I had a Starwind 223 after my first M17 that I considered pretty tender, my wife felt she had to tell me that the boat was tippy, some might have thought she was actually screaming it to me. Anyways, while I owned it, I replaced the mainsail, learned how to adjust/ tightened the backstay and put 100lbs of lead in the bilge. All three things made the boat much better to handle and also I gained a level of confidence in the boat's and my capabilities. Randy Sommerfeld No Worries M17 -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Mark House Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 10:19 AM To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Subject: Re: M_Boats: Lead weight? Dave: I've got a ton of respect for the guy who built the best-sailing boat I've ever owned, but I can't help commenting on the ballast issue for a tender boat. I've owned a few. I poured 150 lb. of ready-mix concrete in the bilge of a Chrysler 22, stored 25 lb. bags of #8 lead shot in the bilge of a Hunter 28.5, and added a water tank under the v-berth of a Slipper 17, as well as my M-17. But the very best way to improve a "tender" boat, in my experience is sail shape. I replaced the main in my Hunter and couldn't believe the improvement. The concrete and lead shot had no noticeable down-side. But I love my water tank. The extra weight is adjustable by how much water you carry. And the weight is where you want it in a pocket cruiser. You fill the tank for a several day cruise, when the boat is loaded up anyway. The weight forward keeps the transom up and out of the water, and you've got plenty of fresh water for drinking, cooking and washing. Drain it if you're racing. Mark House Durango, CO ----- Original Message ----- From: "W David Scobie" <wdscobie@yahoo.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:59 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Lead weight? forgot to add to my prior comment - jerry has _never_ stated the M15 has too little ballast. the only boat he has stated may have benefited from more ballast are his M23s. :: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 - SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com :: Sage Marine - www.sagemarine.com --- On Wed, 8/17/11, W David Scobie <wdscobie@yahoo.com> wrote:
kevin:
DON'T add ballast weight. there are pictures on msog.org (or may be msogphoto.com) of a M15 that someone did a similar 'ballast improvement' that resulting in REALLY BAD sailing performance.
a few things -
* the weight would settle aft ... making the M15 sit low in the stern = decreased performance
* you are filling in the M15's bilge
:: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 - SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com :: Sage Marine - www.sagemarine.com
--- On Mon, 8/15/11, Kevin Lynch <kevnstephanie@verizon.net> wrote:
I was reading Jerry's piece in the latest Small Craft about blue-water boats and it got me wondering something. Would there be any advantage to adding some lead weights in the lower trough in the hull of my M15. (the place where water bottles always seem to roll into) I happen to have about 70 pounds of lead and I thought this might let me keep the main full a little longer before having to reef. It's not a lot of weight but it would be very low in the hull, like the concrete filled keel in the Compac 16. Is this a dumb idea, I don't know. I imagine if it were a good idea Jerry would have done that when he built these.
Kevin Lynch
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