Hi Todd, I own a M17 and have sailed with several Potter 19's, so I thought I'd give you my 2 cents worth. The Potter is a fine family boat, with more room in the cabin, somewhat of a galley, and they're beachable and very stable and level sailing. The people I've sailed with all seem to love them. They do, however, have their drawbacks. They are much slower than the Monty, and tricky to dock and load with the daggerboard up because they just skitter sideways and won't steer. The M17 is a great sailer. Very fast for her size, more solidly built, and great handling even in rough conditions. Little or no weatherhelm and an adequate cabin. (Pretty tight for 4, though.) Any money you put into one is well spent. They hold their value well and when it comes time to sell, no problem. There's always people looking for them. You won't find a classier looking small cruiser either, in my opinion. I'm always getting compliments on her. They are somewhat noisy to sleep in if there's any wave action. The lapstrake causes a splish-splash that seems to amplify in the cabin. So, as always, it's a matter of what your priorities are. The Potter is arguably the better "camper", but the Monty is undoubtedly the better sailer. Good luck, Larry Yake M17, #200 Tullamore On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 12:23:14 -0600 "Todd N. Swift" <Todd.Swift@loras.edu> writes:

Hi there,

I'm new to the list and thought I'd take the advice from the initial email from the server and introduce myself.

I live in Dubuque, Iowa and currently sail a Sanibel 17 on the Mississippi River (we also tow it to lakes). We've only owned the boat (and sailed) for a couple of years and have really enjoyed it. I got the boat cheap and it needed a lot of work which I'm slowly doing. I've redone the electrical, removed and reinstalled the chainplates, used Poliglow on the hull, built a new tiller, reinforced the mast support in the cabin, and replaced some of the cam cleats and other hardware and rigging. My project before this season is to try to repair some small blisters that (I think) are causing slow leaking of water into the hull when we keep the boat slipped on the Mississippi. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to that.

Since we've decided that we like sailing so much, I'm also keeping my eye open for the 'perfect' boat for us (as a possible option rather than putting lots and lots of time into work on our Sanibel). I had considered a Potter 19, but am nervous about the daggerboard and our wingdams on the Mississippi. Also, with the current on the Mississippi, I'm thinking the M17 might sail a little faster than the P19 and our Sanibel. We also want to keep the boat small and safely trailerable behind a minivan. Finally, there are four of us - me, my wife, a 5-year old, and a 2-year old and we'd like to be able to camp occasionally on the boat. I really like the idea of a shoal keel and a lighter centerboard (which the Sanibel also uses) rather than a heavy swinging keel. I've never seen a Montgomery 17 in person, but it seems like it might be an ideal boat for us.

So, in general I subscribed to learn more about the Montgomeries, get an idea if the four of us could sleep in the 17 (we're campers and canoers so are comfortable with the 'hardshell' tent idea), and watch for the perfect boat (3 sails, ladder, bimini, lifelines, bottom paint, etc.) since we're now willing to spend more money on a boat.

Thanks for listening and I look forward to learning from you all!

Todd Swift

Dubuque, IA

Sailing 17' Sanibel Sloop "Anduin" on the Mississippi River

("Anduin" is the great river in Tolkien's Middle Earth - Mississippi = "big river" in Ojibwa)

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