Jerry, as a former proud owner of Coyote, I would be interested in a cabin-type, well sailing, easily rigged wrinkle boat. I would prefer the rigging of a 17, with backstay, to the 15 and inside room would be more important than the cockpit. If I were to buy another boat, it would either be a Monty-type sailboat, or a smaller C-dory-type powerboat - both lapstrake. My intentions would be comfortable singlehanding and gunkhholing. If sailing, a short fixed keel would be nice, as it has less possibility of binding up as you ran into with the earlier swingers - quieter and less moving parts. Sleeping room for a 6-footer away from bugs is a consideration and as a singlehander, I would probably give up some interior space for an abreviated galley with sink, single burner and small ice chest. Porta Potti important also. One decent bunk would be just fine for my use. Opening ports for ventilation would be good. As the Montgomery name is unavailable for this craft, perhaps?Jerry-Can would work out. Indicative that when it comes to good, small boats,?Jerry Can... . Good luck, keep us in the loop. John in warm Tucson. -----Original Message----- From: jerry <jerry@jerrymontgomery.org> To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Wed, 13 May 2009 12:25 pm Subject: M_Boats: market research 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 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Remember, there is no privacy o n the Internet!