Allow me to make a penultimate comment about M15 floatation. You're all worrying about keeping the boat afloat after it is full of water. How much floation is needed....? Go at it from the other end. The name of the game is KEEP THE WATER OUT OF THE BOAT, and the boat will keep floating! One thing that nobody addressed and which is crucial, is that sail locker hatches need some form of fastener so that in the event of a knock-down; etc. the locker lids don't fly open and allow all the water to flow into the boat. I did this with hasps for small locks that I found in WEST's catalog. They are installed so that they can't accidentally open by themselves. You have to exert a bit of force to open the hasp. This means that while I'm sailing, the sail locker lids are firmly closed - with closed cell foam seals under the lids to make them waterproof - and stay that way; until I open them. If the going gets rough, then by all means insert your hatch boards in the companionway, and close the companionway sliding hatch cover. When I made my new hatch boards, I cut them so that I have to lift the companionway cover about 1/8th of an inch in order to slide it open. That gives me a positive closing latch to keep hatch boards in place, and it prevents the companionway sliding hatch from sliding open of it's own accord. With hatchboards installed; and sail locker lids mechanically held shut; the most that should happen - if you have a knock-down - would be a bit of water down below through the clearance gaps in the hatch boards. If you do what I just outlined, there should be no possibility of getting major amounts of water inside the boat unless you are hit broadside by a Cigarette doing 50 knots. Then, even having hatchboards in place won't help. The only solution would be to try to grab the Cigarette driver's gold chain, or his girlfriend's bikini thong and be jerked to safety. Remember: The name of the game is to keep all water outside the boat! Non-locking sail locker lids, on any sailboat, is an invitation to disaster. Connie ________________________________________________________________ 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/.