New boat company - seeking opinions

I had guessed that narrow lapstrake was a Jerry Montgomery "signature". It will be of value to those who value his work. To others it might look a bit strange.

How fast can the boat be rigged and launched? Can one person do it by themselves? That matters to many potential customers for trailerable sailboats.

Does the outboard need to be removed for trailering? My preference would be to leave the motor in place so I don't have to mess with it at the ramp.

 

Thanx Sharpii2,

Good stuff. we're still a fledgling company, but have plans for "gatherings / meets" and newsletters once we get a few boats out there. We're building everything we can with local Colorado vendors. Manufacturing in America is critical to the future of our country. In our "day job" we are also manufacturing in America.

Hi Stumble,

Thanx for the input. We've talked about a gin pole, but to date, none of our customers have requested one.

Thanx Catbuilder,

We'll do some more research.

Hi David,

"Our" Dave has the most experience with the boat. He spent 2 weeks on a San Juan cruise with Montgomery owners to shake out the design. He can usually have the boat in the water in about 45 minutes by himself. the mast is only 35 lbs and goes up easily.

I imagine that you could leave the motor on the mount for traveling, but that does have some drawbacks. (road travel offers firmer bumps than water travel). We've designed a special motor mount that fits on the trailer for travel.

sal

 

correct, a reflection.


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the cockpit seats are flat for sleeping (78" cockpit length).

the beam of the boat and the width of the seats means it is very comfortable for folks to put their feet on the leeward seat's edge without 'over extending' their legs and keeping their lower back on the cockpit combing.

very comfortable and secure.


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mast up in 10 minutes. very light, as Sal stated. Jerry Montgomery, at 72, raises and lowers the mast single handed.

post mast raising the time depends on how quick a person puts on the boom and sails and gets the boat into the water. i do the entire process, if not answering questions, in 35-45 minutes.

i don't recommend this. going down the road is the worse thing we do to a trailerable boat. the slamming and bouncing at 65MPH is much more than any outboard is designed.

the recommendation is a Honda 2HP 20" (long) shaft motor.


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the Montgomery 17s, Hess/Montgomery designed, built before the late 1980s had a in-cabin centerboard raising winch for the 180lb cast iron centerboard. i own one of these boats, a 1983 build, and the in-cabin system has many drawbacks -

• you must leave the cockpit to work with the centerboard
• the pendent hole leaks some water into the cabin when the board is raised
• the centerboard pendent hole will 'squirt' some water in high sea conditions

based on this feedback, the choice to put the raising system in the cockpit is seen as the better compromise. i've never hit the winch with a body part.

the cost is minimal for the winch (<$45 including labor). the blocks, line, and backing plates for a 3:1 would be more: 2 blocks, longer line, two attachment points & backing plates, labor.

the Sage 17 currently under construction will have a sprit with a asym on a furrler.

each furrler adds between $650 and $1500 (depends on brand) over a hank-on jib

the sprit, carbon fiber and can be removed for trailering, adds $1500.

on the production boats all halyards are spliced.

we are looking at attending one of the boat shows in FL this winter - either Ft. Lauderdale (late Oct.) or St. Petersburg. (late nov.).


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in addition to the weight savings carbon fiber means there is no need for a compression post. this really opens up the cabin ... especially the v-berth.


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we have an owner's manual.

how true. i am amazed at the number of boat owners that do little to 'keep there boat up'.

the Sage 17 owner's manual includes recommended maintenance tasks, including yearly, monthly, and every time the boat is sailed and/or trailered.


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the current cushions are 3" deep. very comfortable ... and i have a bad back.


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You might want to think about how that time can be shortened. It is important for some potential customers.

How many other boats with outboards do you see on a trailer at ramp which need to have the motor removed for trailering? Are you saying the boat isn't rugged enough?

 

the transom is 6 layers of carbon fiber and the location where the motor mount, rudder and boarding ladder are located are cored with balsa.

i'm saying that because of the motor mount holding the motor out aft of the transom you have an large lever arm that can damage an outboard when the boat hits one of the many pumps on the US road system.

IMO having an outboard at the most violent location for sudden vector changes at 65 MPH you are asking for damage to the cylinder rings, valves, and all the small bits.

for this reason i have never trailed a motor mounted on any trailerable sailboat i have owned for just this reason.

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to add ... as i just posted lots of info ... all the feedback is welcomed. there are many ways to build, outfit and commission a sailboat. for this reason the sharing of ideas helps make a 'better mousetrap'.


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It always amazes me the amount and quality of information available on here. From true professionals like Par and Richard Woods, to those of us that just spend more time on boats than we should.

For asymetric furling I would recommend taking a look at the selden GX Furler 7.5. It retails for around $850, and is a true top down furler (so it can take loose luff kites) I got an early proto-type to test, and they are very well made, and make a huge difference for short handed spinnaker control.

You may also want to consider a Selden Aluminium bow sprit pole. Not as nice as carbon fiber, but retails for about $350.


All in all the more I read about the boats the more interesting they look. Great job.

 

Brilliant. Most of the boats in this class have a compression post. This really makes for a better cabin. Nice move.

 

Ok, just trying to help you sell the boats. There is a saying in the brokerage world: "Interiors sell boats."

With 3", cheap foam cushions (and I see many of your competitors have the same), you will just be in the "same as the other guy" category.

If you go for high density, 6" cushions, you will attract more buyers without even having to make any changes to the boat itself. It's a quick, easy way to sell more boats. Here is a visual demonstration of what I'm talking about...


Good Salon Cushions


Good V Berth Cushions


Your Cushions - Brand new and already sagging, wrinkling and out of shape.
Brand new, your V berth looks like a 1970's era trailer sailer due to those cushions, their poor fit and 1970's era fabric choice.

See what I mean? Which boat would you buy? More importantly, which boat would the decision maker (someone's wife) buy?

You obviously have put together a nice boat here. Don't dismiss my marketing input. I kind of know how to sell stuff.