I agree totally on the "noisy" lapstrakes. When I reached the trades on a Nor'Sea trip to Hawaii, the big following waves rushing under the hull were the most relaxing noise imaginable. My wife heard them over my Sat phone and thought I was going over Niagara in a barrel. The 15 is a sweet little boat, but I rather like the headroom in the 17, and four bronze ports look better than two if you get that option. I acknowledge that towing is a problem for the heavier 17, particularly if you don't like towing. As for rigging, the 15 looks about as easy is it can get, but two of us rigged my 17 in less than 30 minutes the second time out, by trailing with all rigging attached but the mast and the furling headstay. Tom Jenkins ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Langer" <farreach@optonline.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Cc: "Frank Durant" <fdurant@webhart.net> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 4:47 PM Subject: M_Boats: market research

I feel the M15 is near perfect for single-handed cruising and for two day sailing. It's ease of towing, launching and rigging are key to getting a lot of use. Sailing is equally easy to the single-handler as long as all lines are led to the cockpit.

As far as noisy lapstrake goes, I disagree. I love that sound and along with a little rocking it never fails to put me to sleep almost immediately. I'm currently trying to buff my hull and agree the lapstrakes make it difficult, but there are a few advantages to having laps. I built a shelf on the inside of the port cockpit coaming which is ideal for storing long things like boat hook, whisker pole, paddles and fishing poles. This shelf has a few screws holding it to the coaming just above the seat and sets on the bottom of the first lap below the sheer. I also built a removable bulkhead aft of the battery (under v-berth) which fits with friction because it's molded to the laps.

Some changes that I'd like to make to the M15 are;

* Forward hatch for ventilation. * Straight main hatch drop boards. * Clear bridge deck of mainsheet tackle so the area is free to act as a seat or table while cooking. *Increased sitting headroom.

On this issue of headroom I'd vote for the extra foot going to the cabin. Maybe opposing seats could be arranged while still keeping that excellent v-berth. A design I like for interior accommodations is the No Frills 15. Maybe you've already seen it. The raised deck adds a lot of interior space.

Rick

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