Ahoy there! My name is Scott Simpson. Considering this is my first posting to the group, I'd like to briefly introduce myself. With nearly 35 years of messing around in boats-from sabots to Ranger 33's-I've come to the conclusion that bigger is not necessarily better or more fun. For me, it seemed the bigger the boat I sailed, the more distant the feel of the wind and waves became. I'm sure sailing with the "power steering" of a wheel denied me of that small boat feel. I longed for those earlier days of simply sailing with a tiller. After reading all the positive postings of the Montgomery, you guys sold me on it. Because I don't plan to trailer the boat and will be sailing the San Francisco Bay, I decided to go with the larger M17 rather than the cute-as-a-bug M15. I also chose to have Bob build a new one rather than purchase used (yes, I know a few of you might think a used M17 in the hand is worth two in the mold). The main reason for buying new is that I wanted a few modest changes made to the standard model.and I knew Bob would be the most familiar and capable person to handle those tasks. Also, I'd like to think that my wife, Silvia, and I will be sailing this Montgomery for at least a couple of decades (I'm 47 & Silvia is perpetually 29). With ants in our pants, we look forward to that eventual delivery date. Scott Simpson West of One 300 3rd Street, # 903 San Francisco, CA 94107 415. 328.2668 <mailto:scott@westofone.com> scott@westofone.com <http://www.westofone.com> www.westofone.com