I'll throw out another choice for epoxy. For a lot of projects like bonding, glassing, etc. there are perfectly good epoxies that don't have the large retail markup. Here is one: http://www.raka.com/EpoxyPricing.html Note the 6 quart kit (gallon of resin and 2 quarts hardener) is $93. Also a good source of glass. Call them and most likely it will ship the same day. I built a 10' dinghy out of this stuff. It works fine. Howard On Jun 23, 2008, at 4:59 PM, paint4real@aol.com wrote:

There admittedly are price variations.? I was merely acknowledging the usefulness of the Advisories.

I posted before that purchasing a mainsail prefeeder from a non-West vendor didn't save me any money, once shipping was factored in (I have a West store a few minutes' drive from me).

However, just looking at?one recent purchase from Jamestown Distributors, I paid $85.60 and $32.96, respectively, for a gallon of resin and a quart of hardener.? Same items at West:? $99 and $39.99, respectively.? West advertises its "Won't be Undersold" price guarantee, but by the time I jump through the hoops of the phone call and the ad verification to "prove" my find, Jamestown Distributors has already processed the order and shipped it.

Nonetheless, if my project is stalled for want of an item I know West has, I'll just drive over and get it.? I don't like paying more for anything, but my time is valuable, too.

-----Original Message----- From: Mark Escovedo <m17flushdeck_amy@yahoo.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 4:34 pm Subject: Re: M_Boats: A great resource for novice sailors

West Marine might be a great resource for information on maintenance, rigging and all things boating, but they should be avoided like the plague when it comes to making any purchases for your boating needs. Shop West Marine then go purchase at "Defender" or some other like source and you'll see what I'm talking about. By the way, I'm a former West Marine Associate, so I have first hand knowledge of their price mark-ups.

Mark Escovedo M17F/D #103 "AMY"

----- Original Message ---- From: "paint4real@aol.com" <paint4real@aol.com> To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 1:40:54 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: A great resource for novice sailors

I second that many times over.? I'm in up to my elbows in a gelcoat blister project, and the "Blisters and Barrier Coats" West Advisory was one of the first good looks I found into the problem and solution.

For a real education, fast, go the the online site (www.westmarine.com) and click on "Product Advice" from the menu bar across the top of the page.? A half-dozen categories, including all West Advisories, are instantly available in one location.? You?find yourself browsing and learning all about things you're not actually even working on.

The Interlux site?(www.yachtpaint.com/usa/) also has good links and?.pdf files, including some substantial manuals, all?very?helpful -- especially if you're into something you haven't seen before (and in the case of gelcoat blisters, hope never to see again.)

Same with the West System site, www.westsystem.com

Sometimes you wind up cross-referencing between "advisories," as when, say, you need to know how big the application window is for applying the first Bottomkote over the final coat of Interprotect, and whether to start out with Epiglass.

-----Original Message----- From: Ronnie Keeler <ronkeeler@hotmail.com> To: Montgomery boats mailing list <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 3:17 pm Subject: M_Boats: A great resource for novice sailors

I have notice that many of the questions being asked are common to all sailboats. A great resource for questions of this type is "The West Advisor". The West Marine Catalog (both hard copy and online) has sidebars telling how to choose and use most of the parts and equipment they sell. For example, the catalog has a half page on how to set up a Boom Vang at the end of the boom vang

and attachment hardware pages.

If you order a few things online, a big phone book size catalog will appear in your mailbox and it is a great resource for folks of all experience levels who are upgrading or restoring their Montys. The online site is at www.westmarine.com. I have been dealing with the West Marine folks for many years and they were a great source for parts when I lived in Germany (working for the US Army as a High School teacher) and was restoring a Hardy 20 cabin cruiser for use on the German waterways.

Ron

M17 #14 Griselda

BTW:

I am a lifelong sailor (56 years) but there was no really good sailing area near

me in Bavaria so we bought a motor boat. (we did tow a 9 foot sailingy dinghy) Cruising the rivers and canals in "Bullforg II", our little power cruiser, was a

real educational experience. The European waterways pass through the oldest and

most historic towns and like anywhere else, boating people are wonderful. It was fun bit it is also great to be retired back "home" where I can have a "fleet" of boats and my private dock 120 feet from the back door.

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Total time: about 5 - 6 hours to build the supports, less than an hour to R&R the cb, and 100 hours planning and worrying. Man, ain't it the truth.? I needed an arrangement that would SAFELY give me access to the entire hull BWL, but permit me to work without being directly underneath the boat.? The eventual design even took into account the strength of the roof trusses from which I hoisted my 15.? I'm sure there were folks who wondered if I'd EVER quit thinking it through and just get started.? But as I told one person, "Plan A has to be perfect, because once that boat is up in the air,?Plan B is 'pick up the pieces' -- assuming I don't have a boat on top of me." -----Original Message----- From: Don Haas <dsmt4@sprintmail.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:42 am Subject: M_Boats: New Centerboard For My M15 Finally. The job is done. The original cb in my '83 M15 was for the last few seasons was nearly unusable. So, last November I purchased a new "skinny" cb from Bob. After six-months of weather related delays, other honey-do projects and procrastination and trying to figure out how I was going to get the boat off the trailer without injuring myself or more importantly, the boat. I read and reviewed all the post and pictures of similar projects and tried to come up with a method that was safe, yet not too expensive. So, if you are interested the following describes the process I went through. The boat sits on a Trailrite trailer and the open area between the axel and the rear cross frame is about 33 inches. The cb slot in the keel is also about the same length. Is seemed that the trailer would only need to be pulled forward 18" or so to provide enough clearance to drop the board considering the distance off the ground and angle of the drop. 1. Jacked the trailer/boat up high enough to stack 2, 2x6 under each tire, chocked the wheels and put a jack stand under the tongue to level the trailer. 2. Build temporary bunk boards from 2x6s, covered with carpet. Jacked the boat off the trailer using a bottle jack at each end of the keel. For the aft, I cut a shallow notch in a 2x4 to match the "V" on the bottom of the keel. Used a 2x6 to cushion the front jack. 3. Placed the temp bunk board on top of the trailer bunks and lowered the boat. This raised the keel about 2" off the trailer. I did it this way because I wanted to have the boat supported in case I needed to pry the old cb out of the slot. It actually came down fairly easy. Last year I modified a hack saw blade to fit a recip saw, smoothed off one side of the blade and with the smooth side next to the trunk made a pass up each side of the cb. In some places the blade wouldn't fit until I made several passes with the saw. 4. The bow support was built with a 4x6 beam, a little over 7 feet long, on each side I place a deck pier block and 4x4 cut to length to snug the cross beam against the bottom of the boat. The deck block was the kind with slots and space for a 4x4 in the middle. This assembly rested on a large concrete paving block. I also pounded in wedges around the 4x4s to keep it from wobbling. Then screwed 2x6s to the cross beam at an angle to, hopefully, keep the boat from rolling to either side. The boat was jacked up an inch or so and carpet was inserted to cover the contact points. This assembly was located 19 inches in front of the forward bunk supports. I also strapped the support to the boat through the bow pulpit.. 5. The stern support was simply a modified saw horse. I added several extra cross pieces to keep the legs spreading side-to-side or outwards. I called this contraption Sawkenstein. I think it weight 30 pounds when I got done. My working theory was if one board is good, two will be better. The Sawkenstein fit just aft of the keel. Then, in-line with the previously stated working theory, I added a vertical 4x4 to reinforce the top bar of Sawkenstein. Cut wedges to fit the boats profile and cushioned it with carpet. Also tied the rear support to the boat so it wouldn't try to squirt out since the stern slopes up from the keel. 6. Jacked the boat up enough to remove the temporary bunk boards, then lowered it onto the support structure. Shoved on the side of the boat and it was very solid. Pulled the trailer forward off the 2x6s and the boat stayed up in the air. So far so good. Ok almost done... 7. Attached a fish line to the old cb rope, untied the knot and lowered the cb. Hmmm. It needed about 1/2" more to clear the trailer. So a friend who was helping suggested dropping the board from the front. Punched the pin the rest of the way out, the board dropped down, slid it forward a bit and it was out. Installing the new board was almost as easy. Fished the new rope, raised the back end and secured it then lifter the front and taped the pin home. Raised and lowered it a couple of times just to see what it is like to have a cb you don't need to pound on to get it to drop. Wonderful. 8. Rolled the trailer back under the boat, jacked the trailer high enough to remove the bow support and Sawkenstein, lower the boat/trailer and we are done. Total time: about 5 - 6 hours to build the supports, less than an hour to R&R the cb, and 100 hours planning and worrying. Don M15-248 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats