• Welcome to this website/forum for people interested in the Morgan 38 Sailboat. Many of our members are 'owners' of Morgan 38s, but you don't need to be an owner to Register/Join.

GUYS we need to step up and save this BLOG !

stnick

stnick

lee nicholas
We all know Larry Brown has done a great job with this site.
We need to pay our way here each send some bucks $$$ to keep this going.
Larry does not even have his Morgan any more , and is doing this out of the goodness of his heart.
He is doing a wonderful job now as he has done in the past.

I would like to send some money to keep this alive. Just give me the address please . Lee Nicholas
 
The only problem with sending me money is that it doesn't seem fair to the people that send it if the others aren't carrying their weight. However, I don't know of a better way. I can tell you I pay approximately $60/mo for the server this software runs on. If everyone wants to do a push to donate as much as makes sense to them I can assure you I would put all money received toward the cost of the hosting. I don't mind checking for new member requests and making sure the site is up as I've been doing. There is a lot of data in the archives that could be really hard to move to another site depending on the skills for whoever wants to inherit it. But for now that's not an issue. I'll keep paying until I just can't anymore. If it makes any difference to anyone I'm a single parent working my way through the big D so this is a particular rough patch so it will make a difference. But I'm not so broke as to not keep this going for you guys. You all make this site what it is and it's really incredible. So if you all want to do this I'll put the money into the hosting company to give me a break for a while but I'm not shutting anything down so if you don't or can't, don't sweat it.

Larry Brown
129 Gulfwinds Dr. E
Palm Harbor, FL 34683

Larry
 
This site has been, and continues to be, a very valuable resource to me as I refit my Morgan. I'd be happy to contribute some cash to keep it going. Do you have a PayPal account set up, Larry? That would certainly help to pay money.

You should also consider posting a PayPal button on the homepage. Folks can just click and pay!
 
YEAH the Pay Pal sure would be a easy way for us to Help Larry and ourselves keep this site going.
I'll send Larry money . I'm on record with that !
If every one would send 20 or 40 bucks this would Rock the site.
We all need this site for our boat projects and to keep the friendship we all have with each other.
 
I created a button and put it on the M38 Home Page on the link at the top of the menu bar on the left.

I haven't tested it so if you guys want to try it I'll see how well it works. I'm kind of relying on Paypal to have crossed their T's and dotted their I's and am relying on them to provide security for transactions. That link should take you to their site where they protect you with their encryption etc. It took all of 5 minutes to take the code they gave and post it onto the page.

Larry
 
I just threw some scratch your way. Let me know if you received.

Just one thought... the landing page for morgan38.org takes you directly to the forum... not the home page. I would bet that most folks will never see the donate button.

Can you move the donate button to the header of the forum? Maybe with some text saying that donations are the only thing keeping the site alive?
 
I'll have to see if I can figure out how to customize that area in the application. It is part of the board. The link to the home page links to a static html page I can easily modify. I'll see what I can do.

Paypal shows you have a payment but I have to link them to my bank account to accept it. I'll have to do this tonight from home. Thanks for this. It will help.

Larry
 
I got them linked and it appears to work fine. I'll look into a new home for the button this weekend.

Thank you for suggesting this and I appreciate it.

Others have sent me checks over the years and most I did not cash. I felt it unfair that one here and there should pay and the rest not. I would rather reward that person for thinking of it. lol. I have cashed maybe two over the years as they came in really handy at the time and weren't much, but were something and were appreciated. All of them were appreciated. I'm just used to giving and feel uncomfortable taking.

Thanks again!
 
I want to thank:

Kenneth, Alan, Steve, and Todd

I appreciate the money and will put it toward the hosting fees.


Fair Winds and Cool Drinks guys!

Larry

PS I know some people like usernames rather than their full name online so I'm just using first names trying to avoid drawing attention to anyone.
 
Well that's funny... I didn't notice until just now the software puts your full name on your posts anyway. Sorry guys :p

Larry
 
No worries, mate. And thanks for keeping this going! An invaluable resource - one of the better owner's groups around if you ask me!!
 
Thanks Thomas McNulty, Alan Shedd, and Lee Nicholas.

The total so far from everyone is $225, minus Paypal fees is $216.12!

Thank you all.
 
<a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=AWIcQb1zmnRrNAdkPi6Mmxbt3hxqjJnM_CPJ0M305GQXGoTx9MKsaEK8IoC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8da8649a435e198e44a05ba053bc68d12e" target="_top">https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=AWIcQb1zmnRrNAdkPi6Mmxbt3hxqjJnM_CPJ0M305GQXGoTx9MKsaEK8IoC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8da8649a435e198e44a05ba053bc68d12e</a>

here's the link to donate
 
Made a small donation too...after 5 years or so of getting all kinds of valuable and friendly advice on the Morgan 382 it's the least we can do.

I have been able to get so much information I never could have gotten anywhere...It saved me far more than you can imagine.
The few bucks we offer here also helps keep the value of our good ole boats worth a lot more than if this site didn't exist...so if for no other reason make a donation. <img src="http://morgan38.org/discus/clipart/happy.gif" alt=":)" border="0"> I know that for many of you this site helped you make the decision to buy your Morgan.
 
Thank you Larry for your support of this Morgan Forum. It's a great resource for our great boats!
Larry
Sail-La-Vie
 
Larry
PayPal says my donation arrived. If not let me know.

We all can not thank you enough. Please let us know what more you want or need.
 
Thanks Larry! This site has saved me countless hours & avoided missteps. I'm sending my contribution now too.

I sent you a check last year, too, and offered to host the site when you've decided you're done. I'm a database & web application developer, so I'm pretty sure I could migrate the content into a newer framework.

I really appreciate everything you've done!
Cheers,
-Mark Pearson
Morgan 384 'Zia'
Portland, OR
 
Larry ...you got mine correct?
Also a regular fee would alienate early visitors just doing research ...I like the honor system
 
A anual membership fee is only fair. And the idea of advertising is interesting.
Defender like active captain has Or boat brokers, sailmakers Stuff we all need at some time.
There are smarter people than me who can work out the details.
In no way should the administrator pay from there own pocket EVER ! We are not all rich , but we all have boats .
So a couple of bucks investment in ourselves for the Blogs sake , just makes good business sense .
 
Since I consult on this subject and have some experience ...the Morgan user group woul quickly lose people coming for the first time to just do research ...they are not going to pay... However the affiliate advertising is something of another subject...planting cookies on you computer etc...also we all get to talk about whatever products we want.
My last word...but don't be surprised if the occasional visitor no longer visits
 
Hi Larry - I should have added ... if you have any interest in updating the framework to something more modern, I'm game for doing that even if you're still the host.

Seems it would be nice if it was simpler to upload photos, automatic resizing, etc. And not blow the page out to the right.

Let me know if you'd like to discuss.

Cheers,
-Mark Pearson
Morgan 384 'Zia'
Portland, OR
 
Typically what happens, and maybe you had the same experience, someone is doing research on boats reading many different reviews going back and forth tons of times asking questions etc. then they opt for the Morgan become an owner and may refer back off and on over years like I did , despite some abuse from a few members(ha ha) then the next thing you know you are hooked and realize what a great resource and great people are on the site...I think at that point you have no trouble getting people to help out.
Many other old boat sites tried doing just that and they are gone now or reborn but not what they once were.
 
Larry,
Paypal confirmation:
5E653647T4303460R

This forum resource helps keep these boats alive. Good Ole Boats !

Dave
 
John is right on with how many Morgan owners come to be, at least that's exactly how I ended up here.

I've blown way more on useless magazine subscriptions, so I will be more than happy to donate to this site.

I also would like to give a big "thank you" to all who have contributed, and those that continue to contribute.
 
Larry,
I am sending the link to my First Mate who is also my Controller/Comptroller. She will send my contribution to the PayPal link earlier in this post.

I'm in Clearwater Downtown, if you are without a sailboat, please let me know if you'd like to head out with us, we are down here at least 3 weekends per month (we live in between Orlando and Ocala).

Thanks for all you do with this site, it would be impossible to maintain and upgrade, etc. without it... and the camaraderie also is priceless.

Best Regards,

John Harrison
 
Wow, OK, I was away from the computer for a while. I think it's only fair to those that have pitched in that I give some time for everyone willing to help carry the load to do so before posting the sum. You guys are really making a difference and it will go to keeping the site up.

I want to thank the following owners for their help so far and again, you guys rock!

Terence Thatcher (A big thank you!), John Huling, Jeff Lovett, Lawrence Pisko, David Smith, Stray Dogma (?), Janice Ahlers, Stephen Ruell, Christopher Addington, Rolf Peterson, Vernon Gliot, Stephen Guy, and Francis Buck.

I wish I could give you more than a shout out but since it isn't coming to me you will just have to keep in mind that you make this site what it is in near total.

OK, so I will talk to Mark about getting his help. In the meantime can I get some input from everyone whether they think we should go with NO ads as we've always done but add an annual drive or would you rather go with no annual drive but have ads? I know it would be nice to have the hosting paid for as apposed to taking money out of your own pockets but I am tired of advertisements over every square inch of my life. LOL Maybe you guys aren't so tired of it and it's just the way of the world that should be ultimately accepted.

I don't want to start a flame war so please don't argue, but rather just let me know your opinion on the matter.

Thanks again everyone. If I go 4 days without another donation I'll call it over and post the grand total. If Mark does take over we'll do it on the same server or an alternative but still on my account and I'll pay for it until these funds are exhausted. I need to discuss this with him as well but will make sure you all know what's going on and make decisions in consensus.

Larry
 
Hi Larry - the mysterious Stray Dogma contributor was me ... I guess my PayPal account says that.

Regarding ads, one idea would be to have small, unobtrusive ads for non-contributors. Then have the ads switch off if it's a contributor using the system. That's the way cruisersforum.com operates, and I've always found that to be a very useful forum.

We should look at the stats, though, because we might not get enough traffic to be worth the hassle of hooking up ads.

Give me a ring or email when you're ready to talk. My cell is 907 223 7700. I happen to be in Florida for a few days now.

Thanks,
-Mark Pearson
Morgan 384 'Zia'
Portland, OR
 
I'm in. This site has been valuable beyond belief to me since I purchased my 382 last year. It's still on the hard but will be wet this year.
 
I honestly don't mind the ads on Cruiser's Forum, but I do like that we don't have Ads here. So I'm nuetral, and now wondering why I am even weighing in....
 
Hi Larry -

Thanks for keeping this forum going for so long. I just recently started monitoring it again after a hiatus of many years. I found my 1982 M383 here 13 years ago.

Jim Dalton
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
M383 Shearwater
Hull #39
 
I'm in Larry.

Because of this board I was able to evaluate, purchase and upgrade this wonderful boat. It has served us for over 11 years and we have raised two generations of sailors.

We are now in the Bahamas for our third season and are still in love with Southern Cross.

This board adds value to our boats and we should all support it in any way we can.

Gary Pullin
Abilene Texas
M382 Southern Cross
Hull 232
 
Larry - are you now a "flight risk"?

Or are you just breaking even after all these years?

Dave
 
No Dave I'm not. One of our members (Lee) asked about a poor feature on the site and I explained that it is what it is and my relation to the site and the maintenance expenses etc. He started this thread and I certainly wasn't going to discourage it :p

I think I've managed it for about 8 years at a cost of around $5k. No one expected me to pay that much nor was it a hardship on my part. But looking forward the idea of not having that bill is very attractive. Plus I am going to have some help in getting the system migrated over to a later version of bulletin board software that will have some nice features in relation to photos. And we're going to make some changes to reduce costs. (I don't think at this point it will be advertising) So we'll breath some more life into it and I'll remain its Steward for the foreseeable future.

While I'm here I'd like to thank:

Kenneth Kurlychek, James Dalton, Jose Santin, Albert Willett, and Thomas Burns.

Thanks for building up this fund for hosting. Oh and Dave, in case I didn't catch the humor in the idea I would take the money and run... ROFL.

Have a great day Morganeers!

Larry
 
Five k is real money . We need to all give some, for the good of the whole. Find out how many members and do the math. A membership fee quarterly or yearly .
Just for me I would not want to loose access to all this knowledge and advice . You all have helped me so much more than money . Boats cost money , and now I realize so do web sites !
Give a little and save a lot.
Larry Brown is just a giver , we just should not take advantage.
I thank you all for stepping up . Lee Nicholas
 
Larry/Lee -

What is the "ask"? Should I wait until the site and info is on a new platform?

I agree with everyone on the value of the site, but will point out that my personal use of the site was enormous when I first bought Shepherd's Star in '07. I learned a great deal about everything, and could not have done what I did without this site and the many contributors. As time went by, I found I was learning a bit less and teaching a bit more for other, later newcomers. In this case, payback was a pleasure! I suspect this is true of many of us.

Speaking for myself, I'm happy to help others, when possible, with their individual challenges as they try to keep these old boats afloat and ship-shape. It would be a shame if we were to lose the information on this site. I know the topic of migration/ evolution has been discussed in the past - heatedly, at times. But I will point out that the real treasure on this site is the substance, not the form.

Might I be so bold as to suggest to Larry that a succession plan be put in place - or has that already been done with Kenneth, James, Jose, Albert, and Thomas? Morganeers could benefit from a public/private site, with limited info available to outsiders, and more detailed info on current owners, boat locations, registration history, owner expertise, etc. available to subscribers. But that's a lot of work, and should be shared with others, rather than having one person carry the ball.
 
Larry thanks for all your work and altuism over these years. And you sold your "old Charley" some years ago didn't you?

I think the M-38 board is unique.
There are some Catalina forums that are ok, but the level of expertise and help towards new owners is very special and not often seen elsewhere.

Its clear we all value our boats and that
Ted designed, and Charley built something special. The next version of the M-38 board should be self sustaining and yet not hit new owners up immediately for $. Perhaps access to a library of factory doc's and how to videos or PDF's should require a fee. My opinion.

Anyway thanks Larry for all you've done.
 
I noticed Larry is paying PayPal fees. I'd like to avoid that when I make my donation.

Please let me know whether the Donate button is a funds transfer or a payment. The funds transfer incurs NO FEES to either party. A payment has a fee.

Here is what the fee looks like:
"It'''s only 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for goods or services..."

To do a funds transfer, all we need is Larry's email address associated with his PayPal account and have the funds available (i.e., not a credit card transaction).

When it comes to advertising, I'd be fine with that as long as they were in a column on the right with NO Sound and NO Animation / Video. Those Ads are just too annoying.

Another idea: I have the site tree open on the left... not sure if everyone does. If so, there could be another "folder" called "Donate" that let's folks get to the button from there.

Last of all, could the Donate button be in the footer of the email notifications?

I will contribute, but don't want to pay fees. So, please let me know if the donate button has fees attached.

Helene
s/v Hallelujah M382
 
There is one option that is free to all and requires little to no maintenance. Start a Facebook group page. My wife belongs to one called Women Who Sail and it has 5000 members.

BUT, the only drawback is that it does not provide a searchable database of historic conversations.
 
Yes, Edward the current information is priceless. Facebook doesn't lend itself well to searching either.

Helene, Paypal does charge but I think that's because the credit card company charges and between the two they want to stay in business. I know they are both very successful :p

I don't mind. I wouldn't expect them to provide service for free. If they do have a way that's free I certainly wouldn't turn the offer away so if they do feel free. Otherwise a check in the mail will work too. Although I'd rather pay Paypal than make a trip down to the bank lol.

Thanks,

Larry
 
Yes, Edward, FaceBook would have been a good idea, but that searchable content is super important.

Matt pointed out the 'substance' versus the 'form' concept. I agree that the substance is the real value, but it doesn't need to be all one or the other. We can also have the content in a nice, new form (aka user interface).

Setting up a site in a modern framework like phpBB or vBulletin is quite easy. Getting all the data (Users, Posts, Attachments, etc.) from the old system into a new system is what takes some real work.

Since data wrangling & application development is what I do for a living, I offered to Larry that I would try writing some scripts to do test migrations. If it's successful, then everyone can test out a new system and see if you like it better. Then a decision can be made.

I also told Larry that going forward we should be able to get some hosting that'll cut the costs down.

Cheers,
-Mark Pearson
Morgan 384 'Zia'
Portland, OR
 
Also... you never know when Facebook will start charging or fall out of favor like AOL chat rooms and MySpace....and they do run ads...they run a very invasive entity that requires cookies...the list goes on and on.
When we host our own site we know for certain we control it not so on Facebook.
 
Larry, what is the email address you use for PayPal, and I'll do a free funds transfer. And, thanks for all you do!

I've done free transfers several times. The only trick is to make sure it is a funds transfer... or transfer funds tab (and NOT call it a payment) and to have the money either in your PayPal account or your linked bank account.

Also, any site can be searchable with freefind.com I use it on http://siosonline.com for all their archived newsletters. My sister was the secretary, and when she died, they were about to throw out all the old paper newsletters she published. To save all her work, I created the site with archives that can be searched (finds all the crazy species names they use). It updates the index automatically every day. The Ads are not objectionable, but check it out (try keywords like "corsage", "slipper" or "mold") if it is something you would like to implement for a new Morgan 38 site.
 
I'm just so proud of YOU , all my friends for doing the right thing . For Larry and for ourselves.
To have all this out in the open and work out a solution.
I"M VERY PROUD LEE
 
Matt
When all was said and done which engine did you end up with and how much was it to have the whole thing purchased and installed?
 
John -

I went with the Yanmar 4JH5E with a Hurth-style transmission. The engine itself was about 15K, and the extra work (enlarging exhaust port, swapping out all 1" hoses for 1-1/4" hoses, replacing fuel line, adding sound insulation) added another $5K. A fortune, but now I can use the motor without leaving an oil slick behind me, and I also know the full history of the engine.
 
Jack, when you type in http://morgan38.org into your browser you should see a panel on the left of the window and at the top of that panel it says Morgan Resources. Under that heading is the link for M38 Home Page. Click on that link. On the main panel to the right it should then show a photo of one of our boats with a description along side. Scroll down until you see my information with my address etc. To the right of my information you should see a yellow donate button which you can click on. Follow that link and it should give you options for using your credit card or Paypal if you have a Paypal account.


Thanks
 
Many Thanks Larry! I sent you a Paypal donation.
I've used the site for advice and ideas since the '90's, and it's invaluable.
Rick Kehoe, M382, S/V Green Flash, home port Tampa, owned since 1993.
She's currently on the hard in St Pete while I work in Las Vegas, but I'll be splashing her and sailing again next year!
 
Larry
I just tuned in to this thread. I'd like to make a paypal connection. How do I get there on the new boar Do?

Jim Cleary
 
Helene
It feels good to be back on the board. Life has been very busy the last couple of years. This new Board is a great improvement over an already successful version. My thanks to Mark and all those involved. And to Larry for all his prior work.
If you, or anyone, are heading north through Long Island Sound this summer, stop by in Glen Cove to see us. We are heading for Maine in August.

Jim
 
Larry Thanks for the years of great service. Have had "fun" with paypal so checks in the mail. Just a few thoughts. The Catalina 38 S&S design group, of which I am a member, has annual dues, a commodore, treasurer and tech specialist. As a member you receive The Mainsheet, a Catalina quarterly magazine on all Catalina's. Catalina bought Morgan from the bankruptcy, builds boats in Largo Fl. where M 38's were built has a section on the Morgan 44 in this publication. More Morgan 38 series were built than the S&S Cat 38's. Maybe someone could investigate this as an option. At age 76 I'll pass.

As I said just a thought.

Dick
 
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