Thanks again for your help. Jerry --- Jerry <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Howard, thanks for the detailed reply; your answers > were really informative for me. > I explored around the photos section some more and > realized that the 17 comes with a forward hatch, but > the 15 does not. Perhaps some kind of front vent > could > be installed. But apparently a lot of people find > the > ventilation in a 15 adequate. I especially enjoyed > reading about Doug Kelch's travels in a 15. He has > trailered and sailed a 15 from Maine to Key West, > overnighting an average of 25 nights a year. (The > Florida keys would be my dream trip, which appears > quite doable in a 15.) I also saw several photos of > boom tent type arrangements for rain, which seemed > to > work well. Your comments about riding out the rain > in > your boat as well as a tent were encouraging. Thanks > also, for the comments about anchoring stern to the > wind in light air. I'll have to remember that there > is > more breeze on the water than in a campground > surrounded by tall trees. > > Your netting arrangement seems to be a great idea > for > sleeping bug free. > > I live in Birmingham Alabama and kayak camp near > Pensacola, so I have not really observed what other > sailers do about the frequent summer lightning > storms. > I'll be more observant next time I am down there. In > my kayak, I get off the water onto a barrier island > or > other shore. Even so, I have had to crouch low for > awhile beside the kayak in a couple of bad lightning > storms, with strikes very close by. The flash and > the > boom occured simultaneously. Pretty scarry > experience > for me. I would feel more secure lowering the mast > in > those conditions, which could probably be done > easier > on a 15 than a 17. > > I have had an offer to sail on a 15 in Mobile (4.5 > hr > drive), and in October on a 17 which will be at > Smith > Lake, about an hour from my house. This is obviously > a > great group, and I cannot wait to take advantage of > these generous offers. > > Thanks again for your comments, which have helped > confirm that a small sailboat like the 15 or 17 > would > be better for my purposes in the long run than a > small > cubby cabin powerboat which I also considered, > because > of the speed in avoiding storms and the lack of a > mast > in the air. > > If anyone else has any experience avoiding > lightning, > I would really appreciate your comments. > > Jerry Renno > > > --- Howard Audsley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Seeing no other response, I'll take a swipe at > this. > > > > > > On Aug 23, 2006, at 12:22 PM, Jerry wrote: > > > > > I am still new to the group and do not yet have > a > > > boat, but I do have some questions for those who > > sleep > > > aboard for a few nights in southern waters > during > > the > > > summer. (Alabama, Florida, etc.) > > > > > > 1. How do you keep from roasting at night? > > > > I cool off after hot day (is 90 to 100 with high > > humidity hot?) by > > either taking a swim or using a small garden > sprayer > > to take a shower > > in the cockpit. Once cooled down, I don't usually > > get hot, but I prefer > > hot to cold, so that doesn't bother me much. If > > there is a breeze, you > > can anchor bow to wind and pop the hatch open to > get > > considerable > > ventilation going. Or in light air, anchor stern > to > > wind to get even > > more. Cook outside in cockpit to keep heat out of > > the cabin. > > > > > > 2. How do you keep out mosquitos? (without > > roasting) > > > > I built a light netting that fits the companionway > > and seals it up. You > > can also get or make the kind of netting that > > resembles a bag with lead > > weights on the perimeter to go over the forward > > opening hatch. Not that > > much different from hiding out on the beach inside > a > > tent. Same > > ventilation techniques apply. > > > > > > 3. With lightning storms just about every > > afternoon or > > > evening, (Pensacola area) how do you stay safe > > with a > > > metal mast up in the air? Do you ever take it > > down > > > while on the water during storms? Or do you > beach > > on a > > > barrier island and get off the water? > > > > Don't see much lightning. What do other boats in > > that area do? A M15 > > could probably be rigged to drop her mast > relatively > > easy and quickly. > > > > > > 4. Is staying on board still realistic in a > > day-long > > > rain? > > > > As opposed to inside a tent? Most of us who > > overnight much have rigged > > various forms of awnings, boom tents, etc. so that > > the hatch can be > > left open during rain events. Some can even sit in > > the cockpit and stay > > relatively dry. Tod Mills has a full enclosure for > > his. I've camped > > (both heavy tent camping and light backpacking) > and > > I can stay as dry > > and ride out rain as well in the boat as I can > > camped. You won't be > > standing up inside the boat, of course, but unless > > you are really > > packing heavy (full wall tent with enclosed > > awnings), you don't stand > > up inside a tent either. > > > > > > I am used to camping in a campground near > > Pensacola, > > > where a good tent, and perhaps a fan in the tent > > at > > > night solves most of the above issues. I am > still > > > considering a Montgomery 15, but want to be sure > > it > > > won't turn out to be miserable instead of > > wonderful > > > spending a few nights on board. > > > > Best solution is to ask to take a ride on one to > > check it out for > > yourself. You may have to travel a bit, but if you > > are going to make > > the investment in a boat, it might be worth the > > effort. > > > > Keep in mind these are small boats. Capable of a > > lot, but in comparison > > to most boats, small. But if you realize this and > > pack accordingly, and > > carefully stow things so you don't have to move > them > > around a lot, you > > quickly adapt to the size and all is well. A lot > of > > guys routinely do > > one and two week trips on them....some even > longer, > > with no real > > problems. A one or two week trip from Pensacola to > > Mobile and back is > > entirely within the capability of this boat, but > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
