Hi Rick, Further ramblings; With an M15 you have simplicity; ease of setup; and trailerability with a small car. I haul mine with a VW VR6 Jetta wagon. With an M17 you probably need a pickup or SUV. Instead of living on board, as we did before, we now head for places like Lake Champlain and stay at a B&B. The M15 is used for day sailing; then drop the hook; set up the Bimini; and enjoy a leisurely lunch. Later after a snooze or a swim, hoist sail and head home again. My Admirable finds this sailing life far simpler and less strenuous than living on board our 29' T-L; cooking / cleaning up / preparing for the weekend / hauling and stowing everything, not to forget travel time to the shore and home again on a Sunday night. It's been reduced to utmost simplicity: sail and enjoy. Another great advantage is you are not tied to one spot. Want to sail the Chesapeake? It's a few hours drive and you are there; in the other direction try Maine - coast or lakes. Or how about the North Channel of Lake Huron? With a trailerable boat you can get to anywhere you want. With a boat this size, a basket full of boat toys is $100! On bigger boats keep adding zeros to that number! One of the group, out on the West Coast has done extensive cruises on the Inside Passage for several weeks at a time, living, cooking and sleeping on an M15. He has written up excellent reports on equipment / stowage / water / fuel / and general How-To know-how. If you go to the archives look for Scott Grometer's reports. The question of an M17 or an M15 is one you have to decide for yourself. The M17 is a considerably larger boat with significantly greater volume, but, ..............it is more work to step the mast and get ready to sail. The M15, being smaller, is less complicated to set up, but then you are water camping.......... I see you are somewhere on the Hudson River. I'm located just outside Hartford, CT so if you would like to see an M15 I'd be glad to show you mine. Connie