Thanks for the insight Ron. I am interested to see the new M17 fin keel Bob Eeg is building. I wonder if it too will have the 39" draft?? Sounds like you have a great boat and great set up at your home. Where do you live, as you mentioned a boat dock in front and a village you live in. Sounds neat!
Thanks, Carlos ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ronnie Keeler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Montgomery boats mailing list" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 7:32 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Fin vs CB Models > > 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!!!! :) :) > _______________________________________________> >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > _________________________________________________________________ > Windows Live Hotmail now works up to 70% faster. > http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_faster_112008 > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
