It would be easy enough to put a few layers of sacrificial cloth on the fwd bottom corner if you wanted. That way the integrity of the original layup would be maintained. Tod -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+htmills=bright.net@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+htmills=bright.net@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Honshells Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 7:39 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: boat ramp strategies "Has anyone tried to reinforce the leading edge of the Monty's keel?" Don't mean to butt in, but this definitely seems do-able, and I've often wondered if it's been done, or if anyone has any suggestions as to how it MIGHT be done, myself. ----- Original Message ----- From: <IDCLLC@aol.com> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 8:53 AM Subject: Boat ramp strategies Greetings Montgomery owners. I'm a Potter 15 sailor who regularly sails from fishing boat ramps. These are ramps without any frills-no docks, no beach, just a concrete ramp, usually with big ugly rocks on either side of it. On the Potter, I've resorted to launching the boat with the board and rudder up, then lifting the bow and very gently grounding her on the concrete ramp, which holds her in place under most conditions while I park the car and trailer. This isn't so bad as it sounds because the ramps are slicked over with algae. Retrieval is the reverse of this process. I often think about switching to a Montgomery 15 for all the sterling qualities they possess, but I haven't figured out how I'd deal with this aspect of my sailing. Many of these ramps are shallow, and the keel is likely to be the grounding point. How do Montgomery sailors deal with this sort of thing? On the Potter, the center skeg is the area that takes the abuse. I have an idea for its protection; I want to bond a 1/16" X 1 1/2" strip of aluminum to it with marine contact cement. Would this sort of thing work for an M-15? Has anyone tried to reinforce the leading edge of the Monty's keel? Steve Tyree, P-15, beset by rocks in Middle Tennessee _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats