Pete: M15 is a fine sailboat for cruising the entire Salish Sea. For 'the cruising season' she is better than most as she is so good at sailing in light winds - and the wind usually doesn't blow that much between late-June and mid-September. A M15 needs no more than a Honda 2/2.3HP. The Hondas give more than adequate thrust. More horsepower is added weight aft of the transom that really makes the M15 sail poorly. I've cruised the San Juan Islands with a Honda 2 with no problems in a M15. I've also done the same in a Sage 17 with a Honda 2 (500# heavier base weight than the M15). I know people that have cruised the San Juan Islands in M17's with Honda 2s and Yamaha 2.5s. I have also cruised the San Juan Islands in company of a M15 using a 1.5HP Evenrude 2-cycle (great motor actually that had an external tank!). Remember that the Mboats are displacement hulls and added thrust will not get them going much faster than their hull speeds. Years ago Jerry had a M17 customer that was upset with his M17. This owner had put a 15+HP motor on the boat and was upset it would go no faster than 5.5kts. So don't get a new motor. Use that money to buy new sails or go cruising more often! :: Dave Scobie :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - m17-375.com :: M6'8" #650 :: SV SWALLOW - sv-swallow.com On Wed, Oct 24, 2018, 5:50 AM Peter Zimowsky via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hi: Just joined the Montgomery boat owners’ mailing list. I own a 15-foot Montgomery that I sail once a week on my local reservoir in Idaho, Lucky Peak Reservoir. If the reservoir doesn’t freeze over, which it didn’t last year, I’m out all winter long. I’ve taken “Chinook Breeze” on two cruises in the San Juan Islands - Anacortes to Spencer Spit to Rosario to Friday Harbor to Roche Harbor to Sucia Island to Blakely Island to Anacortes. I do it with other sailors from the Southern Idaho Sailing Association (safety in numbers). I often wonder about the safety of a 15 footer in San Juan waters because of currents, etc. So far I haven’t had a problem. My four-stroke 4 horsepower has handled the currents but I’m thinking of a larger horsepower motor. I’ll have lots of questions in the future. Thanks,
Pete Winter Sky (Zimowsky)
outdoors writer and photographer www.getoutdoorsnorthwest.com <http://www.getoutdoorsnorthwest.com/> Twitter: @zimosoutdoors
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