yesterday i went to visit my M17 (she is wet stored at the moment for 'new to me' sea trials).  in the hour i was doing tasks at the dock i had a person give me a yell, "nice clinker boat!"  i responded she wasn't a true clinker, but a fiberglass build.  he needed to make closer inspection of the boat to believe the boat was plastic and not wood.  THAT states the feeling that the classic 'montgomery lapstrake' hull catches the eye and look LIKE A BOAT.   my comments for a 16' -   * more ballast * from a pacific NW perspective more cabin size over cockpit. * common comment - some form of forward vent for airflow * keep the v-berth.  my size makes a 1/4 berth an uncomfortable option (i never looked at the mid-cabin 1/4 berth boats for just this reason). * no compression post.  yes, the M15's v-berth is more comfortable than the M17s. * i love the amount of storage space SCRED, my M15, has because the cockpit locker liners have been removed.  as much as possible make cockpit lockers deep and large.  think also of later access to the transom for repair of the outboard mount and addition of boarding ladder. * sitting headroom.  something allowing one to sit on the v-berth upright.  doing this will also allow one to sit, instead of 'crouch' on the potti. * i disagree with only a skeg keel.  the M15s ability to go to wind cannot be lost.  options: centerboard & skeg keel or fixed keel?  think of the improvement!  the fixed keel 17s are great. * backstay would be be nice (at the expense of easy rigging)   hard to 'let go of' the idea of a 19-20 foot Mboat ... a good 'fix' for 17 owners with 2'-disease.     dave scobie M17 #375 - sweet pea (http://www.m17-375.webs.com) M15 #288 - SCRED (for sale, http://www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred) --- On Wed, 5/13/09, jerry <jerry@jerrymontgomery.org> wrote: Something more pleasant!  I've been in a dialog with a builder to design a "Montgomery style" boat; probably 16', and I'd like to ask you for some opinions and comments.  Lapstrake:  How do you think the average buyer, looking for a boat in this size range, would look at a lapstrake hull as opposed to a smooth hull?  You and I are probably prejudiced so we don't count.  People can see that a lapstrake hull is dryer (but not much, really) and they can see that it's stiffer- again, not much. A lapstrake hull is a bit heavier but weight in a hull doesn't really slow the boat down enough to matter even to me.  There is a cost factor, partly because of taking longer to lay up, a little more material, and because it takes a bit better molder, but not much, and really, the deck has more man hours in it than a hull so cost is a small factor.  I don;'t believe there is a performance factor of any import.  Maybe I'm saying too much; and the simple question is: which would sell best to the average buyer? I'm thinking the interior would be a roomier version of the 15, with a little more storage, and more comfortable sitting headroom.  Also, the 15 cockpit is about 5.5' long, and when  i'd take a 15 cruising I'd cleat the drop hatches to bridge the cockpit benches and sleep at a diagonal.  This worked fine for me but would not work for most couples, especially if they fight a lot.  The 17 cockpit, being over 6', was much better for sleeping in the cockpit. Here's the question : where would you like to see the extra foot of length- in the cockpit or the interior, or what combination of both? Any other comments would be welcome.  My ex-wife used to call me a know-it-all but we all know I'm not!  I think these subjects would be good for the list, but if you don't like speaking to a crowd feel free to email me directly at jerry@jerrymontgomery.org. jerry