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Considering to purchase a Morgan 38.

Corrado

New Member
Good evening,

My name is Corrado and I live in Toronto, Canada.
I am from Italy originally (born and raised). There, is where I initially got the bug for sailing but I was mainly a guest and it was many years ago now...

Only recently, I started to take training courses and sail a bit (a bit more involved) with a Catalina 36.
I am a new sailor and I am starting to look at purchasing a 38 to 44 max feet Morgan.
I have been looking and trying to read about Morgans. I really like the 382 (and the 43 cc or 44 cc.) I don’t really know the differences between the 38, 382 and 384....

In any case, I am looking for a boat I can cruise in. Not interested in racing as much. Initially I’d be sailing in the Great Lakes but I do intend to sail down to the Caribbeans eventually.
Again, Morgan right now is on top of my list. I like the design and the interior layout and the price range seems good as well. I heard good things.
What types of problems does a 38 in particular tend to have and what should I make sure to look at/for during a survey ?

I am curious to hear your feed back based on the info I shared. I hope I made sense and yet wasn’t too long.

Thank you so much!

Corrado
 
Hi Corrado - welcome to the Forum! Most of us here (we are biased) think the Morgan 38 is a great boat! People have sailed them around the world and raced them with success. In my opinion they aren't the fastest sailboats and if someone mainly wanted to race, they could find better boats. But for general cruising, reliability, occasional light hearted racing, and overall value, I think they are hard to beat.

Here is a quick description of the different models:

Also, there have been many other threads wherein people asked for advice on what to look for during a survey. Here are some recent threads. There are others:

My advise would be to hunt around and find a boat like ours: we have put an irrationally huge amount of upgrades/improvements on Zia and when the day comes to sell her, I'm sure we will get nowhere near what we have invested. But we get so much enjoyment out of her, we don't care. I'm sure there are deals like that out there someplace.

Good luck with your search!
-Mark
 
Hi Corrado - welcome to the Forum! Most of us here (we are biased) think the Morgan 38 is a great boat! People have sailed them around the world and raced them with success. In my opinion they aren't the fastest sailboats and if someone mainly wanted to race, they could find better boats. But for general cruising, reliability, occasional light hearted racing, and overall value, I think they are hard to beat.

Here is a quick description of the different models:

Also, there have been many other threads wherein people asked for advice on what to look for during a survey. Here are some recent threads. There are others:

My advise would be to hunt around and find a boat like ours: we have put an irrationally huge amount of upgrades/improvements on Zia and when the day comes to sell her, I'm sure we will get nowhere near what we have invested. But we get so much enjoyment out of her, we don't care. I'm sure there are deals like that out there someplace.

Good luck with your search!
-Mark

Hello Mark,

Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer my post. Yeah, I do like the Morgan 38. Heard good things. I am not interested in racing. I want to cruise and I would like to avoid a “delicate” / complicated / expensive boat to maintain.

I am not planning ocean crossings any time soon but who knows. One day... For now it’ll be just nice and comfortable passages / cruising.

I did reach out to a broker but haven’t heard back (yet). The few times I have done so, I noticed that not all brokers reply, even though the boat is still available. I guess they want only sure prospects (“I’d like to put an offer” type of thing, or ?). Maybe I should look for private sellers ... (?)

It’s ok though. I have no rush.

Best,

Corrado
 
Good evening,

My name is Corrado and I live in Toronto, Canada.
I am from Italy originally (born and raised). There, is where I initially got the bug for sailing but I was mainly a guest and it was many years ago now...

Only recently, I started to take training courses and sail a bit (a bit more involved) with a Catalina 36.
I am a new sailor and I am starting to look at purchasing a 38 to 44 max feet Morgan.
I have been looking and trying to read about Morgans. I really like the 382 (and the 43 cc or 44 cc.) I don’t really know the differences between the 38, 382 and 384....

In any case, I am looking for a boat I can cruise in. Not interested in racing as much. Initially I’d be sailing in the Great Lakes but I do intend to sail down to the Caribbeans eventually.
Again, Morgan right now is on top of my list. I like the design and the interior layout and the price range seems good as well. I heard good things.
What types of problems does a 38 in particular tend to have and what should I make sure to look at/for during a survey ?

I am curious to hear your feed back based on the info I shared. I hope I made sense and yet wasn’t too long.

Thank you so much!

Corrado
Hello Mark,

Thank you so very much for taking the time to answer my post. Yeah, I do like the Morgan 38. Heard good things. I am not interested in racing. I want to cruise and I would like to avoid a “delicate” / complicated / expensive boat to maintain.

I am not planning ocean crossings any time soon but who knows. One day... For now it’ll be just nice and comfortable passages / cruising.

I did reach out to a broker but haven’t heard back (yet). The few times I have done so, I noticed that not all brokers reply, even though the boat is still available. I guess they want only sure prospects (“I’d like to put an offer” type of thing, or ?). Maybe I should look for private sellers ... (?)

It’s ok though. I have no rush.

Best,

Corrado
I sailed my Morgan 383 on Lake Ontario for 10 years. Great boat for a great lake. It can handle almost anything the lake can dish out. Almost being the operative word. There are just some days to stay in port. The boat can handle more than you can. Most Morgans you'll find on the coast or Chesapeake. Very, very few (1-3) are on Ontario.
Find a boat that was taken care of by a knowledgeable owner if possible. It'll save you time and money. A boat that needs a lot of refitting, equipment, repairs and other work can discourage a new sailor. It can get very expensive to pay others as well. So finding one that's been taken care of from someone say on this list might be a good start.
 
Hi Corrado,
I just sailed my 1980 382 to the Caribbean a couple weeks ago from Beaufort NC. 10 days upwind...not the best time of year for the trip I know
Good evening,

My name is Corrado and I live in Toronto, Canada.
I am from Italy originally (born and raised). There, is where I initially got the bug for sailing but I was mainly a guest and it was many years ago now...

Only recently, I started to take training courses and sail a bit (a bit more involved) with a Catalina 36.
I am a new sailor and I am starting to look at purchasing a 38 to 44 max feet Morgan.
I have been looking and trying to read about Morgans. I really like the 382 (and the 43 cc or 44 cc.) I don’t really know the differences between the 38, 382 and 384....

In any case, I am looking for a boat I can cruise in. Not interested in racing as much. Initially I’d be sailing in the Great Lakes but I do intend to sail down to the Caribbeans eventually.
Again, Morgan right now is on top of my list. I like the design and the interior layout and the price range seems good as well. I heard good things.
What types of problems does a 38 in particular tend to have and what should I make sure to look at/for during a survey ?

I am curious to hear your feed back based on the info I shared. I hope I made sense and yet wasn’t too long.

Thank you so much!

Corrado
Hi Corrado,

I've owned a 1980 382 for 4 years and been living aboard for a year. Hull 22 I believe. They are great boats, especially for the price. I've sailed about 5000 miles in albatross in the past year, NC to Florida, Maine, and just sailed from nc to st john, 1400 nm mostly upwind. I'd recommend these boats to anyone. There's lots of things that can easily be improved depending on your needs but it's a solid, beautiful boat from the start. This forum is invaluable for any Morgan owner and you can easily find answers to any question you have. Good luck!

Tyler
 
I have sailed 30,000 miles in my 382, nearly circumnavigating from California to Virginia. I intend to sail though the canal and back to California next season.

A broker isn't necessary. However, if you are open to boats that are similar to the Morgan, a broker might be helpful to point you towards other models. There are often several on sale on various websites. A survey is mandatory, you really need to get one. I would suggest a separate survey for the rig and the engine if the boat is really promising.

The 2 "problems" that come to mind are location of the holding tank (in the keel) and some structural issues with early 382s around the head bulkhead and mast. The holding tank is venerable to damage if not hauled out and blocked correctly, and cannot be fixed. A new holding tank would need to be installed elsewhere. The structural issues were subject to a recall and it is believed that all have been fixed. But if you are looking at a low numbered 382 I would have the surveyor note that the repair had been done and that it is holding.

Beyond that, these boats are getting old, so there will be a very wide range of issues depending on how well cared for it was.
 
I have sailed 30,000 miles in my 382, nearly circumnavigating from California to Virginia. I intend to sail though the canal and back to California next season.

A broker isn't necessary. However, if you are open to boats that are similar to the Morgan, a broker might be helpful to point you towards other models. There are often several on sale on various websites. A survey is mandatory, you really need to get one. I would suggest a separate survey for the rig and the engine if the boat is really promising.

The 2 "problems" that come to mind are location of the holding tank (in the keel) and some structural issues with early 382s around the head bulkhead and mast. The holding tank is venerable to damage if not hauled out and blocked correctly, and cannot be fixed. A new holding tank would need to be installed elsewhere. The structural issues were subject to a recall and it is believed that all have been fixed. But if you are looking at a low numbered 382 I would have the surveyor note that the repair had been done and that it is holding.

Beyond that, these boats are getting old, so there will be a very wide range of issues depending on how well cared for it was.

Ok. Thank you very much for your input. I’ll keep all this in mind. Good to know!

Best,

Corrado
 
Corrado I have been restoring my 1980 382 for five years and sailing her constantly with paying passengers, many of whom are taking intermediate and advanced sail training with me. Perhaps you will consider coming to Annapolis, staying aboard and partaking in sail training with me while getting to know the 382. Ive been an ASA certified instructor since 1983. I was first introduced to sailing on the Morgan 38 in the early 1980s which helped me choose the same model in 2015. Perhaps you'd like to serve as mate/deckhand on my tours? The main thing is you must be enrolled in a drug testing program. Next fall, I may very well sail Non Sea Quitter to Florida and will be looking for a mate and paid passengers. How may I help you? Thanks Paul paul@foerfront.com
 
Since your looking .
I am preparing to list my 1970 Morgan 38 - Charlie Morgan Original
$18k but taking offers
Will send you the link when I get the post info gathered if your still looking .
 
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