kevin: DON'T add ballast weight. there are pictures on msog.org (or may be msogphoto.com) of a M15 that someone did a similar 'ballast improvement' that resulting in REALLY BAD sailing performance. a few things - * the weight would settle aft ... making the M15 sit low in the stern = decreased performance * you are filling in the M15's bilge :: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 - SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com :: Sage Marine - www.sagemarine.com --- On Mon, 8/15/11, Kevin Lynch <kevnstephanie@verizon.net> wrote:
I was reading Jerry's piece in the latest Small Craft about blue-water boats and it got me wondering something. Would there be any advantage to adding some lead weights in the lower trough in the hull of my M15. (the place where water bottles always seem to roll into) I happen to have about 70 pounds of lead and I thought this might let me keep the main full a little longer before having to reef. It's not a lot of weight but it would be very low in the hull, like the concrete filled keel in the Compac 16. Is this a dumb idea, I don't know. I imagine if it were a good idea Jerry would have done that when he built these.
Kevin Lynch