Josh, It's nice to have you aboard. You will find this list invaluable with information concerning Montgomery boats, overall sailing information and discussions, along with limitless friendships potential. I'm glad you decided on a Montgomery. You definitely can't go wrong with one of Jerry's (Lyle Hess) boats. In your email, you didn't actually mention which port your boat is registered? lol I live on the east coast and sail mostly on the Chesapeake Bay. I own a 1982 M-15 who also looks very good for her age. I don't sail as much as I'd like, but that's only due to life's other necessities. However, as soon as I win the MEGA Million jackpot, I'm sure to give up those responsibilities quicker then a bad habit and head for the water. But I digress............... You'll meet a lot of good people on this listserv and have plenty of opportunity to share and gain knowledge. Enjoy your new toy........ Skip M-15 1982 # 201 (Wild Guppy) M-5 1977 #177 (Lil Guppy) Fatty Knees 8' #806 (Mast Transit) -----Original Message----- From: Josh ua <jsheintz@gmail.com> To: montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sat, Dec 5, 2015 3:34 am Subject: M_Boats: Hello We're new to sailing. A relative gave us an Alumacraft 12 foot pram with no sail. We ordered a kit from sailrite and put a sail together on the living-room floor, duct taped a giant hole in the hull and took the boat to the nearest water. Then we knew we liked sailing and so I began an intense research endeavor to figure out what kind of sailors we thought we wanted to be. We decided we are definitely not racers, but unable to be satisfied with lack of performance. We are social folks and loners all at the same time. We like to plan things out but we're also spontaneous. We are frugal which means we don't buy cheap (if you know what I'm saying.) I read several books and the entire internet in about a month and after one day it was obvious the best boats ever were Montgomery's.The rest of my research only drove that point further home. We we were fortunate enough to become the stewards of M15 HN 115 on labor day of 2015. I bought her from Minneapolis, took her home and named her Honey Bee after my wife Melissa. With 35 year old sails she catches more air than she needs in anything above 12 knots but we really enjoy the 6 to 10 knot days on local waters and we've tried to keep her off the trailer as much as possible. New sails are in the works but replacing a dead computer and bald tires, filling the propane tank and holiday travel gas tanks are taking presidence. As for Honey Bee's condition, she looks like she's been garaged and well taken care of since 1980 and she's nestled in her place out of the weather in the shed today. Glad to be a Montgomery enthusiast and looking forward to meeting others. Anyone have any favorite heartland waters? Josh