Dave, In respect to number three above, I want to get my M-17 on stands with a wooden block under the front end of the keel so I can drop the board. Commercial jack stands cost a fortune so does parking the boat at a local marina plus having it hoisted twice at either end of the bottom/keel treatments plus rental of a space at a yard. I plan to make my own wooden jack stands, three pair. These will have adjustable plates on top and chains joining each set of two. I will back my trailer up my side drive way and attach a line to the stern which will be tied to a sturdy structure. As I then pull the trailer out from under the boat with my truck I will set up the jackstands at the appropriate positions to take the load of the boat as well as the block under the fore end of the keel housing. I may also before I start grease the bunkboards on the trailer to cut down on the friction. I will reverse the procedure to reload the boat on the trailer. I plan to jack up the boat once it is on the stands so I can simply back the trailer under it at the proper time. Both boat and trailer need a lot of R&R so this will allow me to take my time and do a thorough job right at my home. Hope this helps. Tom Buzzi On Sun, Jun 2, 2013 at 9:12 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