Thanks for the welcome aboard Connie -- yes, located in the Chicago area I expect to be sailing primarily on the Great Lakes -- which if not as challenging as the ocean, can be demanding enough, so I really was looking for a boat in which I can have complete confidence. Montgomery seemed to be the only such one that I could also fit in my garage -- so there was really no other choice for me. Speaking of the Great Lakes, I would love to hear about anyone's favorite cruising spots on Lake Michigan or Superior. Right now, I really have my eyes on the Apostle Islands -- never been there yet but they look awfully inviting on the map. As for the water I found in my bilge, after considering all the M-boaters' comments so far, I've decided that, having pumped it dry and not been able yet to find any obvious problems on the outer hull, I'll just put her in the water and see what happens -- given the way it was being kept when I found it, it's very possible it was just rainwater. But yes, I intend to refer to your postings in the archive if it turns out I need to repair it--and I won't be reticent if I need your help, don't worry about that. Believe me, it's much appreciated. And thanks also to all you who responded with comments about my possible leak--they were all very helpful. Hope all your holidays are going well. (It's FINALLY too cold around here to sail.) Steve & Debra Chicago Area M-15 #152 Conbert H Benneck <chbenneck@juno.com>@mailman.xmission.com on 12/24/2001 08:33:22 PM Please respond to montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Sent by: montgomery_boats-admin@mailman.xmission.com To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com cc: Subject: Re: M_Boats: New MSOG member (AUTO FWD) Steve, Welcome aboard! The M15 is a great little ship, and can undertake considerable voyages, if you have followed Scott's adventures cruising north towards Alaska. I found that I had a leak at the aft end of the centerboard trunk in my M15, which I successfully fixed. You'll probably find my comments and "how's and why's" in the archives, but if you can't find them, I'll be glad to give you a detailed description of what I found and how I fixed it. Since then the boat is absolutely dry, as it should be! Again, welcome aboard, and have a Happy Holiday. Connie Benneck M15 #400 LEPPO ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats