Thanks, Craig! Tullamore's not totally "yare" yet, but I'm working on it. The old ports can be dressed up a bit by painting the aluminum frame black (using a self etching paint) and replacing the plexi with tinted. Looks pretty sharp with the black aluminum toe rail and a black boot stripe. Larry
On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 14:43:38 -0500 "Craig F. Honshell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > "6) Ports: The pre-1981 boats had ports with aluminum trim rings > around them, > whereas on the new mold there were recesses molded into the > coach-roof sides, and the > ports just bolted right into the recesses, with no trim rings." > > The trim ring was a good feature . . . I really like those older > windows . . . For > the yarest "old deck" Monty I've seen, witness Larry Yake's > Tullamore . . . I can't > believe how immaculate he keeps her . . . Puts me to shame with my > '84 . . . When I > put her away this past month, she looked like one of those derelicts > you see on back > lots with their tarps rotted away . . . And that was from just about > 4 months' worth > of use . . . > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Rachel > To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats > Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 10:42 AM > Subject: History Question #1 > > Hi Bill and other M-ers, > > Okay, I'll take a stab at this one - although I think some of it > might > already be mentioned in Jerry Montgomery's "History of the M-17," > which > is ... I can't remember where to find it - must be on MSOG > somewhere. > > I think most of the major changes took place in 1981, when they made > a > new mold because the old one was getting a bit worn from use. My > old > hull #331 was apparently the first "new" boat. I say this because > I > found an older-style M-17 which was also a 1981 and also had hull > #331. > At any rate, it was 1981 sometime. > > I'll list what I remember as the changes: > > 1) Improved hull-to-deck joint. Not sure exactly how the old one > worked, but the new one protrudes more on the outside and takes > both > the hull and deck and folds them into an upside-down U-shape > together. > I believe that all of the old boats had the perforated aluminum > toe-rail, whereas most of the new ones had the teak toe-rail, but a > few > had the perforated aluminum (which was apparently more expensive and > harder to install, and probably more functional; but apparently > "the > public" preferred teak). The improved hull-to-deck joint also ran > all > the way across the transom (thus the motor cut-out was eliminated), > giving it much more strength (I have seen a number of the older > boats > that had small cracks running vertically at the place where the > transom > turns into the topsides.) > > 2) In the cockpit, the cooler was eliminated from the "benches," > and > the benches were made completely flat (I believe, but am not sure, > that > the older model had some diagonal grooves at the forward corner of > the > benches for drainage? That's what I was trying to say when I said > the > new ones were flatter.) > > 3) In addition to the motor cut-out being eliminated, a "wet > locker" > was created across the back of the cockpit. Essentially a > continuation > of the cockpit "benches" across the stern, but isolated from all > other > lockers and inside spaces. It had a lifting lid, just like the > other > bench lockers. > > 4) Cockpit drainage: IIRC, the older boats had copper tubing > glassed > into the hull for cockpit drains (or just one drain?). My > early-new-style 1981 had what I believe were fiberglass tubes > glassed > into the bilge for cockpit drainage, but the tubes were below the > waterline. I think that newer-new-style boats went to > above-the-waterline transom drainage, but I don't know exactly when. > I > think the newest boats utilize a one-way valve to allow water to go > out > but not come in ... ? > > 5) Forehatch: The pre-1981 boats had a forehatch that was flush > with > the deck, whereas the 1981-and-later boats have a hatch that sits > "on > top" of the deck. > > 6) Ports: The pre-1981 boats had ports with aluminum trim rings > around > them, whereas on the new mold there were recesses molded into the > coach-roof sides, and the ports just bolted right into the > recesses, > with no trim rings. > > > 7) Backstay attachment: I don't remember how the backstay was > attached > on the older boats (perhaps stainless tangs bolted to the > transom?), > but on the newer boats - with the rolled hull-to-deck joint - (hazy > memory alert!) there is a short piece of what looks like re-bar > (but > which must be stainless of some kind) tucked into the groove > created > under the hull-to-deck joint's lip, and the backstay fittings are > anchored in that way. > > 8) Below-decks layout: I'm fairly sure that all of the pre-1981 > boats > had the one settee (quarter berth) + galley layout, whereas starting > in > 1981, you had a choice between that and two settees (which both > doubled > as quarter berths). Now I'm really straining my memory, but I > think > with the two settee layout, the cockpit lockers were small, ie: you > lost the great cockpit-locker stowage you had with the galley model > (unless you cut them out later on) (more on this below in "later > mods"). > > 9) Things I'm not so sure about: ... > > At some point, the centerboard-raising winch might have been moved > outside? Or maybe it was eliminated with the fiberglass board? > (See > below). I also think that the main-sheet traveler might have been > moved around a bit in the cockpit. Were earlier ones closer to the > companionway? I believe mine on hull #331 was about 9" to 12" > abaft > the companionway. > > I always wondered if the "turn" from the coachroof to the > coachroof-sides might have been a squarer profile on the pre-1981 > boats > -- or perhaps it was something I just *thought* I noticed when > looking > at a shot of the bulkhead at the rear of the cabin (as in a photo > looking from the tiller towards the bow). > > 10) Later mods: Starting around 1986, you could get a "short > settee > berth" instead of either the galley or the second full quarter > berth. > Then you had the advantage of two people being able to sit facing > each > other below AND the huge cockpit locker of the galley model. Also > in > 1987 (IIRC), the centerboard went from iron to fiberglass with lead > (early on maybe steel?) ballast encapsulated in it. The new board > is > wider than the old iron one, so the keel stub was modified at the > same > time to accommodate the new board. Also, whereas the old, iron > board > had a "stop tang" to keep in from dropping too far, the new > fiberglass > board utilizes a knot in the rope, like the M-15 does. > > That's all I can think of right now. There's probably more - and > I've > certainly erred in some of my "facts," so feel free to correct me! > > --- Rachel > Boat shopping for something a little bigger than the M-17 (to live > aboard), but darn! you have to go SOOO big to get much more than > the > M-17 offers - it's especially hard to beat that fine cockpit > layout. > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > > _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
