Thanks for sharing your insights, Cordell. Where do you sail #305? > [Original Message] > From: Cordell Pool <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Montgomery_Boats@Mailman. Xmission. Com <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 1/18/2003 12:55:37 PM > Subject: M_Boats: Knockdown Modifications M17#305 > > Thanks for sharing your experiences and modifications, I have always been > worried about a possible knockdown and what the result would be. Its great > to hear about other peoples experiences and discussion in this area, since I > have always worried about my first experience being my last. > > I have made some modifications to my boat to provide additional security in > case of a knockdown. I commonly sail in very windy and wavy conditions so > it wouldn't be a simple manner of a one-time self righting. Unless > something changed, further knockdowns would occur over and over. I don't > have any additional floatation, so if the boat were to ship too much water > in a knockdown(s) it would evetually sink. The boat as a whole would have > to be sealed sufficiently to provide bouyancy until conditions could be > remedied. The weak points I found were, the cabin door (hatch), cockpit > locker, and sink drain. Furthermore, I think that keeping the heavy gear > secure in the bottom of the boat will add a lot of self-righting stability. > > The standard two-piece 1/4 inch hatch covers did not look very secure, and > even if they could withstand the water force, they would still leak alot. I > have constructed a one-piece hatch cover out of 7/16 plywood which fits very > snuggly into the grove in the trim boards and under the lid. I think that > this hatch cover would withstand a fairly long-term exposure to waves and > cockpit water without leaking too much (it also provides better protection > against mosquitos). Whenever the wind picks up I make sure to always sail > with the the main hatch closed securely. > > For the large cockpit locker, I just riveted on standard hasps and they > don't seem to interfere with the normal sailing operations. I put a couple > on because the forces could be quite large on the locker lid in the event of > a knockdown. I also put a rubber weather strip around the inside edge of > the locker, that when the locker is locked down provides a fairly > water-tight seal. > > The access boards under the berths were a little more difficult to put > latches on, since I wanted them to be flush below the cushions. I found > some hardware at the local Ace that worked alright. Again these need to be > very strong to withstand the forces during a knockdown. > > I haven't overcome the drain issue yet but I suppose a check valve would > work. > > I agree with the comment I read about reefing early. The Montgomery seems > to sail very solidly with reefed sails, and suprising, doesn't lose too much > speed. I commonly sail with about a 70% jib and a fully (double) reefed > mainsail. With this arrangement and some pretty good winds I can average 6 > knots without too much instablity in the waves. Also a little weather helm > due to the small jib. > > Cordell Pool > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
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