July 17, 2006.
Since moving to the
new city and now sailing the larger lake, Daphne and I had taken a couple of
months to decide that we wanted a larger boat.
The reasons are many but the main one being that we could then cruise together
and not just day sail. With Annie M I would cruise
alone or with someone else but the overnight part had to be camping ashore.
Daphne was not keen on the camping ashore part and was the first to suggest
we might have more fun and spend complete weekends if we had a boat large enough
to sleep aboard.
Another aspect to this decision is the new lake itself. For the first 3 or four
sailing days we experienced your basic 'all or nothing' wind. If the wind was
going to come up, it was a good chance it would come up big. 15 plus. Although
I sail Annie in winds like this regularly, it is a lot of work and not much
fun for Daphne. A slightly larger boat would increase the comfort factor and
make us able to sail regardless of the wind.....within reason ~:0)
Whether it is just being guy or a boat owner....I have always thought about
the 'next' boat. Hell, I have been dreaming of the next boat long before I got
the 'first' boat. Have spent most of my life sailing , repairing or building
boats and yachts.
I always figured I would be stuck with building the next boat (and also always
thought of as the 'last' boat). I already make a full time living making stuff
out of wood. Spending all my spare <sailing> time for a year or two just
to get the boat I wanted was very tough to commit to. I also could not warm
up to owning a fiberglass boat in the price range we were going to have to search
in.
I have admired the design work of Lyle Hess for nearly twenty five years. Since
that first day seeing a Bristol Channel Cutter up on the marine ways at a small
boatyard I worked in. I have known about the Montgomery 17 for a very long time
as well, but felt that the boat was out of my price class. Circumstances change
thankfully. Daphne and I figured the M17 would be a perfect choice for us and
we made the choice to go ahead and order a new one for next year.
In advance of making the commitment to the factory I joined the Montgomery group
list and posted a question about ordering a new boat and options. I never did
get an answer to that email but Joe Hubert posted a notice of his #369 being
for sale late one evening. The boat was close enough in Portland Oregon, it
was very well equipped and from the images I saw looked as though the previous
owners had been very careful and meticulous with her. We made a deal, we had
the boat back home a week later. I am very pleased as the money saved over a
new boat, if similarly equipped, is huge. Joe was a kick to meet and we are
hoping he does come up to our area for a visit come time.
So here, only a couple of weeks after making the decision to change boats, we
have a new boat. What a huge difference. A wonderful new learning curve.
As of this writing (July 25, 06) we have had the boat eight days and have sailed
five of those eight days. The range of sailing has included a float and bake,
some beyond perfect 8 knot breeze 4 hour runs to a 6.9 knot broad reach without
surfing....with the rigging so electrified you got shocked every time you touched
it. This boat is almost everything I have ever wanted in a boat. Literally a
dream come true. I am one grateful and happy camper. ~:0)
Tim.
First sail in the new boat.
We had a very exhausting
weekend driving to Portland Oregon, buying Puff and driving home.
Turns out that a less than perfect radiator can mess with your trip.
We did'nt blow or boil over but maxed the needle out a few times. I got the technique down eventually and basically crawled up all the hills and passes with the four way flashers blazing. We also had to stop a few times to get the temp to settle. Other than the over heating, our van tows the boat with ease and stops very well also, thanks to the surge brakes that have been installed on the trailer. Very pleased all in all. I would not hesitate to drag Puff across the country .....once I install a new heavy duty rad. (I had already installed a big ass trans cooler)
A usual 10 hour trip turned into 15 and we arrived home at 6am. Daphne and I both bailed on work and slept. When I got up at 1:30 we discovered, lo and behold, it was windy. We gathered up our day sailing gear, transferred all the required gear from our old boat and headed off to the launch ramp.
It took an embarrassingly long time to set up, even being the first time. I think the biggest pitfall was the large furling gear. That thing is heavy and quite a pain to deal with. I will be hunting for new and quicker methods eventually. For now, we have a sweet deal with the city to keep the boat rigged and on her trailer in a parking lot. We just have to launch and retrieve. As it turns out, a very easy and speedy process with the M17. Also fortunate in that the ramp we use is steep enough not to require the extension.
It was very windy
when we arrived at the ramp area, two hours later it was a lot windier.
Our new VHF weather channel said it was blowing a constant 15 knots with gusts
to 20. With the location of this particular ramp, a south wind and long fetch
builds up a nasty chop. To top it off you are basically launching into a lee
shore situation. We dropped the boat in and sat (bouncing) at the dock for a
while deciding what to do and when. I started the motor for the first time.
The previous owner had not used the 4 stroke 4 hp Yamaha in two years. It took
quite a bit to get it to light up, and then lots of fiddling to keep it going.
It seemed to need a lot of choke just to run… even once warm. Not a particularly
confidence inspiring detail. I figured in worst case, if we got out there and
the motor would not stay lit, we had a big fat genny on a furler that would
allow at least a beam reach I was sure.
Under motor the 17
seems to need little effort to move her. The motor only died once that first
time out. We unrolled the 150 only leaving the main with some ties but ready
to go.
First thing I did was see how high she would point under big headsail alone.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only would she point right up to
a luff but would tack right through just fine! Outstanding. With that wind,
and being our first time on the boat it was more than enough sail to have out.
We were plowing along very smartly at 4 to 5 knots. There were times when the
boat was heeled up to 30 degrees with the the 150 alone. Plenty of wind for
sure. We tried a bunch of points of sail and were just tickled with the handling,
balance and performance. (at this point I was not sure if this settup could
be reefed or not and just used the whole sail)
Two hours into the afternoon the wind started picking up considerably. The weather guy did say that an area just south of us was getting 30 knots steady, so maybe this was now our wind. It got a little too nutty to have to pinch all the time so we decided to furl the sail up and see how it went. Furling the 150 was a first for me as well. It went pretty well....but if Daphne was not there to help it may have been a tad more difficult. (now I furl the thing in and out easily....and am getting to like this sail very much)
Interesting stuff. The boat turned stern to and started sailing downhill like
we would with sail up. With the following sea and wind it was hard to tell at
first how fast we were moving. I pulled out the GPS again and found we were
sailing between 3.5 and 4 knots with no sail up. I can’t decide if this
is interesting because it may be a characteristic of the boat or that it was
interesting because there was just so much pressure. The helm responded like
I was sailing. In fact, I rounded up and tried to point her head to wind and
she would have none of it. The boat naturally wanted to fall off and run. I
had a row boat years ago that would do the same thing. Perhaps having that huge
‘sausage’ rolled up where the forestay should be might have something
to do with it. I have zero experience with furlers.
We sailed the next
evening as well. A hot, clear beautiful evening.
Other than binding up the centerboard pendant in its own bight….and spending
over an hour sweating over that…..we had an outstanding evening in 5-10
knots of wind and fell in love with what now seems to be the sailboat of our
dreams. Great handling and response, stiff and able, plus a bear to wind. Everything
is all quite fantastic at this point. Having the room to move and lay down.
Stowage and stability is really quite wonderful. I notice the bow seems a little
light and does prefer a bit of weight forward. I will try filling the water
tank and moving the anchors forward.
Having said all these positive things about Puff, I do have a few areas of interest that have caught my attention. ~:0)
The sheeting angle
between the winch, sheet block….and between the winch and cleat. I would
like to be able to un-cleat, trim and cleat the jib sheets from the windward
side of the cockpit. I am wondering if anyone has tried a swivel style cleat.
I use these on my other boat.
I am going to have to develop a technique to use these winches as they seem
to just wind the tensioned line down to the bottom of the winch. I have very
little experience with winches as I have only owned a smaller sailboat and though
sailed on many larger ones, never seemed to have any trouble with winches before.
An area to look into me thinks.
The winch location in relation to where the centerboard pendant comes out of the case seems askew as well. Is this just me or is it ‘usual’. Once I fixed (or temporarily rube goldberged) the pendant….I tried several approaches and still found it wound up oddly and got locked up. Although I did not let it get to the full cockup position as before. Full replacement of the CB pendant is now on the list. The temporary fix should last the season. <After spending some time on this issue I found the onoly thing that works without binding is to only take one wrap and tail like a bugger trying not to slip the line too much>
After sailing a gaffer for so many years, trimming the main is interesting. I will have to read my books a little more carefully. The boat came with an almost new North Main and it is the racing version. It sets wonderfully and has little or no stretch to it. There is a weird fold/crease kind of dealio on the foot of the main. A Foot Shelf I think Joe called it. Wondering what that is all about. The character of this pointy headed sail is interesting, but I can tell you, I seriously miss my gaff main. I love the adjustability and lower center of effort. Hmmmm, I wonder how a nice gaff rig would go over on an M17.........
Anyway. I am about as happy as any human has the right to be. Looking forward to much more sailing. I just have to figure a way to eliminate that pesky work issue so I have more time to SAIL!.
Images from the trip home and our first day out with Puff.
Daphne, Me, Joe Hubert and Puff the Sailboat. The boat had sat in Joes driveway for the last two years. He had been too busy with his work to use the boat fully.
Daphne trying to stay neutral and calm while Joe and I are hashing out the deal and the details. She loved the images of the boat, and fell in love bigtime when she saw the boat in person. Niether of us had seen one of these rascals in 3D before.
On the way home to Kelowna BC from Portland Oregon. Stopped on the highway on the north side of the Columbia River. Looking south across part of the river.
Finally able to let out a holler and a small dance of joy. Daphne did not want to get to happy in front of Joe. He was pretty sad his little cruiser was leaving him. This shot taken about four blocks from Joes place where we had a nice micro brew to celebrate the event and calm our nerves a tad.
Sailing the first day was interesting in a boat we had never seen before. There was a steady 15 knot wind blowing with much higher sustained gusts. A common condition on our lake and a good reason for getting Puff to come and sail with us.
Still pretty windy even after sunset.
The End. ~:0)