Hi all, My name is Cal Spooner, and I hail from Mpls, MN. I have been lurking on this list for some time, not because I'm in the habit of lurking, but because I fell behind on the list right off.... and I hate responding to 3 month old posts, as no one knows what you are talking about anymore. But I caught up.
Anyway, I purchased an '87 M15, hull #402 (Hi Connie... we're almost twins) in Sept. of 2001 from a friend who used to be on this list, Steve Alm. Steve and I play piano together for a living, and he sucker-punched me with a midnight cruise under a full moon on Lake Minnetonka (the boat's name is Moondance!) and then mentioned that he had his eye on a Rhoads 22, and that if he found one, the boat would be up for sale. The gears started turning immediately in my head... I knew he would cut me a good deal on the M15. Funny thing, a Rhoads 22 turned up in the next couple of weeks.... So, after a little wheeling and dealing, I trailered the (in wonderful condition) boat off for $3500, which I believe is a pretty good deal after reading prices on this list. It has been though some minor modifications, like the mainsail having traveler slugs attached for ease of raising/lowering, and UV covers made for the sails, and a new rudder with a handle that curves upward so it doesn't bang on your knees,with tiller extension. It has a jib downhaul and came with running lights, and a 2 HP two-stroke Yamaha motor, oars, boarding ladder, etc. I threw up a quick web page, if you would like a look at her go to http://www.visi.com/~spoon/Boat/m15.html. I put a solar panel on since and installed a porta-potty. I'm really new to all this, but I've sailed her in high wind conditions (not reefed) and most of it (with a lot of training from Steve) seems to come naturally. (My girlfriend's comment on one occasion... "Geez, we could be pulling a water skier".) Not that I'm smug... on the day in October that I pulled her out, It scared the hell out of me. Bad weather, rain and huge gusts coming from all directions put the mast horizontal a coupla times. Really humbles you. So I'm reading a lot, and subscribing to a few pertinent magazines. I may be short on sailing experience, but I'm long on mechanical know-how, and I'm really gonna have fun with fixing up this boat. I'm going to get those keel guides on the trailer first... get a second pair of reef points on the sail... then I'm going to cut out the starboard locker like Connie describes, and put catches on the lockers. And I'll bet that you could mount one of those low-profile butane stoves to one of the plywood storage covers in the cabin, and flip it upside down when you weren't using it, securing it with rotating clips. And so much more.... Well, considering that my sailing season last year consisted of about 2 months, I hope you understand my exuberance. Here in Minnesota it was below zero yesterday, and all I can see out my window is a big blue tarp, with mast sticking out both ends. It's torture, I tell ya. -- Cal Spooner M15 #402 [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] 763.574.1482 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
