Melonseed Conversion  Posted by: Gorge Haycraft, MS#253 About five years ago, I finally realized no one in my family cared for sailing except me. Before, I thought if I  could just find the right boat, they would come. Not being very bright, I went through a dozen small boats  during thirty years before the light finally came on. I only needed a boat for one, or at most, two on rare  occasions. My attitude now is if anyone wants to go sailing or learn to sail, I'm willing to help, but they must  want it bad enough to have their own boat. I'm through doing all the work for guests who whine.  At the time, I had a three boat fleet. First, I sold a Drascombe Scaffie. The Picnic Cat followed. I kept only the  Melonseed. The Scaffie and the PC were both fine boats, but the MS was the only one I could manage totally  from home. During the season, it lives on the trailer in the garage ready to go, and my truck lives outside. For  winter, I suspend the hull from the garage ceiling, and partially disassemble the trailer for storage in the  push out corner of the garage. My truck comes inside. For three years, I've appreciated this arrangement. No  more trips to the storage lot 25 minutes away, and no more monthly fees.  During the last ten years, I developed some dissatisfaction with the Melonseed due to age and local sailing  conditions. My hips and knees ache after a time sitting cross legged on the MS floor, and I tire of rotating  myself 180º every tack on the narrow windward/leeward 140 acre lake I sail on. I'm becoming envious of  sailors who sit in a seat and always face forward. With that in mind, I began looking at a Hobie Revolution 13  with sail add-ons, the Hobie Adventure Island, or a Triak, none of which I felt totally comfortable with the  more I read. However, I would not have discovered a potential solution without reading about those  alternatives.  My plan is to modify my Melonseed to suit my preferences. It involves a combination of three changes:  increased stability, forward facing seating, and steering.  First, I will increase stability by adding beam with a set of Spring Creek kayak stabilizers.  The floats are 42"x6"x6". The kayak mounting brackets should easily adapt to the Melonseed's oarlock sockets.  I just need to get the main cross bar a custom 56" for the MS beam. I've read the Spring Creek stabilizers  described as "agricultural" in appearance, but they look simple and robust enough to do the job. With their  stability added to the MS's beam, I should be able to sit facing forward without having to rotate 180º on the  floor every tack.  125