April 2002 - montgomery_boats - mailman.xmission.com

Re: M_Boats: M 7'11"
by Wcpritchett＠aol.com 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

Randy, I have an M-10 and the hull looks identical to yours. The interior is different...side seats go forward to a moulded center seat made just like the sides. The seats are sealed and the boat floats if flooded. The breasthook and side rub rails look the same. The transom has wood across side to side which makes way for a small wood motor mount. Mast is set in a wood cross brace about 2' aft of bow. All the wood is teak. I suppose they made several different interiors...got this one sometime around 1975. Bill P.

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Re: M_Boats: Maiden Voyage Adventures
by Rotortom2＠aol.com 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

Cherri, It seems as if all of us have had a "learning experience" at one time or another. A couple of years ago my wife and I were sailing on Elephant Butte reservoir in New Mexico, and the marina manager told us prior to leaving the slip to watch the erratic winds in the afternoon. Being a New Mexico naitive, I let his advice slip out of my mind, and we had a really nice sail for a couple of hours. The wife took a nap on the V-berth, and woke up when the boat started heeling to the point she was uncomfortable, so into the cockpit she came. I was enjoying the "rails in the water" attitude (not a good point of sail I admit, but I was new at the sailing game then) , and she reminded me of the advice we had received at the marina, but did I listen? No. We should have seen the 30-40 mph gusts coming by observing the lake surface, but the macho thing had not been scared out of me yet. It took water coming over the starboard coaming to bring me to my senses, and suddenly decided it was time to crank up the 4hp Johnson and motor back to the marina. I took the sails down (Dana, the wife, up on the bow in 3 foot chop, pissed off and scared, securing the jib), while I completely removed the main sail and threw it into the cabin. I cranked up the O/B, and we were passing through a narrow area between Elephant Butte and the eastern lee shore of the lake which was about 200 yards away when the motor failed! It didn't take long for me to realize that the Main should not be in the cabin. I somehow got the Main re-attached and managed to sail into the marina. We went to the camper, got a 12-pack, and sat in the boat for an hour or so analyzing the mistakes we made. 1. Listen to local advice. 2.Do not become complacent as to your sailing abilities. 3. Watch the surface of the water for advance warning of wind shifts, etc. 4. Do not assume your motor will get you back. You are on a sailboat, make sure that it is ready to sail. (We bought a new Honda 5hp 4-stroke 2 days later. The marina manager graciously lent us his motor for a few days until the new Honda arrived.) 5. We had a new boom made for the boat when we bought it, but had never practiced reefing, which would have enabled us to sail home without the motor. 6. KEEP ON SAILING! These are the things we learn by trial and error. There are things we can learn from books and other people's experience, but until they happen to us, they are abstract. Once they happen to us, they are real, and we learn from these experiences. Tom M-17 #330 "Wild Hare"

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RE: M_Boats: Maiden Voyage Adventures
by Shawn Boles 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

Hi: Just to reinforce earlier messages on this topic. Sailing is, among other things, several sets of complex motor skills. Such sets are not well established until practiced at least 30 times. Planning, patience, and practice are critical to a sense of competence and comfort in the constantly changing conditions encountered by crew and craft. Still learning, cheers- Shawn Boles Grey Mist (M17 #276 1978) -----Original Message----- From: Joe Kidd [mailto:jk@yosemite.net] Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 10:07 AM To: montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Maiden Voyage Adventures Cherri, If we all told stories about our first time out in a new boat, the title of the anthology would be, "Murphy's Law." Just keep the faith, enjoy the adventure and learn from your mistakes. You become a sailor by asking questions, reading, watching others, taking directions, experimenting, making mistakes and learning to plan ahead. Once you get the "feel" of your boat, a kind of symbiotic relationship develops. Sometimes when my boat is completely overwhelmed by a sudden gust, I throw off the sheets and let her take care of herself while I collect my wits. Remember that a well designed sailboat will usually round up into the wind and set there if you just "set her free." As you learn to trust yourself and your craft, the level of pleasure will grow and the moments of frustration will dissipate. As per the difference between a bungee and shock cord, there is very little; they are both elastic lines, but a bungee has hazardous hooks on each end. Joe Kidd M15 #207 "Poco a Poco" _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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New Email address
by Steve McClellan (at Home) 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

AT&T Broadband screwed up my account AGAIN and now I have a NEW email account (with a new address) -- I doubt if any of you had my direct address in your address books or anything, but in case anyone did, my new address is s.mcclellan(a)attbi.com So for about 4 days, I have not been able to get my daily (sometimes hourly) fix of Montgomery Sailboat Owners' news -- and whatever went through the list during that time has been lost to me. What did I miss? Anything interesting? (I know I could look in the archives -- I will get details from there if I need to). Cheri, did you get your centerboard pivot problem resolved ok? I'm nearing completion of my centerboard/trunk/keel stub renovation -- I'll let you all know how it went when it's finished. -- Steve McClellan M15 #152 Chicago Area

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Re: M_Boats: Shock Cord Sail Gaskets
by Mark Pavuk 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

Joe, I guess we missed the boom downhaul. It was a rather overwhelming day and there is so much to learn about a new boat. I'm not even sure what the difference is between shock cord and a bungee but I will look it up in my new WM catalog. Thanks for the advice. Cherri ---------- >From: "Joe Kidd" <jk(a)yosemite.net> >To: <montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com> >Subject: M_Boats: Shock Cord Sail Gaskets >Date: Wed, Apr 17, 2002, 6:29 PM > >Cherri, > > The boom downhaul will keep the gooseneck from popping up out of the >sail slot in the mast. If the boom downhaul is not set, you cannot tension >the luff of the mainsail with the halyard. > > After losing a number of sail stops -- overboard, in transit, spirited >away by gremlins -- I now use a shock cord sail gasket --WM, page 1046. >(Avoid the use of bungee cords on your boat. The hooks tend to snag >everything and can cause serious damage to the vessel and injury to the >crew.) Insert the gooseneck in the mast slot, run the short downhaul line >up through the hole in the gooseneck and back down through the jam cleat >below the gooseneck. Wrap a sail gasket around the mast above the boom (but >below the slot opening) before inserting the sail slugs. Once the slugs are >in the mast slot, slide the sail gasket up to close the opening. I have a >large collection of shock cord sail gaskets. I use them all over the boat: >to secure the sail to the boom, to keep the mainsail slugs in the mast slot, >to secure the jib to the bow pulpit so it won't blow overboard, to lash >lines and cables to the mast when trailering, etc. While doing tasks >aboard, you can hold them in your teeth, around your arm, around your neck, >in the straps on your life jacket... They are really handy. I wouldn't be >without a dozen or so at the ready aboard Poco. > > Joe Kidd M15 #207 "Poco a Poco" > > >_______________________________________________ >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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RE: M_Boats: maiden voyage
by Morris, Giles 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

>wade the boat back to the dock Sounds like my first weekend sailing. It was a weekend school, and on Saturday and the morning of Sunday we were out in heavy wooden gaff-rigged lapstrake dinghies. The teachers had a sense of humor, though, because on Sunday afternoon I was told "you've done ok, why don't you (and girlfriend) take that out this afternoon?". "That" was a Firefly -- at that time just retired as an Olympic class. Pure racing dinghy, light weight, chock-a-block with control lines, buoyancy bags etc. (Imagine a large and powerful black horse with blazing eyes. Snorting, skipping about at on the tether and in a bad temper). I, too, ended up wading back to the dock pulling the thing. Giles Morris Arlington VA Vancouver 25 "Dolphin" Montgomery 15 "Umiaq" Sundry small craft

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follow up- Texas Lake Conroe
by Randy Watkins 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

montgomery_boats(a)mailman.xmission.com Hello fellow sailors, I mentioned a Houston Texas , Lake Conroe "Messabout" event in an earlier message. The sponsor posted these photos & commentary at his web site. Thought you all might enjoy some of the photos. The next event is in October so come on down to visit. October is usually good weather and favorable for sailing in these parts, Texas & Louisiana. http://www.shortypen.com/boats/maib2002/ Take Care, Randy & Greta Watkins

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RE: M_Boats: maiden voyage
by Morris, Giles 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

>We were actually a little worried >that the mast would go because the shrouds were loose As I recall, you were sailing with the main only, so the rigging wasn't tensioned by the jib halyard. I like to get some tension on the forestay, and the way I found to do that was to put a quick-release shroud tensioner on it (West Marine model number 246167). This is an over center type fitting, and by combining it with a ball-detent quick-release pin the job of attaching and tensioning the forestay becomes quick & easy. Giles Morris Arlington VA Vancouver 25 "Dolphin" Montgomery 15 "Umiaq" Sundry small craft

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Re: M_Boats: maiden voyage
by Randy Watkins 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

Cherri, On one of my first solo trips it was very windy I got blown downwind against a rocky lee shore and head to drop sails and wade the boat back to the dock. I didn't have a motor and was very "green" about sailing upwind and tacking, etc. It was very humbling and a good lesson. Randy W. >>> winarski(a)cox.net 04/17/02 08:44PM >>> Cherri, Congratulations on your maiden voyage. Your adventure sounded very much like one of my first trips - improperly secured sails led to my being blown into a narrow swampy inlet from which I was unable to tack out - a "stink pot" came to my rescue - the ultimate embarrassment ! There isn't much more that could have gone wrong with your maiden voyage - so from now on you may certainly anticipate smooth sailing and grand adventure showing off that beautiful boat. Had Carol II out today for the first time this season - grand day on Little Back River and a little nip out into the Chesapeake Bay. Stan Winarski M-15, #177, Carol II _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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Re: M_Boats: Texas sailing invite reminder
by Randy Watkins 18 Apr '02

18 Apr '02

hello Jim, We'll probably shoot for around 7:00. One gent isn't getting in until 6:00. If it's good weather we'll probably sail to Pappadocks. We'll touch base with you tomorrow evening via phone or vhf, or look for the "mosquito fleet" heading your way. If you're in the water come on down to the marina and meet up with us. The weather looks very favorable for Fri. & Sat, so looking forward to sailing with you. Randy W. >>> sailinnut(a)juno.com 04/17/02 07:49PM >>> Randy, What time is dinner? Are you planning on eating at Pappadocks on Friday and Saturday? I hear there is a Cajun style new place on 306. Boiling Pot home style. Jim _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats

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