Henry, some thoughts: The heavy tongue weight makes for a stable tow. But makes for nasty stresses on a permanently fixed extension. The engineering is complex . Bolt on construction could result in catastrophic loosening. Sway can induce jackknifing. I witnessed such accident in Portland Or at rush hour... a thirty foot houseboat on a homemade trailer jackknifed and rolled on the infamous Terwilliger curves of I-5. Subsequent multi car pile up. Mine is removable and rides strapped to the trailer. It’s assembled at the ramp, up top, or on the ramp with chocked wheels. Due to the low ground clearance the 14’ extension would bottom out at the top of the ramp if it were not for the wheels at the front of the trailer. But the flexibility of the 2”x2” sq. aluminum tube extension allows for passing over the typical sharp transition from ramp to parking lot at the top of the ramp. It’s a very low speed deal. It’s a variation of the old technique of chocking wheels on the ramp and using a rope and gravity to do the lowering to depth. But that way involves at least two people and a lot of screaming and shouting. And places a steering person between the trailer and the vehicle (very dangerous) and getting very wet. It’s done at our lake every year when it fills. With some fairly big boats. Very entertaining. Can result in mutiny or divorce. And the skid plate at the trailer tongue gets beat to hell as well. My rig differs in having wheels on the jack, making the trailer a tripod, so a relatively light tube is only under tension, and never subjected to significant lateral or vertical forces. You are either lined up on the ramp or in the lot. One guy can do the whole launch safely and calmly. It is NOT suitable for over the road towing. Re the Odyssey, great rig, but not suitable for immersion . Tows well but you are right to be concerned about capacity. The transmission is the weak link. You may find with overdrive off it will be fine. I like the way my 15 tucks in the slipstream with the short trailer. Heavy tongue weight makes it super stable. Pictures soon Ed Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 14, 2020, at 7:36 AM, Henry Rodriguez <heinzir@gmail.com> wrote:
I would like to see your trailer extension also. I cobbled one together using square u-bolts but would like to get it better integrated and properly welded. With the added metal for the extension and sleeve, and the motor mount at the front of the trailer, I believe the tongue weight is well over 300lb. I am worried about towing my M17 from Minneapolis to Puget Sound this summer with my 2019 Honda Odyssey. It is rated for 3000lb max tow weight with 300lb tongue weight. This is lower than previous years Odysseys. I may have to do some weight redistribution and possibly scrap the add on tongue extension. Henry M17 #310 “Monita”
On Tue, Jan 14, 2020 at 8:32 AM Edward Epifani <edepifani@hotmail.com> wrote:
Thanks Alex, I’ll take some pictures as soon as it gets above freezing. Does anyone know the tongue weight on a loaded m17 trailer? It requires a stout jack. I replaced the hard wheel with two pneumatic ones. My loaded M15 trailer has 160 lbs of tongue weight, so I used two rated at 300lbs with a longer axle. Ed
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On Jan 14, 2020, at 4:15 AM, Thomas Buzzi <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Rob, I have a Monty 17, 1977 #258. They are fine boats. Check to see if your centerboard retracts and extends. I have done a load of upgrades on mine. It is worth the effort. If you go to the MSOG sailboat owners photo site and look up the boat name AS-IS you will see a couple dozen pictures of my craft. If you have any questions about how I did and why let me know her on the site. Fair winds, Tom Buzzi
On Mon, Jan 13, 2020 at 7:42 PM Rob Bultman <rob.bultman@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi,
My name is Rob and I live in Louisville, KY. I learned to sail on the Ohio river about 10 years ago but haven't sailed a ton. I just recently purchase a 1977 M17, hull number 231. The boat can be sailed now, but needs a little work and updating. The previous owner put some effort into fixing leaks, repairing the electrical, and adding LED lights. I'm looking forward to sailing on the Ohio as well as taking the boat to other lakes in the area. I have family that lives on the Potomac and I'm looking forward to sailing there too.
Regards, Rob
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