joe: i'm not a M17 owner ... but the M15 and M17s are so similar i'll share my thoughts.
And a general question, when anchoring out how much 'talk back' do you get from the C/B?
from what i've read and what i experience in my Mboat the centerboard being down at anchor will cause 'talk back.' one will also hear 'talk back' if in a no-to-little wind situation and when motoring. i pull the center board up unless i'm sailing.
BTW, does having the ballast made from steel punchings create any problems rust-wise or corrosion-wise?
my M15 is 'of the steel.' keep an eye on any boat that is from the 'steel era.' this is not to say one should not purchase a boat that contains steel. if one makes sure no water is already in the keel and the centerboard is not covered in rust you have a good boat. if the centerboard is rusted it can be 'refinished' or a new 'lead' board can be purchased from bob eeg (the latter may be the cheaper option). the new centerboards are a bit thinner than the steel version. some have stated that purchasing a 'lead board' is a quick fix if rusting steel ballast has caused swelling in the centerboard trunk. i don't believe that anyone should replace the steel bits unless one or the other is failing. if faulty make an informed decision about the cost of repair v. finding a steel boat w/out the problem or one of the 'lead' models. dave scobie M15 #288 - Scred (yes i finally named the boat) --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.