Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options: Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.) Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort. Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use. Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends. Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages.... Some already planned projects include: Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place) We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons. The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already. Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information. Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....). Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far.... Chris Rechtin
Congradulations Chris, I, too, just bought Seafrog, an M-17 from Bob. Sounds like he gave you the same advice that he gave me... keep it simple and figure out what you really need. Previously I owned a NS 27 and figured that I would need a lot of the same things I had on her but here's what I've discovered with a boat 10 feet shorter and 7,000 lbs lighter... - anchor - I drop anchor a lot at get-togethers here on the Bogue Sound (NC) I get a lot a strange looks dropping anchor from the stern and walking the rode up to the bow to cleat off. A lot of good friends have lent me various types of anchors and I found the aluminum Fortress to be the easiest to manage and holds extremely well. I keep all the anchor rode in a heavy duty nylon bag with a net bottom. The bitter end goes thru the bottom of the bag with enough length to cleat off. I pull out what I need and cleat it off the bow and keep the bag on the foredeck with bitter end also cleated as a precaution. The bag has a 20" diameter opening so it's fairly easy to fake the rode back into the bag and carry the whole mess back to the cockpit locker. I am looking at a bow solution. I miss the ease of doing it all from the bow and dropping the rode down the hause pipe into its own anchor line locker. - reefing lines - I started off with a single jiffy method with cheek blocks, etc on the boom. It worked great, but the downside was having a combined 60 ft of line draping all over when the sails are down. So I made it simpler by having two separate contol lines at each clew and tack. Getting to the lines is so easy with a boom that is a tad under 9 ft and a mast that is within easy grasp from the cockpit. - cockpit led lines - I too was an inch away from getting blocks, turning blocks, and line clutches to run the halyards aft, but I find that I can easily manage the halyards and stay mostly in the cockpit. If I have the hatch open and the drop boards out, I can easily do it. So for right now, I'm keeping that part simple. Besides, stretching is supposed to be good for me... That's my two cents. The temp is 72. winds are 8-10 out of the northeast. Gotta go. Fair winds, Joe Seafrog, M-17 651 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris and Julie" <candj1@bellsouth.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 8:40 AM Subject: M_Boats: New M15 Owner
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Chris, Julie, & Joe The following are comments on my 2008 M17 “Spirit” but some issues may apply to M15’s as well. The way Spirit handles San Francisco Bay conditions is simply stunning. Spirit has also been day-sailed in the Pacific Ocean and her handling instills confidence. The build process with Bob Eeg was very positive. I am extremely happy with the boat, so the following is offered as constructive criticism and should not be taken as grumblings of overall dissatisfaction. Issue #1: Lack of a credible reefing system. The standard gear consists of reef points on the sail but no dedicated boom or mast hardware to support it. Yes, something can be cobbled together with slug stops and bits of line - but it's a hassle. I suspect many Monty owners make-do by simply dropping the jib - but this is asking for trouble in places like San Francisco Bay, so... Solution: Order the boat without a mainsail, then get with your favorite sailmaker to work out the details of a reefing system that fits your needs. Issue #2: Boom Length. Booms should not hit backstays under any circumstances. Mine does, even when the mast is raked as far back as the hardware allows. Measurements of older M17s indicate that booms were a few inches shorter. I haven’t figured out a solution that doesn’t involve cutting down both the boom and mainsail leech. Maybe I’m being paranoid. Spirit sails fine with the standard boom. It’s just that if you do get knocked down… and the boom angles up a bit and gets caught in the backstay… and the mainsail fills with water… well, you get the picture. Issue #3: Cockpit drainage. The cockpit sole is too low and water backs up into the cockpit. This has been discussed ad-nauseum (including a post I wrote a few weeks ago). Solution A: have Bob install seacocks in the drain lines so that you can close them while sailing (he offers this as an option on new M17s). Solution B: Simply plug the drains. The problem is that both these solutions completely defeat the purpose of a self-bailing cockpit. I went with flip-ring drain plugs because they can be snatched out in a panic. This beats rummaging through the lazarette and trying to twist the fragile plastic handles on notoriously cantankerous seacocks when your boat is half-full of seawater. Issue #4: Rudder hum. Spirit's rudder vibrates loudly at normal sailing speeds. This may be an isolated case because I haven't heard many others raise this issue (see recent posts for possible cures). Issue #5: Gel coat wrinkles Spirit has small lines around many corners that look something like stress cracks (they’re not). I’ve seen these wrinkles on other Montys as well. Solution: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Montys have lots of “corners” in their lapstrake hull. This gives the boats structural hull strength and longitudinal stiffness that other fiberglass boats simply don’t have. Issue #6: I can’t keep up with Corsair 24 trimarans on a power reach. Okay, I figured if you read through all this doom and gloom you deserved a chuckle. Let me end by reiterating; I liked doing business with Bob Eeg, and I LOVE this boat. It’s a real adventure-sailer for those of us who’d rather explore new areas then sit in a slip swilling vodka martinis, or go to the same three anchorages over and over and over again (been there-done that). Monty On Jim Poulakis M17 “Spirit” On Oct 4, 2008, at 7:20 AM, Joe Murphy wrote:
Congradulations Chris, I, too, just bought Seafrog, an M-17 from Bob. Sounds like he gave you the same advice that he gave me... keep it simple and figure out what you really need. Previously I owned a NS 27 and figured that I would need a lot of the same things I had on her but here's what I've discovered with a boat 10 feet shorter and 7,000 lbs lighter... - anchor - I drop anchor a lot at get-togethers here on the Bogue Sound (NC) I get a lot a strange looks dropping anchor from the stern and walking the rode up to the bow to cleat off. A lot of good friends have lent me various types of anchors and I found the aluminum Fortress to be the easiest to manage and holds extremely well. I keep all the anchor rode in a heavy duty nylon bag with a net bottom. The bitter end goes thru the bottom of the bag with enough length to cleat off. I pull out what I need and cleat it off the bow and keep the bag on the foredeck with bitter end also cleated as a precaution. The bag has a 20" diameter opening so it's fairly easy to fake the rode back into the bag and carry the whole mess back to the cockpit locker. I am looking at a bow solution. I miss the ease of doing it all from the bow and dropping the rode down the hause pipe into its own anchor line locker. - reefing lines - I started off with a single jiffy method with cheek blocks, etc on the boom. It worked great, but the downside was having a combined 60 ft of line draping all over when the sails are down. So I made it simpler by having two separate contol lines at each clew and tack. Getting to the lines is so easy with a boom that is a tad under 9 ft and a mast that is within easy grasp from the cockpit. - cockpit led lines - I too was an inch away from getting blocks, turning blocks, and line clutches to run the halyards aft, but I find that I can easily manage the halyards and stay mostly in the cockpit. If I have the hatch open and the drop boards out, I can easily do it. So for right now, I'm keeping that part simple. Besides, stretching is supposed to be good for me... That's my two cents. The temp is 72. winds are 8-10 out of the northeast. Gotta go. Fair winds, Joe Seafrog, M-17 651 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris and Julie" <candj1@bellsouth.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 8:40 AM Subject: M_Boats: New M15 Owner
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Chris, Julie: Jiffy reefing worked fine on my M15. I tried single-line reefing but went back to 2-line reefing, with the Clew reef line lead forward along the boom so I could handle the halyard and reef line both at once. The tack reef could be done with a reef hook on the boom, or a line thru it down to a cleat. Regarding boom length and hitting backstay, of course the M15 doesn't have a backstay, but on the M17 a boom vang prevents such interference. --Gary Hyde 2005 M17 sailboat #637 'Hydeaway 2' We can't change the wind, but we can trim our sails. Sailing is like "African Queening" thru life. On Oct 4, 2008, at 1:31 PM, James Poulakis wrote:
Chris, Julie, & Joe
The following are comments on my 2008 M17 “Spirit” but some issues may apply to M15’s as well.
The way Spirit handles San Francisco Bay conditions is simply stunning. Spirit has also been day-sailed in the Pacific Ocean and her handling instills confidence. The build process with Bob Eeg was very positive. I am extremely happy with the boat, so the following is offered as constructive criticism and should not be taken as grumblings of overall dissatisfaction.
Issue #1: Lack of a credible reefing system.
The standard gear consists of reef points on the sail but no dedicated boom or mast hardware to support it. Yes, something can be cobbled together with slug stops and bits of line - but it's a hassle. I suspect many Monty owners make-do by simply dropping the jib - but this is asking for trouble in places like San Francisco Bay, so... Solution: Order the boat without a mainsail, then get with your favorite sailmaker to work out the details of a reefing system that fits your needs.
Issue #2: Boom Length. Booms should not hit backstays under any circumstances. Mine does, even when the mast is raked as far back as the hardware allows. Measurements of older M17s indicate that booms were a few inches shorter. I haven’t figured out a solution that doesn’t involve cutting down both the boom and mainsail leech.
Maybe I’m being paranoid. Spirit sails fine with the standard boom. It’s just that if you do get knocked down… and the boom angles up a bit and gets caught in the backstay… and the mainsail fills with water… well, you get the picture. Issue #3: Cockpit drainage.
The cockpit sole is too low and water backs up into the cockpit. This has been discussed ad-nauseum (including a post I wrote a few weeks ago). Solution A: have Bob install seacocks in the drain lines so that you can close them while sailing (he offers this as an option on new M17s). Solution B: Simply plug the drains.
The problem is that both these solutions completely defeat the purpose of a self-bailing cockpit. I went with flip-ring drain plugs because they can be snatched out in a panic. This beats rummaging through the lazarette and trying to twist the fragile plastic handles on notoriously cantankerous seacocks when your boat is half-full of seawater.
Issue #4: Rudder hum. Spirit's rudder vibrates loudly at normal sailing speeds. This may be an isolated case because I haven't heard many others raise this issue (see recent posts for possible cures).
Issue #5: Gel coat wrinkles Spirit has small lines around many corners that look something like stress cracks (they’re not). I’ve seen these wrinkles on other Montys as well. Solution: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Montys have lots of “corners” in their lapstrake hull. This gives the boats structural hull strength and longitudinal stiffness that other fiberglass boats simply don’t have.
Issue #6: I can’t keep up with Corsair 24 trimarans on a power reach. Okay, I figured if you read through all this doom and gloom you deserved a chuckle.
Let me end by reiterating; I liked doing business with Bob Eeg, and I LOVE this boat. It’s a real adventure-sailer for those of us who’d rather explore new areas then sit in a slip swilling vodka martinis, or go to the same three anchorages over and over and over again (been there-done that).
Monty On
Jim Poulakis M17 “Spirit”
On Oct 4, 2008, at 7:20 AM, Joe Murphy wrote:
Congradulations Chris, I, too, just bought Seafrog, an M-17 from Bob. Sounds like he gave you the same advice that he gave me... keep it simple and figure out what you really need. Previously I owned a NS 27 and figured that I would need a lot of the same things I had on her but here's what I've discovered with a boat 10 feet shorter and 7,000 lbs lighter... - anchor - I drop anchor a lot at get-togethers here on the Bogue Sound (NC) I get a lot a strange looks dropping anchor from the stern and walking the rode up to the bow to cleat off. A lot of good friends have lent me various types of anchors and I found the aluminum Fortress to be the easiest to manage and holds extremely well. I keep all the anchor rode in a heavy duty nylon bag with a net bottom. The bitter end goes thru the bottom of the bag with enough length to cleat off. I pull out what I need and cleat it off the bow and keep the bag on the foredeck with bitter end also cleated as a precaution. The bag has a 20" diameter opening so it's fairly easy to fake the rode back into the bag and carry the whole mess back to the cockpit locker. I am looking at a bow solution. I miss the ease of doing it all from the bow and dropping the rode down the hause pipe into its own anchor line locker. - reefing lines - I started off with a single jiffy method with cheek blocks, etc on the boom. It worked great, but the downside was having a combined 60 ft of line draping all over when the sails are down. So I made it simpler by having two separate contol lines at each clew and tack. Getting to the lines is so easy with a boom that is a tad under 9 ft and a mast that is within easy grasp from the cockpit. - cockpit led lines - I too was an inch away from getting blocks, turning blocks, and line clutches to run the halyards aft, but I find that I can easily manage the halyards and stay mostly in the cockpit. If I have the hatch open and the drop boards out, I can easily do it. So for right now, I'm keeping that part simple. Besides, stretching is supposed to be good for me... That's my two cents. The temp is 72. winds are 8-10 out of the northeast. Gotta go. Fair winds, Joe Seafrog, M-17 651 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris and Julie" <candj1@bellsouth.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 8:40 AM Subject: M_Boats: New M15 Owner
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Jim, Can you lower your boom a tad? I had the same issue with my boom hitting the backstay until I lowered the gooseneck a couple of inches. I can get the mainsail at the top and made a cunningham to pull down the boom and that solved my problem. I'm sure that all depends on the length of your luff. Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Poulakis" <picfo@comcast.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 4:31 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: New M15 Owner Chris, Julie, & Joe The following are comments on my 2008 M17 “Spirit” but some issues may apply to M15’s as well. The way Spirit handles San Francisco Bay conditions is simply stunning. Spirit has also been day-sailed in the Pacific Ocean and her handling instills confidence. The build process with Bob Eeg was very positive. I am extremely happy with the boat, so the following is offered as constructive criticism and should not be taken as grumblings of overall dissatisfaction. Issue #1: Lack of a credible reefing system. The standard gear consists of reef points on the sail but no dedicated boom or mast hardware to support it. Yes, something can be cobbled together with slug stops and bits of line - but it's a hassle. I suspect many Monty owners make-do by simply dropping the jib - but this is asking for trouble in places like San Francisco Bay, so... Solution: Order the boat without a mainsail, then get with your favorite sailmaker to work out the details of a reefing system that fits your needs. Issue #2: Boom Length. Booms should not hit backstays under any circumstances. Mine does, even when the mast is raked as far back as the hardware allows. Measurements of older M17s indicate that booms were a few inches shorter. I haven’t figured out a solution that doesn’t involve cutting down both the boom and mainsail leech. Maybe I’m being paranoid. Spirit sails fine with the standard boom. It’s just that if you do get knocked down… and the boom angles up a bit and gets caught in the backstay… and the mainsail fills with water… well, you get the picture. Issue #3: Cockpit drainage. The cockpit sole is too low and water backs up into the cockpit. This has been discussed ad-nauseum (including a post I wrote a few weeks ago). Solution A: have Bob install seacocks in the drain lines so that you can close them while sailing (he offers this as an option on new M17s). Solution B: Simply plug the drains. The problem is that both these solutions completely defeat the purpose of a self-bailing cockpit. I went with flip-ring drain plugs because they can be snatched out in a panic. This beats rummaging through the lazarette and trying to twist the fragile plastic handles on notoriously cantankerous seacocks when your boat is half-full of seawater. Issue #4: Rudder hum. Spirit's rudder vibrates loudly at normal sailing speeds. This may be an isolated case because I haven't heard many others raise this issue (see recent posts for possible cures). Issue #5: Gel coat wrinkles Spirit has small lines around many corners that look something like stress cracks (they’re not). I’ve seen these wrinkles on other Montys as well. Solution: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Montys have lots of “corners” in their lapstrake hull. This gives the boats structural hull strength and longitudinal stiffness that other fiberglass boats simply don’t have. Issue #6: I can’t keep up with Corsair 24 trimarans on a power reach. Okay, I figured if you read through all this doom and gloom you deserved a chuckle. Let me end by reiterating; I liked doing business with Bob Eeg, and I LOVE this boat. It’s a real adventure-sailer for those of us who’d rather explore new areas then sit in a slip swilling vodka martinis, or go to the same three anchorages over and over and over again (been there-done that). Monty On Jim Poulakis M17 “Spirit” On Oct 4, 2008, at 7:20 AM, Joe Murphy wrote:
Congradulations Chris, I, too, just bought Seafrog, an M-17 from Bob. Sounds like he gave you the same advice that he gave me... keep it simple and figure out what you really need. Previously I owned a NS 27 and figured that I would need a lot of the same things I had on her but here's what I've discovered with a boat 10 feet shorter and 7,000 lbs lighter... - anchor - I drop anchor a lot at get-togethers here on the Bogue Sound (NC) I get a lot a strange looks dropping anchor from the stern and walking the rode up to the bow to cleat off. A lot of good friends have lent me various types of anchors and I found the aluminum Fortress to be the easiest to manage and holds extremely well. I keep all the anchor rode in a heavy duty nylon bag with a net bottom. The bitter end goes thru the bottom of the bag with enough length to cleat off. I pull out what I need and cleat it off the bow and keep the bag on the foredeck with bitter end also cleated as a precaution. The bag has a 20" diameter opening so it's fairly easy to fake the rode back into the bag and carry the whole mess back to the cockpit locker. I am looking at a bow solution. I miss the ease of doing it all from the bow and dropping the rode down the hause pipe into its own anchor line locker. - reefing lines - I started off with a single jiffy method with cheek blocks, etc on the boom. It worked great, but the downside was having a combined 60 ft of line draping all over when the sails are down. So I made it simpler by having two separate contol lines at each clew and tack. Getting to the lines is so easy with a boom that is a tad under 9 ft and a mast that is within easy grasp from the cockpit. - cockpit led lines - I too was an inch away from getting blocks, turning blocks, and line clutches to run the halyards aft, but I find that I can easily manage the halyards and stay mostly in the cockpit. If I have the hatch open and the drop boards out, I can easily do it. So for right now, I'm keeping that part simple. Besides, stretching is supposed to be good for me... That's my two cents. The temp is 72. winds are 8-10 out of the northeast. Gotta go. Fair winds, Joe Seafrog, M-17 651 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris and Julie" <candj1@bellsouth.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 8:40 AM Subject: M_Boats: New M15 Owner
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Jim, And here's another $.02. The Honda 2 is practically standard for a 15. Running halyards back on a 15 seems unnecessary, unless you keep the cabin closed when sailing. It's very easy to reach the mast when standing in the cabin. A taller person could probably reach pretty well with the cabin closed. Personally, I'd rather have the halyards on the mast, looking ugly, than cluttering the cockpit. I have a ripstop nylon groundcloth, (either 7x9 or 6x8) that makes a great boom tent. Raise the boom for standing headroom, or lower it to keep the open hatch dry in the worst weather. A whisker pole across the stern end opens it up for breeze and socializing. I installed a sturdy thru-bolted u-bolt in the bridge deck for a lifeline tether, but also use it for a permanent attachment point for the bitter end of the rode for my 4.4 lb (2kg) claw anchor, which resides in the shallow cockpit locker. The cover closes tightly over the line. The 2kg claw has held the boat rock solid through serious storms, sometimes with additional windage from the boom tent. It's incredible to me, but it holds like a bulldog. I have a 5kg version in the cabin locker that hasn't been used since I got the 2kg version as a lunch hook. I junked or sold 2 danforth style anchors after I discovered the claw. On my '82 boat, both cockpit lockers are shallow. I've considered cutting at least one open for convenience but: 1) I don't like putting holes in the boat. Right now, the main hatch is the only place where water can enter the cabin. 2) Too much heavy stuff (anchors, fuel, lines) would accumulate too far aft, impairing performance. I also tow with a RAV4, 1997 2 litre 5-speed. Good thing I'm retired and not in a hurry. Mileage seriously suffers with an overburdened engine, though I get 26-27 highway when not towing. Storm Petrel came (from its first owner) with a clew reefing setup, and a simple rerunning of the cunningham takes care of the tack. My only problem is that the boom has only one line/set of fittings so I need to rethread the line when I change between reef 1 and reef 2. I've considered another set of fittings but the boom is already cluttered, and it's rare to make that change while underway. "Keep it simple" always wins. Similarly, I haven't yet added a jib downhaul; although I'm more seriously considering it after my last sail. It is rarely needed, yet is one more thing that must be set up and removed every time. Water does enter the cockpit on certain points of sail and when there is more weight toward the stern. I remember Jerry once explained that this was not a flaw but a compromise. The cockpit floor could have been kept dry, or drier, by raising the floor but at the expense of comfort and cockpit volume. I have a 1-gallon gas can that fits in my shallow locker with the 2kg claw and rode. 1-gallon is all I normally carry, as it will provide 25-30 miles of motoring in normal conditions. I have another newer, cheap plastic gas can for a lawnmower that has a sliding shutoff that doesn't start flow until in position, and shuts off to prevent overflow. Gotta get one of those for the boat. Well, I guess all that is worth at least $.10, or whatever you paid for it. Bill Riker M15 - #184 Storm Petrel -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of James Poulakis Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 2:32 PM To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Subject: Re: M_Boats: New M15 Owner Chris, Julie, & Joe The following are comments on my 2008 M17 "Spirit" but some issues may apply to M15's as well. The way Spirit handles San Francisco Bay conditions is simply stunning. Spirit has also been day-sailed in the Pacific Ocean and her handling instills confidence. The build process with Bob Eeg was very positive. I am extremely happy with the boat, so the following is offered as constructive criticism and should not be taken as grumblings of overall dissatisfaction. Issue #1: Lack of a credible reefing system. The standard gear consists of reef points on the sail but no dedicated boom or mast hardware to support it. Yes, something can be cobbled together with slug stops and bits of line - but it's a hassle. I suspect many Monty owners make-do by simply dropping the jib - but this is asking for trouble in places like San Francisco Bay, so... Solution: Order the boat without a mainsail, then get with your favorite sailmaker to work out the details of a reefing system that fits your needs. Issue #2: Boom Length. Booms should not hit backstays under any circumstances. Mine does, even when the mast is raked as far back as the hardware allows. Measurements of older M17s indicate that booms were a few inches shorter. I haven't figured out a solution that doesn't involve cutting down both the boom and mainsail leech. Maybe I'm being paranoid. Spirit sails fine with the standard boom. It's just that if you do get knocked down. and the boom angles up a bit and gets caught in the backstay. and the mainsail fills with water. well, you get the picture. Issue #3: Cockpit drainage. The cockpit sole is too low and water backs up into the cockpit. This has been discussed ad-nauseum (including a post I wrote a few weeks ago). Solution A: have Bob install seacocks in the drain lines so that you can close them while sailing (he offers this as an option on new M17s). Solution B: Simply plug the drains. The problem is that both these solutions completely defeat the purpose of a self-bailing cockpit. I went with flip-ring drain plugs because they can be snatched out in a panic. This beats rummaging through the lazarette and trying to twist the fragile plastic handles on notoriously cantankerous seacocks when your boat is half-full of seawater. Issue #4: Rudder hum. Spirit's rudder vibrates loudly at normal sailing speeds. This may be an isolated case because I haven't heard many others raise this issue (see recent posts for possible cures). Issue #5: Gel coat wrinkles Spirit has small lines around many corners that look something like stress cracks (they're not). I've seen these wrinkles on other Montys as well. Solution: Don't sweat the small stuff. Montys have lots of "corners" in their lapstrake hull. This gives the boats structural hull strength and longitudinal stiffness that other fiberglass boats simply don't have. Issue #6: I can't keep up with Corsair 24 trimarans on a power reach. Okay, I figured if you read through all this doom and gloom you deserved a chuckle. Let me end by reiterating; I liked doing business with Bob Eeg, and I LOVE this boat. It's a real adventure-sailer for those of us who'd rather explore new areas then sit in a slip swilling vodka martinis, or go to the same three anchorages over and over and over again (been there-done that). Monty On Jim Poulakis M17 "Spirit" On Oct 4, 2008, at 7:20 AM, Joe Murphy wrote:
Congradulations Chris, I, too, just bought Seafrog, an M-17 from Bob. Sounds like he gave you the same advice that he gave me... keep it simple and figure out what you really need. Previously I owned a NS 27 and figured that I would need a lot of the same things I had on her but here's what I've discovered with a boat 10 feet shorter and 7,000 lbs lighter... - anchor - I drop anchor a lot at get-togethers here on the Bogue Sound (NC) I get a lot a strange looks dropping anchor from the stern and walking the rode up to the bow to cleat off. A lot of good friends have lent me various types of anchors and I found the aluminum Fortress to be the easiest to manage and holds extremely well. I keep all the anchor rode in a heavy duty nylon bag with a net bottom. The bitter end goes thru the bottom of the bag with enough length to cleat off. I pull out what I need and cleat it off the bow and keep the bag on the foredeck with bitter end also cleated as a precaution. The bag has a 20" diameter opening so it's fairly easy to fake the rode back into the bag and carry the whole mess back to the cockpit locker. I am looking at a bow solution. I miss the ease of doing it all from the bow and dropping the rode down the hause pipe into its own anchor line locker. - reefing lines - I started off with a single jiffy method with cheek blocks, etc on the boom. It worked great, but the downside was having a combined 60 ft of line draping all over when the sails are down. So I made it simpler by having two separate contol lines at each clew and tack. Getting to the lines is so easy with a boom that is a tad under 9 ft and a mast that is within easy grasp from the cockpit. - cockpit led lines - I too was an inch away from getting blocks, turning blocks, and line clutches to run the halyards aft, but I find that I can easily manage the halyards and stay mostly in the cockpit. If I have the hatch open and the drop boards out, I can easily do it. So for right now, I'm keeping that part simple. Besides, stretching is supposed to be good for me... That's my two cents. The temp is 72. winds are 8-10 out of the northeast. Gotta go. Fair winds, Joe Seafrog, M-17 651 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris and Julie" <candj1@bellsouth.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 8:40 AM Subject: M_Boats: New M15 Owner
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Chris & Julie: The jib downhaul is easy and, IMHO, essential. Go for it right away! I had an M15 (Vanilla) bought used and enjoyed it a lot. It came to me with 4 head sails and a spinnaker! --Gary Hyde 2005 M17 sailboat #637 'Hydeaway 2' We can't change the wind, but we can trim our sails. Sailing is like "African Queening" thru life. On Oct 4, 2008, at 5:40 AM, Chris and Julie wrote:
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
chris & julie: welcome to the Mboat family! my thoughts on the M15 in relation to "Julie Suzanne" - * LED lights: cabin, running, anchor * run the halyards aft - foredeck on an M15 isn't fun. * downhaul isn't hard. don't 'overbuild' as the M15's jib is small. (pictures available upon request.) * the 'power' of the M15 rig is in the main. spend money on a double reef main before getting a 'storm' jib. * as gary stated ... there is no backstay on the M15. * my M15 has jib car tracks on the cabin top (pictures available on request). the jib is small and all lines run inside the stays. if you want a bigger sail install tracks on the toe-rails. * the discussion about 'cockpit drains' on the M17 don't work with the M15 ... the centerboard line 'hole' is the cockpit drain. * my M15's cockpit lockers had been removed. i have LOTS of storage as a result. i place my ground tackle in the starboard 'locker'. easy to access. others use bins in the cabin or bags for the rode on the 'foredeck'. 'Scred's' www-site has a good amount of detail - http://www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred dave scobie M15 #288 - SCRED visit Scred's www-site: http://www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred --- On Sat, 10/4/08, Chris and Julie <candj1@bellsouth.net> wrote: Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. ...
Hi Julie & Chris, As a former big boat owner, and currently an ex-M15 owner (old age creeping up on me) let me try and give you a bit of help. We downsized because of increasing congestion at all our old sailing haunts; no peace and quiet any more. It started with Bolger MICRO - a great little ship - but because of mast stepping problems (again age related) we went to a ComPac 16. Mast stepping was easy, but lack of stowage space and amenities we took for granted, started us looking for a solution. The solution was the M15. An absolutely ideal little vessel with excellent accessible storage and an excellent sailer. To answer some of your questions: We towed our M15 with a VW Jetta VR6 station wagon. It did 75 MPH towing the M15 to windward up I-95 effortlessly. Cam cleats instead of jam cleats are a must. It was the first change I made in our bought sight-unseen M15. Downhauls on the jib make life simple if single-handing, and hold the jib down. .... a necessity. A topping lift - a necessity I installed an electrical panel to the left of the companionway and a motorcycle battery in the space under the Starboard mattress All I wanted the power for was to run my GPS continually, and as power for my pancake Sony CD player. See the M Archives for my Tool Box galley (with photos). The stove I used as a single burner propane stove, like the kind used in restaurants for heating or cooking something at the table. When not in use the propane bottle is disconnected. The stove is about a foot square and about 3 inches high - easy to stow. I stored my anchor, chain and rode in a plastic crate in the Port sail locker - instantly available. Fenders; fender board; mooring lines; spare fuel in 1 quart automobile oil containers for the 2 HP Honda (easy filling underway) I stowed the smallest Fortress, my storm anchor, with chain and rode in the forward compartment up at the bow. You want weight forward so that the transom doesn't drag in the water. I made a Bimini that stowed in the Stbd locker. (Get sail lockers that allow you to access the whole volume available) On mine I had a shallow sail locker on the Stbd side. I cut around the lip and made it removable. Small stuff in the shallow area: but extra cockpit cushions, the Bimini top; swim ladder; boat hook; paddle; under the shallow tray - but quickly accessible. Make your own tiller tamer. Some line; some bungee cord; some small cleats and for a few dollars you have a system that will hold a course (provided you don't move around - that movement changes course...!) I built a companionway table that fitted over the bottom hatch board - great for lunches. For more elaborate cooking and dining, I took the plywood filler piece under the mattress, added some cleats to fit the dimensions of the cockpit sides, and then had a large working area for cooking. A tiller extension is a necessity so that you can sit as far forward in the cockpit as possible (again to keep the stern from dragging) I built a special hatchboard which held: - 7X50 binoculars - GPS - Small Grundig radio (antenna was at the starboard side of the companionway - well protected) - My beer Your trailer should have a trailer tongue extension so that you can launch more easily on shallow incline launch ramps. It also needs keel guides to make retrieving the M15 in a crosswind, easier. Again see Archives for ideas and suggestions. Have fun, Connie ex M15 #400 LEPPO Chris and Julie wrote:
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks to all who have responded to our original post. I have read (and saved) all of your replies and they have all been helpful. I think we will really enjoy this fine little boat and cant wait to get her out on the water. I plan to remain active on the list as we start using and modifying the boat. Chris and Julie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris and Julie" <candj1@bellsouth.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 8:40 AM Subject: M_Boats: New M15 Owner
Hello everyone. My wife and I have begun the process with Bob Eeg to have an M15 built. Her name will be "Julie Suzanne". As of right now we are going with the following decisions & options:
Ivory Hull with Single Blue Stripe Camcleats Longer handrails mounted atop the sliding hatch teak runner covers Electrical package with group 24 battery under v-berth with space for 2nd battery for longer cruise Tracks on the coaming for jib cars or moving cleat Stern pulpit Opening stainless ports in cabin (Can never have too much ventilation in my opinion.)
Although this will be our 5th boat (22-36 feet and lived aboard the 36 footer) we are both pretty excited about this boat. They are such great looking boats and we have always heard great things about them. It will be nice to own a small boat that we can store in our garage, trailer to where ever we want, and yet still overnight on with some comfort.
Honestly this is the first boat whose design I would not change (at least based on my research thus far). Everything from the cockpit size to the v-berth and the storage seems to be the best compromise for the size and the intended use.
Our primary uses will be long daysails and 1-3 day short cruises with both my wife and I aboard. We live in Florida and anticipate doing plenty of trips to various cruising grounds all over the Southeast. Like most others, I work plenty of hours and will be limiting most of our trips to vacations and long weekends.
Also, like every boat I have owned, I will always have a project going on with 2-3 in the planning stages....
Some already planned projects include:
Leading halyards back to cockpit Jib downhaul (Have always had furlers, but with trailering and the fractional rig, I wonder if it makes sense here....) Some sort of anchor and rode storage that makes sense based on balancing the weights on the boat and the ability to quickly deploy if needed. Boom tent (Need something to make the cockpit a part of the interior based on the situation) Interior storage (Looking at some minor teak and some canvas based pouches in strategic locations) Tiller tamer or autopilot (Probably a tiller tamer at least in the immediate future) Special hatchboard for instrument mounting (Custom built board with hold GPS, depth finder and can be locked in place)
We dont own a tow vehicle yet, but will be purchasing one shortly. Right now I am leaning towards a used Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV or something similar. Based on my research the M15 is not a difficult boat to tow, and I need to keep the MPG as high as possible for obvious reasons.
The intent right now is to get the 2hp 4stroke Honda outboard which appears to be standard equipment on the M15 based on my readings. I DO NOT look forward to refilling the tank while underway. I anticipate some sort of a solution to this in the near future. I know I have read some information about some great solutions to this already.
Any recommendations regarding the boat or outfitting it as we move forward with the construction? Anything not listed above is currently standard and already included(such as swim ladder). Like most people who are considering a new M-boat, I have been lurking on the email group and have scanned quite a bit of the older messages (although you cant scan everything...). I have also been through all the websites I can find and have appreciated all the great information.
Bob has been great to work with so far. I have had a number of email and phone discussions with him. He is working with me on options while also helping me to keep the boat simple (at least for the initial build....).
Thank you all for the great information I have received from this group so far....
Chris Rechtin _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
participants (7)
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chbenneck＠sbcglobal.net -
Chris and Julie -
Gary M Hyde -
James Poulakis -
Joe Murphy -
W David Scobie -
William B. Riker