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Montgomery 15 - Hull Number 172
When I have shopped for watercraft, I have often found myself right in the middle of an emotional love affair with the process. Sometimes caution falls to the wind in favor of the excitement of the moment. When that occurs, I try and manage to put things into perspective;
Hire a surveyor, find a friend or who knows the boat I'm looking at, or at least read all of the possible problems that can occur to the model I'm looking into. For the Montgomery 15, I guess about the only major concern I would have is to be certain the centerboard operates properly. Most are stored on trailers and it's pretty easy to see the obvious problems of rare blistering and physical damage. And most of the other problems that plague other balsa cored, hand laid craft are thankfully not present in the Montgomery line (excellent design and craftsmanship abounds).
Norm Bundek felt the same way when he made up his mind to buy his Montgomery 15 hull #172 (click on link for album). After the purchase, he discovered a few problems which are mentioned in the album. The worst of the concerns came when he went to clean out the bilge of debris which had collected from years of use. What he found was scraps of lead and rusty steel (top photos) epoxied into the bilge to add weight in an attempt to make the M15 quit healing. Norm realizing when Jerry Montgomery put pencil to paper and created the M15, he designed her to sail very well and the added weight was not necessary. So began the process of removing the mess and resealing the bilge.
The photo on the bottom left shows the bulkhead base of the brigedeck from the inside of the cabin. just behind and under the cockpit sole is the bilge on the M15. If you can picture (middle shot) Norm laying on a patio mattress for fourty-five days, with his feet towards the bow and hardly being able to see, using a mirror (everything is backwards) to scrape, pry and dig out the epoxy and lead from the cavity. And, after finally getting everything clean enough he poured in West Marine Premium Resin to fill the voids (right photo) so in the future he could mop clean the bilge should any water collect. As can be expected Norm made up a few name for the previous owners who made the modifications.
Since the bilge is so hard to look into it's possible no one would have noticed the problem. Only finding it when she was cleaned for the refit. So, if you are thinking of buying a used Montgomery 15, check the operation of the centerboard and then do not forget to think about what a prior owner may have done. In this case I guess the word that comes to mind is creative.
.
Hire a surveyor, find a friend or who knows the boat I'm looking at, or at least read all of the possible problems that can occur to the model I'm looking into. For the Montgomery 15, I guess about the only major concern I would have is to be certain the centerboard operates properly. Most are stored on trailers and it's pretty easy to see the obvious problems of rare blistering and physical damage. And most of the other problems that plague other balsa cored, hand laid craft are thankfully not present in the Montgomery line (excellent design and craftsmanship abounds).
Norm Bundek felt the same way when he made up his mind to buy his Montgomery 15 hull #172 (click on link for album). After the purchase, he discovered a few problems which are mentioned in the album. The worst of the concerns came when he went to clean out the bilge of debris which had collected from years of use. What he found was scraps of lead and rusty steel (top photos) epoxied into the bilge to add weight in an attempt to make the M15 quit healing. Norm realizing when Jerry Montgomery put pencil to paper and created the M15, he designed her to sail very well and the added weight was not necessary. So began the process of removing the mess and resealing the bilge.
The photo on the bottom left shows the bulkhead base of the brigedeck from the inside of the cabin. just behind and under the cockpit sole is the bilge on the M15. If you can picture (middle shot) Norm laying on a patio mattress for fourty-five days, with his feet towards the bow and hardly being able to see, using a mirror (everything is backwards) to scrape, pry and dig out the epoxy and lead from the cavity. And, after finally getting everything clean enough he poured in West Marine Premium Resin to fill the voids (right photo) so in the future he could mop clean the bilge should any water collect. As can be expected Norm made up a few name for the previous owners who made the modifications.
Since the bilge is so hard to look into it's possible no one would have noticed the problem. Only finding it when she was cleaned for the refit. So, if you are thinking of buying a used Montgomery 15, check the operation of the centerboard and then do not forget to think about what a prior owner may have done. In this case I guess the word that comes to mind is creative.
.
The repair, modification and/or maintenance projects on this page are provided to show how one person accomplished a given task. Some projects are hazardous, dangerous and expensive and should be attempted only by professionals.. No warranty of success is included nor implied with any of these projects. The Webmaster, contributors and authors, will not accept, nor be held responsible as a result of any use of the material presented.
When I have shopped for watercraft, I have often found myself right in the middle of an emotional love affair with the process. Sometimes caution falls to the wind in favor of the excitement of the moment. When that occurs, I try and manage to put things into perspective;
Hire a surveyor, find a friend or who knows the boat I'm looking at, or at least read all of the possible problems that can occur to the model I'm looking into. For the Montgomery 15, I guess about the only major concern I would have is to be certain the centerboard operates properly. Most are stored on trailers and it's pretty easy to see the obvious problems of rare blistering and physical damage. And most of the other problems that plague other balsa cored, hand laid craft are thankfully not present in the Montgomery line (excellent design and craftsmanship abounds).
Hire a surveyor, find a friend or who knows the boat I'm looking at, or at least read all of the possible problems that can occur to the model I'm looking into. For the Montgomery 15, I guess about the only major concern I would have is to be certain the centerboard operates properly. Most are stored on trailers and it's pretty easy to see the obvious problems of rare blistering and physical damage. And most of the other problems that plague other balsa cored, hand laid craft are thankfully not present in the Montgomery line (excellent design and craftsmanship abounds).
Click on photo to enlarge
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