Bobbie, Technically, my boat was seaworthy. If you buy a used car, you don't necessarily need to buy new tires or change the oil right away before you drive it. But, since I bought the boat in November I had all winter to tinker. Here is a list of my repairs/upgrades. Boat: Completed. Sent sails out to be reconditioned. Cleaned/restored fiberglass (Repairs to FG will be done once the weather breaks) Cleaned cabin cushions Cleaned and re-sewn boat cover. Removed old numbers before applying my new reg. numbers. Removed small dent in mast. Added boarding ladder to transom. Replaced motor mount with SS adjustable mount. Added SS anchor bracket and bought new anchor/anchor chain, shackles and rope. Bought new 3.5hp motor. Bought new compass and mounted. Added teak louvered vent to hatch boards. Re-varnised wood Added spot-a-pot Added teak, triple loop handles to top of cabin. Boat: Pending Add battery with running lights Add bilge with transom drain Add Bimini?? Replace cushions Trailer: Completed Replaced wheel bearings Replaced tires Modified trailer so that the trailer would fit into my garage. Replaced rollers Relaces bunk boards and brackets. Replaced winch strap Replaced trailer jack stand Rewired lights replacing broken parts. The biggest concern most owners talk about is the steel punch keels. The older boats (pre-1989) were made using steel punches before Jerry started using lead. Since most Monty's are dry sailed, they don't spend too much time in the water and I haven't really heard of many boats having issues with water entering the keel and causing problems. Basically, the problem is caused by rusting steel causing the keel to swell, pinching the centerboard, causing it to stick and not lower. If this happens, the easy fix is to call Bob Eeg and order a new CB which is thinner and will eliminate the pinching problem. Or you can do what 'Dauntless' owner did and replace the steel with lead. NO THANK YOU!! Most Monty owners on MSOG take pride in their boats and maintain them well. This BB is a great source of information and as noted........they are crazy about Lyle Hess and Jerry. And if you ever have the pleasure of talking with Bob Eeg, he's a great guy too! There are plenty of other boats out there, but if you are looking for a great trailerable sailboat, there is none better then the M boat!! Regards, Skip -----Original Message----- From: barbaram@csufresno.edu To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 8:44 AM Subject: M_Boats: The value of a Montgomery Skip, I'm curious as to what kinds of things you (and other buyers of older boats) have had to do to bring the boat up to Ready to Sail condition. Were there any major things? It would just help me keep track of what I should be watching out for and maintaining in my older M15. Bobbie _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats ________________________________________________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.