Thanks for the great information Rachel. Does anyone know if what Rachel reports applies to the older M17s with the original deck mold? I could be wrong, but I don't think there is as much balsa-core in the earlier models... t Tom Smith & Jane Van Winkle Sandpoint, Idaho M15-345, Chukar
Hello Tom and Jane, Our 1974 M17 "hula pie" is hull # 025 and the only core material is foam which is used only in the cockpit floor and hatch covers and the forward hatch. I don't know what the small block under the mast step is. Nor do I know what materials are in the transom which is about one inch thick. There are 4 semicircular deck "beams" inside the cabin top which appear to be hollow. Everything else is glass. Ron Goodspeed
Weird, Ron . . . Do you have a compression post, or do those hollow "deck beams" support the mast? Jerry doesn't mention foam core in his M17 history . . . ----- Original Message ----- From: "ron and cathryn goodspeed" <rcgoodspeed@mac.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 7:30 PM Subject: Balsa-core deck Hello Tom and Jane, Our 1974 M17 "hula pie" is hull # 025 and the only core material is foam which is used only in the cockpit floor and hatch covers and the forward hatch. I don't know what the small block under the mast step is. Nor do I know what materials are in the transom which is about one inch thick. There are 4 semicircular deck "beams" inside the cabin top which appear to be hollow. Everything else is glass. Ron Goodspeed
Hello Craig, Yes, our boat has a compression post, actually a two piece affair. One aluminum post from the keel to the vee berth deck and a second aluminum post between there and the molded in block of unknown material incorporated into the deck beams/ hatch area. There two beams about 8 inches apart athwartships with the pad for the mast step in between. Ron Goodspeed
Thanks, Ron. Destroyed my fantasy that some kind of mast support could be devised as an alternative to the obtrusive compression post, but good info. :-) --Craig ----- Original Message ----- From: "ron and cathryn goodspeed" <rcgoodspeed@mac.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 10:30 PM Subject: Hula Pie . . . Hello Craig, Yes, our boat has a compression post, actually a two piece affair. One aluminum post from the keel to the vee berth deck and a second aluminum post between there and the molded in block of unknown material incorporated into the deck beams/ hatch area. There two beams about 8 inches apart athwartships with the pad for the mast step in between. Ron Goodspeed
Great to hear from Rachel again. I remember her posts. Whoever bought her boat surely got a good one. I think every inch had been gone over and made perfect. My 1978 M17 has similar core pattern, except for the hatch cover, which is not cored. The core areas she described were very similar to mine. The only thing I have not pulled are the front stanchions. I too have pulled all the hardware and deck fittings off to fill the holes with epoxy and re-bed all the fittings. I left the deck side holes somewhat small, but the holes on the bottom sides were drilled out to about half an inch. Large enough to insert a Dremmell saw blade to evacuate more cored material between the deck and inside core areas. When filled with thickened epoxy, I figure the effect was the same as a compression fitting for each hole. The only major work I had to do was repair of the core for the chainplates. That whole area had to come out. The balsa core was replaced with a lamination of Marine plywood...then glassed back over. I only recently discovered even more leaks not related to deck fittings. (Labor Day raftup....it rained all night)! Leaking deck plate, electrical connection for the masthead light, a new window (!!!) and the old water tank vent fitting. Moral to that story is, if you punch a hole in the boat, it can leak....so keep the holes to a minimum! Howard PS: Rachel....if you get tired and want someone to spell you on the Westy....give a yell. I'll sail and you can work on my leaks! On 9/16/03 4:31 PM, "Smith, Tom" <Tom.Smith@itron.com> wrote:
Thanks for the great information Rachel. Does anyone know if what Rachel reports applies to the older M17s with the original deck mold? I could be wrong, but I don't think there is as much balsa-core in the earlier models... t
Tom Smith & Jane Van Winkle Sandpoint, Idaho M15-345, Chukar
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participants (4)
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Honshells -
Howard Audsley -
ron and cathryn goodspeed -
Smith, Tom