leo: below is the shopping list i used when looking for my M17. i reviewed three boats before purchasing my '83 model. M17 Inspection Items: TRAILER - clear title & registration trailer wheel bearings (bearing buddies?) overall condition (surface rust v. solid) tire & wheel condition hitch condition & operation emergency chain condition lighting car/trailer connector and wires bunk boards winch and winch post spare tire/wheel BOAT EXTERIOR - clear title & registration deck core rot. How sold are all items 'bolted' to the deck & transom (ie, bow pulpit, jib winches, cabin-top grab rails, chain plates, running lights (if present), all cleats and blocks. Teak condition (finish? Type? Wood cracked and/or damaged?) toe rail condition (be sure to check for bends or wear marks from jib sheet blocks) Cockpit hatch core rot electrical system & wiring condition (professional look or 'rats nest' of wires) the starboard and port cabin bulkheads … rot? transom/deck joint rot in transom? Gudgeons rear-stay plates cockpit drain pipe and thru-hull (also check drain hose and thru-hull if galley model) tiller rudder (finish, cracks, tiller gudgeons and pintles stress marks on hull (spider webbing, etc) these can show area(s) of impact hull condition: gel coat, rust spots, blisters hatch board condition forward cabin hatch condition (hinges, hatch, seals) cockpit locker hinges and interior conditions (may or may not have wet lockers) INTERIOR: look for rust and leaks on cabin-top attached items: grab rails compression post chain plates bow pulpit bow running lights (if present) condition of the bow eye bolt behind bow inspection port. forward cabin hatch condition (hinges, hatch, seals) Condition of centerboard trunk condition of centerboard winch and line cracks present where centerboard trunk rests on cockpit floor condition of and leaks present for thru-bolts used for main sheet track leaks around cabin windows condition of cabin cushions condition of porta-potti condition of locker lids condition of interior locker spaces overall condition of interior spaces STANDING RIGGING: overall condition of mast (oxidation? Any broken fittings?) Condition of stays and hardware condition of spreaders and attachment to mast condition of masthead (light(s) and wiring, main sheet blocks, etc) condition of boom (oxidation? Any broken fittings?) gooseneck condition cunningham? reefing hook? Jib winches (condition? Spin easily? Excessive noise? Winch handle(s)?) RUNNING RIGGING: main condition & number of reef points jib condition & size other sails? Condition of halyards (older boats will have line to wire … and 'hooks' on wire?) condition of sheets condition of main sheet blocks condition of jib sheet block OUTBOARD: overall condition (cover on and off) runs? Seen running? Owner's manual service kit service history? External tank, connectors and hoses? Extra parts: propeller, spark plug(s), impeller, etc. OTHER: extra things tossed into the package: what are their conditions (ex, a flare kit are the flares still good?) anchor chain fenders dock lines PFDs other --- On Mon, 3/7/11, Leo McMahon <lpmcmahon@charter.net> wrote: Hello Everyone, My name is Leo McMahon, and I am currently "between" boats (as they say). My last boat was a Catalina 27, which we sailed on San Francisco bay for a couple of years. The Catalina was our third boat. Many years ago, we learned to sail on various lakes in Pennsylvania with an Oday daysailer and later graduated to a Hunter 23, which we sailed mostly on Chesapeake bay (Bohemia River) before moving to California. We currently live in Hollister, which is about 100 miles south of San Francisco and a bit too far to travel for sailing every weekend. So we decided to sell our Catalina in the hope of finding a new or possibly used Montgomery 17 (or 15) that we could trailer to sail Monterey bay and lakes not too far from Hollister. My wife and I mostly daysail and cruise weekends. We usually sail with my 70 pound German Shepherd, so cockpit space is a serious consideration along with overnight accomodations. From what we currently know about the Montgomery 17, it seems to meet all our needs very nicely I look forward to reading all the comments about the 17 (and the 15) in the archives, as well as any comment that you may have for a "newbie" to the Montgomery scene. Talk to you soon. Leo