standard equipment as delivered". That's when the learning (and modification process) started. It needed curtains for the windows; shades for the electric lights; additional anchors and rodes; then there were things like pillows; dishes and cups that nested and fitted into the galley compartments; an ALPINE cassette radio player for entertainment; a table for the cockpit; and the list goes on and on...... You live aboard on weekends, and recognize a problem; OK, how can I solve it? .... and a new project is born. A pressurized water system for the galley sink; a foot operated water pump for the head - or have you solved the problem of washing one hand at a time, while the other is pumping water? A dodger becomes a necessity; and shade for the cockpit when you are at anchor on a hot day. A new genoa was too much for the single speed original winches. They were replaced with geared two speed Barients, ....and so it goes. It's a fun game that never ends; but the final result is a wonderfully functioning, go-anywhere, ship. Open another beer; enjoy the sunset, or the sun rise; and solve another problem. Happy sailing, Connie On 10/2/2016 5:51 PM, Thomas Buzzi wrote:
Connie, Thanks for the ideas. Will look up the Aussie hat. The rest sounds like an excellent way to access the limited cubic footage in boats as small as ours. No two boats are outfitted alike. I like the personal touches, especially when the sun is setting, the music is soft and I have just put down a good book to watch a crimson sunset through the porthole. I look around me and feel at home, my handiwork visible everywhere. Good times, Tom B
On Sun, Oct 2, 2016 at 2:55 PM, Conbert Benneck <chbenneck@gmail.com> wrote:
On 10/2/2016 12:16 PM, Thomas Buzzi wrote:
Hi Tom,
When I bought our M15 (#400), it had the shallow starboard sail locker storage area molded in place; the port sail locker went all the way to the bottom of the hull.
Since usable storage space on any boat is crucial, I decided to cut out the shallow area and access the whole area under the shallow locker.
There is a flat lip around the locker, and I carefully cut through the fiberglass around the middle of the flat area. Once the shallow storage tray was removed, I then built supports for it, and set it back in place, using some line for handles at each end. That is where my car keys lived; my sailor's knife;sail stops; i.e, all the small stuff, but lift out the tray and you now had access to all the remaining area.
Now I had access to all the volume that was available under the starboard sail locker. That was were cockpit cushions; emergency paddle; Bimini; extra PFD's now lived.
The next thing I did was to seal the sail locker hatches so that in the event of a knock-down, water couldn't get into the sail lockers (I had also added hasps that kept them closed, and which I could lock).
I found some closed cell tape with adhesive on one side that allowed me to seal both sail locker lids. The name of the game is to keep the water out of the boat.
I also used the same closed cell foam tape at the inside front of the companionway hatch to seal that area. Without the seal I found that things got rather wet inside the boat if I was driving on the Interstate doing 70 MPH and it was raining heavily. That just drove the water up under the front edge companionway hatch neatly wetting everything inside. I don't like to sleep on wet berths, and neither did Katrina.
For music on board I had a Walkman and a CD player that ran on some AA cells. I found some small loud speakers (2) 2 1/2" W X 3 1/2" H X 1 1/2 D that did a good job of playing music. Just plug the speakers into the Walkman or the CD player, and Voila, pleasant music while you sail. It wouldn't qualify as HiFi, but hey, on a 15-footer, it did a very good job playing Mozart or some Dixieland jazz.
I have found that Thrift stores are great places for finding "things" that you can cut /modify / remodel / and adapt for Montgomery boat use. The cost is peanuts, and if it doesn't work try again; it only cost $2.00 or maybe even less.... You can find cutting boards - wooden or plastic - nesting plastic cups; "square" plates; silverware (stainless steel); small pots / large salad bowls / Revere kettle / knives / or just about anything you need to make a good galley.
The plywood filler piece on the -15 makes a great galley surface at the end of the cockpit. Add two cleats to the bottom to keep it in place in the cockpit, and you have a work space for preparing goodies for Happy Hour as the sun set in the anchorage.
Gallon milk bottles are great for storing drinking water; put them up forward to trim the boat.
Go to GOOGLE -> _*Pusser's Rum - catalog*_.
They have the best sailing hats I've found. They don't give them away, but with all the money we save sailing our Montgomery 15 /17 we can afford a small luxury. The hats are cotton; have chin straps to keep them in place when the wind blows; and nice wide brims to protect your face and neck from the sun's rays. Can't live without them. They work! They also have a snap on the side of the brim so that when you go to the Supermarket, you can fasten one side up and can be a good Aussi from Out back
Ciao, Connie
Hi All,
Am working through my "Connie" list of improvements and while foraging through my local ACE hardware store discovered a great product put out by m-d air-sealing tape. It is EPDM rubber gasket material with self stick. It is made in 1/8 thru 1/2 inch increments and comes 8.5 feet long. It can be separated down the middle by simply tearing it apart so you have 17 LF of gasket. I used it on the lip right around the cockpit openings under the hatches and it compresses very well. Also tried it around the forward hatch, again right around the opening under the hatch. Again, water and wind tight. I also used some on the inside forward edge of the main hatch to stop water from sluicing inside of the cabin. There it also results in a gentle (poof) while closing the hatch instead of the "thump" that used to happen. Be sure you have it where you want it before pressing it firmly into place because it will remove paint that is not firmly in place. Addendum to using the furniture leg stops to cushion overhead nuts and bolts, if the stickum on the back of the pad ever decides to let go, a dab of contact cement on the surface of the pad and the surface it used to stick to will insure it stays in place. Fair winds, Tom B.