Hi All- I have been following this group for a couple of years, but this is my first post. Jerry's call for ideas for a M16 is too good to resist. I have been an M15 owner for years and a fan of the boat for even longer. A search of the user's group archives will turn up some of my enthusiastic postings to the old mailing list back in its early days. By way of introduction, I am Ed, from North Idaho and through the '90s I owned M15 #342 , finally selling her to Tom Smith who changed her name from "Whistle" to "Chukar" and then sailed her to fame on the front page of the Montgomery Sailboat website, where she can currently be seen. Recently I acquired M15 # 180 and am getting her ready for a season of sailing on the big lakes of the pacific NW. I chose a 15 again, versus a 17, for the same reasons I chose a 15 the first time, namely for the ease of single-handed rigging and sailing and the ease of towing. I think the 17 is a great boat and have sailed on a friend's many times. But the 15 is just easier to take to distant lakes, and that is a big selling point with me. Now, if there had been a 16 available, I probably would have gone for that. From the discussion so far, it seems the 16 will incorporate the best of both worlds, and that would be great. Lots of good ideas have been presented so far, but maybe I can add something to the discussion. What I would like to see in an M16... 1) A back stay. Mostly for the ease of rigging a topping lift. My 15's have running masthead topping lifts, which are fine, but a topping lift off the backstay would be more convenient. 2) grab rails on the house roof. 3) re-designed cabin windows. Maybe even ports that open. They could be screened on the inside and have clear, watertight hatches that could be dogged down for rain or rough going. This would avoid the need for a venting hatch through the deck. Even if they didn't open, the cabin windows need a more traditional look to go with the molded lapstrake. As practical and seaworthy as they are, the M boats are still "character" boats and I would like to see that emphasized. 4) A little more external ballast would be nice. Maybe go from 33% of the displacement to closer to 40%. While I have never knocked the 15 all the way down, I did broach once hard enough to bend the cb pin. OK, I was actually trying to surf on 3+ foot Lake Pend Oreille chop, so it was mostly my fault...(I did get it to surf though!)...fortunately the main sheet was in my hand and not on the cleat, so I avoided a big catastrophe. Still, even if my boat surfing days are over, a bit more stability would feel nice. Perhaps the additional drag in the water could be offset by increasing the jib area with a full height jib a la the 17. Thanks for the chance to contribute, and I look forward to the unveiling of the M16! Sail on! Ed Idaho Panhandle M15 #180 "Little Wing"