I noticed a stern rail on the M15 that I think Bob puts as an option. Is the stern of the M17 signficantly different than the M15?? Joe M17 Seafrog ----- Original Message ----- From: Bill Wickett To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2010 1:11 PM Subject: M_Boats: Stern rails on M17? Does anyone have stern rails mounted on their M17? If so, any pics or measurements available? I am thinking "out loud" about the pros and cons. Feel free to chime in. Back in August we met up with a friend on his Sirius 21 with stern rails (stern pulpit?), that got me thinking about it. Had not thought of a cruising BBQ, but his seemed to work well. Was also a good place to hang a small anchor at the ready when cruising. I see the temptation to load up the weight on the stern to the detriment of boat trim. We don't have a bimini and have used a nylon tent fly for a boom tent. Having a raised rail (18 - 24"?) above the coaming might give a better angle for tying off a cockpit sunshade. Will have to think about how wide to make the split between port and starboard sections for tiller clearance and also for outboard access. This past weekend I found myself sitting on the port coaming sometimes to be closer to the OB when docking. We had heavy winds from Sun to Wed with sporting crosswind conditions coming into the dock on Lake Ontario, so I was working the throttle and gear shift more than usual. Any cross rails would have to allow a clear reach to the OB. Any observations, opinions, or experience welcome. Bill Wickett Makin' Time M17 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Remember, there is no privacy on the Internet!