Thanks guys. That confirms how I've been feeling about the responsiveness of the M15 - and some of my executive decisions on when to go out on the lake: as long as you're paying attention, the m15 communicates quite well through the tiller and is quite responsive. Along with that responsiveness comes some responsibility in properly trimming the sails. I had a little knockdown event this past weekend with some first time sailors and I fear I scared them away from sailing for a while... :( The odd thing about it was that we were traveling down wind with the main at 60deg to starboard and we tipped over to port! I'm thinking it was something to do with weight distribution (it didn't help that I was putting on my shirt at that moment and couldn't see what happened...). The wind, I thought, was perfect that day, though. After they disembarked I went out for another couple hours and had a great time in the same winds. ...of course, I am a bit of an excitement junkie and like to see how far I can push things. The provided information is, however, quite useful and will come in handy when I take her on Superior in August. Winds there can be VERY gusty and weather gets variable in a hurry. Any advice on the m15 in poor weather conditions? It sounds like many of you sail on the ocean, and that would/could certainly have higher seas than the lakes I'm used to... On Mon, Jul 13, 2009 at 2:16 AM, W David Scobie <wdscobie@yahoo.com> wrote:
MSOG and MSOGphoto, i believe, have the basic m15 sail dimensions.
as tom states, between 12 and 15 knots it is time to put in the first reef when sailing an m15. 15-17 knots time for a second reef. 20+ knots storm jib time. don't sail the m15 into the wind without main AND jib ... she will not make any headway.
the m15 wants to heal 10 to 15 degrees. you heal more than 20 degrees you are slowing the boat. reef and go faster.
'listen' to what the tiller/rudder are telling you - if you are working to control the boat (ie, fighting weather helm) reef! the m15 is a great boat in that she will give you excellent feedback on how you have set the sails .. it is up to the captain to listen.
i've needed to adjust my sailing style on the m17. the 17, i've found, has a more neutral helm and you can heal her 'way the h*ll over' with little weather helm (when comparing to the m15). i've found many a time i'm just slowing the boat and need to adjust the sail set.
dave scobie M17 #375 - SWEET PEA visit SWEET PEA's www-site: http://www.m17-375.webs.com
--- On Mon, 7/13/09, Tom Smith <openboatt@gmail.com> wrote:
The M15 behaves like a dinghy when the wind picks up. Sail it like one. Just reef if you feel overpowered. I'd be thinking about reefing an M15 in 15mph--a lot more comfortable to sail. t
On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 9:22 PM, Chris Smith<chris.r.smith@gmail.com> wrote:
Speaking of sails... What has been the collectives experience with the best sail size for the M15? I've got a main that just might be a bit big, as 'high' (12-15mph - as told by the weather service) will get me heeled over in a hurry if I'm not careful -especially if it's gusty. I'd have to do a bit of research to figure out what kind of boat they came from (don't remember the sail markings off hand). On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 10:39 PM, W David Scobie <wdscobie@yahoo.com> wrote:
m15 is an amazing little boat. give her the correct sails (power) for the wind she will sail like a dream in conditions that others, in larger craft, head for the marina.
dave scobie M17 #375 - SWEET PEA visit SWEET PEA's www-site: http://www.m17-375.webs.com
--- On Sun, 7/12/09, mrh219@yahoo.com <mrh219@yahoo.com> wrote:
I spent about 2 and a half hours out on the lake today trying out a "new" jib on my M-15. Weather service said winds were 10 to 15 (seems to me the gusts might have been a little higher), and I used a "genoa" I had made for a Bauer 10 I used to own, which is probably pretty much a large storm jib. Anyway, GPS said I averaged 3.9 mph withs max speed of 6.4 mph and no stress, didn't dump the main or even spill a beverage. Great day on a great boat. Mike
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