Hi there, I'm new to the list and thought I'd take the advice from the initial email from the server and introduce myself. I live in Dubuque, Iowa and currently sail a Sanibel 17 on the Mississippi River (we also tow it to lakes). We've only owned the boat (and sailed) for a couple of years and have really enjoyed it. I got the boat cheap and it needed a lot of work which I'm slowly doing. I've redone the electrical, removed and reinstalled the chainplates, used Poliglow on the hull, built a new tiller, reinforced the mast support in the cabin, and replaced some of the cam cleats and other hardware and rigging. My project before this season is to try to repair some small blisters that (I think) are causing slow leaking of water into the hull when we keep the boat slipped on the Mississippi. Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to that. Since we've decided that we like sailing so much, I'm also keeping my eye open for the 'perfect' boat for us (as a possible option rather than putting lots and lots of time into work on our Sanibel). I had considered a Potter 19, but am nervous about the daggerboard and our wingdams on the Mississippi. Also, with the current on the Mississippi, I'm thinking the M17 might sail a little faster than the P19 and our Sanibel. We also want to keep the boat small and safely trailerable behind a minivan. Finally, there are four of us - me, my wife, a 5-year old, and a 2-year old and we'd like to be able to camp occasionally on the boat. I really like the idea of a shoal keel and a lighter centerboard (which the Sanibel also uses) rather than a heavy swinging keel. I've never seen a Montgomery 17 in person, but it seems like it might be an ideal boat for us. So, in general I subscribed to learn more about the Montgomeries, get an idea if the four of us could sleep in the 17 (we're campers and canoers so are comfortable with the 'hardshell' tent idea), and watch for the perfect boat (3 sails, ladder, bimini, lifelines, bottom paint, etc.) since we're now willing to spend more money on a boat. Thanks for listening and I look forward to learning from you all! Todd Swift Dubuque, IA Sailing 17' Sanibel Sloop "Anduin" on the Mississippi River ("Anduin" is the great river in Tolkien's Middle Earth - Mississippi = "big river" in Ojibwa)