I am a beginner myself, but my take on the whole symmetrical/ asymmetrical issue is this. An asym is a reaching sail, not the greatest for a run with go a little higher than a chute. It has to be jibed around the forestay...which to me seems a bit of a pain...and are best combined with use of a bowsprit. Chutes are best sailed just off the wind....so I am told (faster).....but are great dead downhill as well. Down side is the spinnaker the pole and related rig. I can jibe a pole while solo, but some folks might not like it much. I have gotten my symmetrical to pull a LOT harder on a reach by extending my pole (mine adjusts in length) down between the pulpit stanchions...held down by a downhaul. Just like a kind of sprit. It tightens the leach and foot and works more like a really mondo genny. But it still only works well up to and slightly past a beam reach. That's my elementary take on it all anyway. Cheers, Tim D. M17 PUFF

Maybe a two part epoxy paint for inside areas and lockers, but not the deck or topsides. Epoxy paints chalk in the sun. What you want is a two party LPU like Awlgrip or the Interlux version of the same thing. I think Jerry has also suggested using the automotive paints, like Imron, over an epoxy primer. These are nasty products to spray however. Takes special breathing equipment to avoid serious harm to your pipes. Can be rolled and tipped. Plan B on fiberglass is to use the one part (so called polyurethane) like Brightsides (really an oil based paint...says alkyd right on the can). Pretty easy to do. I've also heard others swear by simple old Rustoleum. All will probably look good if you prep the surface before you paint. All these will show every flaw if you look close. So the quality is up to you. Flawless......looks ok from 10 feet.......or won't be noticed by a man from 50 feet galloping by on a horse. It has occurred to me more than once that the MSOG site, if Doug is still up for it, would be a good place to host examples and fixes for the most common problems on these boats. As they age, the same things pop up on most boats. Everything from rudder, CB and keel repairs, electrical system upgrades, to windows to gelcoat cracks. He put up a copy of a survey he had for Vixen and as I was reading it, I noticed the same problems on my boat. Same would be true for the 15. No reason to fret about it or to re-invent the wheel. It's all be solved before. Howard On Oct 15, 2006, at 9:00 PM, Robbin Roddewig wrote:

I am in the first stage of restoring my "new" '75 M-17, Miss Take as my wife calls her (she's joking... I think). I cleaned up a lot of grime from the cabin and it looks really good now. I have been working on the topside with 3M all in one cleaner and wax as well as what little 3M restorer and wax I had on hand. The topside is rubbing out really well. The hull is more of a problem. I have been working on it with 3M rubbing compound but it seems like it could use more help. Does anyone have a good way to go after heavy oxidation that has worked well for them? In addition the boat was shrink rapped for a long period and has blistering where the shrink rap apparently held water against the hull. Two spots about a half foot square or so on each side at the stern. I have done blister work below the water line and have not had to worry about how it looks as it was eventually covered with barrier coat and bottom paint. I think I remember Jerry M suggesting that a proper repair would be to use two part epoxy paint as opposed to polyester gel coat for repairs like this. I have an air gun, compressor etc. that would handle epoxy paint. Has anyone gone with this approach? Any hints?

Thanks in advance Robbin

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