At 10:58 AM -0800 3/13/02, Shawn Boles wrote: >Hi Cal: > >I would have bought a Rhodes 22 (note spelling) myself, as they are a GREAT >boat manufactured by a GREAT guy (Stan Spitzer) , but the damn things weigh >3500 pounds. The 17 is a fine substitute and probably a better heavy weather >sailboat. Is your boat grey? > >cheers- >Shawn Boles >Grey Mist (M17 #276 1978)
No, she's white/blue trim. I like the Rhoads 22 but I can't get over the minuscule (relatively speaking) mainsail and the HUGE genoa jib (just guessing, but it's gotta be a 180) that is so large that you have to go forward and walk it around the shrouds when tacking (or it gets caught), just when you really want to leave the helm. It has a plastic window cut into the bottom so you can see where you're going, as it covers your entire range of view on one side, and that means you have to steer from the high side, or you can't see much (you still can't). And the jib sheets are large, long, and all over the place, and you have to have your winch handle ready to close haul her. So on a close reach, having to tack often, she's somewhat a pain. But on a beam or broad reach or while running she's a joy. I love the way the mainsail rolls out of the mast (the jib rolls out as well) and you can take it out in anything, and give yourself just as much sail as you want. It also has the combo keel like the Montgomerys. With the 3500 pounds in the water, I haven't seen much in the way of weather that could rock this boat. I don't know much about the M17, but in a storm, I would bet on the Rhoads. It seems better suited to coastal or great lake cruising than sailing our smaller Minnesota lakes... all 10,000 of them. Steve owns the boat along with his wife, Mary Ann, and a friend, Judy, who has done quite a bit of global cruising on a trimaran. They have a number of senior, overweight, or disabled friends and wanted something comfortable and rock solid in the water, as the M15 tends to be a bit spunky at times during weird weather. The boat has a permanent slip on Minnetonka, so they didn't care about the weight of the boat... it hits the trailer once a year for a total of about 3 miles. -- Cal Spooner [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] 763-574-1482 _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
