Hi Frank,
Now that Bill put in his $.02 let me add mine.
My M15 #400 had the shallow starboard sail locker when I bought it. The
port locker went all the way downs to the hull and I used it to hold a
narrow milk box that held my 4.4 lb Bruce anchor copy, a gallon of fuel
as well as two one quart oil containers filled with fuel. They are
easier to pour into the HONDA 2 HP engine fuel tank than trying to hold
the gallon container with spout and do the same.
I cut around the rim of the shallow starboard sail locker and made it
removable. Now I had the best of both worlds; the shallow locker for
small stuff - car keys, wallet, locks, sail stops, etc.; plus the storage
area below, where I keep extra cockpit cushions; the swim ladder; the
paddle / boat hook; and the Bimini. On a boat this size you want to use
every bit of storage space you have.
Gasket the inside of the sail locker lids so that water can't enter.
Also put hasps on the lids so that they are positively closed when
sailing, but can be opened with a flick of your finger for access to
whatever you might need.
I second Bill's comments about a rug for the cabin sole. I got several
samples from my local carpet store and then cut them to size. I made
several with different colors; not much labor but then a lot of choice...
A topping lift is a necessity.
As Bill said, most of us use a 2 HP HONDA and find it excellent, but,
.....like anything, this is a function of where you sail, and what kind
of tidal currents you may be bucking.
I had a Forespar tiller extension, but found it not very satisfactory for
sitting forward in the cockpit. The angle between the Forespar tiller
extension and the M15 tiller was about 120 degrees, so you didn't have
very good control if the wind piped up.
I built my own tiller extension out of wood, and raised it high enough so
that it cleared my knees while sitting on a cushion. It had a pin on the
underside that fitted into the Forespar socket in the tiller, plus the
underside was hollowed out to fit the shape of the M15 tiller.
It was held in place with a piece of Velcro.
The advantages are:
less pressure on the tiller
you get your weight forward so that the stern of the boat isn't
dragging in the water
tighter course control
....and it is instantly removable
Connie
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