When Griselda was last in use by my brother, he kept her in a slip on Lake
Travis and I have a private dock behind my house on Lake Livingston where she
will go when I finish the refit. Griselda's draft is 39" and the trailer sits
a bit high off the road so, it takes a deep, steeply sloped ramp to get her in
and out. The community launch ramp for our villiage is next to my house and is
about 8 feet deep at normal water and becomes steeper further out so,
launching and retrieving there should be no problem. Using our big F250 4WD
work truck will make it even easier.
I do plan to to attend some of the group sails so, I will have to be concerned
about the ramps I use. Getting information about the ramps in advance may be a
challenge but, in salt water, I will probably plan ahead to launch at high
tide. For a week or longer cruise, the expense of having the boat lifted in
and out would be justified if a good ramp were not available. The design of
the trailer makes a world of difference in ease of launching.
As I have done with my previous trailer sailers and the big cabin cruiser I had
in Germany, I do plan to modify the trailer to make launching easier. I have a
sliding extension tongue (extends 12 feet), that I took off another trailer,
ready to install and I plan to change out the straight axle for a dropped
version to put the frame closer to the road. I also plan to remove the rear
cross member and put in diagonal frames from the back corners to the center
keel support. As with previous trailer sailers I have owned, I will install
guides to center the keel as the boat is winched onto the trailer. The trailer
hinges in the middle which has been handy to avoid dragging the the tongue on
ramps which have a steeper angle further out. I also have a pair of metal
rollers to put on the rear of the frame to let the trailer roll if the back end
drags on the ramp. It is nice to have a son-in-law who is a welder and steel
fabricator.
Actually, if I were shopping for an M17, I would probably prefer the CB version
especially if I didn't have the slip behind the house. But, Griselda has been
in the family for over 25 years and my brother made me a very good price. Even
with a CB version, I would make the above mentioned trailer modifications and
add an A-frame to raise the mast with the trailer winch. At 67 years old, I
want to make rigging and launching as easy as possible. As I finish Griselda's
refit and trailer mods, I will be putting pictures on the New
montgomeryowners.com site.
Ron
M17 #14 (fin keel)
Griselda
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected]> Date:
> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:23:39 -0800> Subject: M_Boats: Fin vs CB Models> >
> Ron/Mark/Fin keel owners-> > Do you keep your boats in a slip? What is the
> depth required to launch? Is launching contingent on tide levels? Is
> launching an issue vs. the CB model? It would appear that FK model require a
> much steeper ramp angle or allowing boat/trailer to quite a bit deeper than
> CB model - again, just my perception. Interested to know what the difference
> is in launching / retrieving vs. CB model. Is ramp angle a concern when
> launching vs. CB model?> > Thanks,> Carlos> > BTW - after you provide insight
> on above, feel free to talk about the sailing characteristics of FK vs. CB. I
> am sure you will enjoy sharing this insight!!!! :) :) >
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