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Morgan 38 Purchase

C

cpocon

Paul O'Connor
I have been shopping for a boat in the 38 to 40 range all
winter and have decided on a Morgan 382-3-4. I am looking at
three boats. One is a 1979 "382". One is a 1986 "384". The
third one is a 1980, and I am not sure if it is a "382" or a
"383". I have read everything I have been able to get my hands
on about the Morgan 38"s, but I have not found a break down of
the model years. I guess the models could even over lap years.
Can anyone help me or guide me to the information that might
help?
I have noticed that Morgan used a Yanmar 35hp in years
before 1980 and changed to the Perkins 50hp until Catalina
bought the company. Then they went back to the Yanmar. Do you
Owners have any preference, other than the obvious power
increase, or problems with one or the other?
I thank you all for your responses in advance.

 
<div>I have an early 382 with a 33 HP Yanmar with a 16 x 11 inch 3 blade prop. So far I have nothing but good things to say about the engine. I run it at 2200 RPMs and it will push the boat at 6 knots into 20 knots of wind with moderate seas, pulling a dink with motor on it. In flat water 2200 will move the boat at 6.5 knots or a little better. The difference in HP at the prop between the Perkins 50 and the Yanmar 33 is really only about 3 HP because Yanmar rates their engines at the prop rather than the flywheel.The only disadvantage to the 33 is it is not as smooth as the 50. On the other hand the Yanmar is not as prone to oil leaks. Both engines are good choices.Good luck in your search.
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I didn't think Morgan actually made 384s after 1984. I heard that there were several hulls sold by Morgan at that time and were built out by others. I did see one of these boats that was completed by Catalina and it was titled as a 1988 M384. It looked identical in every respect, however.

 
You are right. The 1986 384 I am referring to is a Catalina/Morgan vintage. Actually it is hull #19 out of 20 that were made.
 
<div>I've owned my '78 M382 #46 for coming up on 4 years. I didn't have the luxury of the net to educate myself prior to the purchase. Actually, there was very little in print ref these wonderful boats. I went on the suggestions and recommendations of some reliable sailors. I made the right choice!
I've had nothing but compliments on my boat and that it's a well constructed boat and a great bang for the buck. It's a lot of boat for the money. That being said, go for it.
I can tell you that the 382 was the first in the series (obviously), a rig change on the 383 (higher aspect, shorter boom) and I believe the rudder was enlarged a bit, then the 384 had dorades added and other minor refinements.
If you've read all the stuff on the board, you'll have a real good flavor of our really wonderful boats.
I have an older M382, thus have the Yanmar. I agree with the other gentleman, it's a strong engine, extremely reliable but is a bit noisy and mine vibrates pretty bad due to my over-sized prop that came with the boat (18RH11 2-blade). The only benifit is that it pushes a lot of water at low rpm's. At 2200, I can get hull speed (7.3kh)in calm seas, but the strain on the engine is too much again due to over propping. I'm in the process of doing my homework for a feathering prop, if I can afford it and justify it.All in all, I think you've made a great choice and obviously you've found our page and association, so WELCOME ABOARD!
If you're sailing anywhere near the Chesapeake, we have a great Chesapeake Morgan's Assoc and have a great time at raft ups, picnics etc. Come join us!Best of luck. See you on the net.Tony

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Regarding models, you probably won't find a better source of info than right here on this BB. You can get a very good sense of the differences by reading through the posts below. See especially especially that by Macintyre on 4/2, those under "Fatal Flaws," and also "Rig changes," particularly Lenny Reich's on 3/20. (And did you read the Home Page?)
Regarding engines, the Yanmar was a 3QM30, not to be confused with the more recent and less powerful 3GM30. The previous owner of my boat was told by Richard Mastry, of Mastry Engine Center, St. Pete FL, (a major distributor of Yanmar Marine Diesels) that the 3QM30 was "grossly underrated" and that Mastry's dynamometer tests "indicated the HP rating to be closer to 42 HP."
Morgan Yachts (brokerage) in St. Pete has Morgan manuals that recommend a 16 x 12 3-blade prop for this engine. My boat has a 17 x 12 3-blade and did 6.5 k at 2000, but topped out about 2-300 rpm short of the ideal 2800. So the 17x12 is probably a bit too big.
Note the past tense; my 3QM is history. The trans started acting up a year ago, and refused to engage when hot this spring. I was quoted $1200.00 for a trans rebuild. But the engine itself was badly corroded because someone had let a hose get to the point that it broke and apparently bathed the whole thing with hot salt water. So I pulled it all out. I wanted to have the whole thing remanufactured, but 3QM parts have become prohibitively expensive (an exhaust manifold alone was about $400.00). The estimate wound up equalling the cost of a new Yanmar 3JH 38 HP, so that's what I'm going with (and ironically it may not be as powerful as the old 3QM!)
The bottom line: the old 3QM is a powerful, massive, overbuilt engine. (The crankshaft on mine, by the way, was still in excellent shape.) If you've got a good one, take good care of it--and hope you don't need any major parts.

 
<div>Your confirmed my suspections. I have hull #20 or the last 384 built. I have rafted with a few 382's and 3's, and can not tell any real difference. I have teak venier on the mast where it is seen in the main solon, Bomar ports just forward of the companionway and a separate door from the forward cabin into the shower. I have the Perkins 50 hp engine. When the bottom and prop are clean, it pushes the boat with very little fuss. The engine is so quite I sometimes forget about it. When the bottom is foul, it will make quite a bit more noise and vibrate more but, it still is very bearable.
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Thanks for the "invite". 90% of our sailing will be on the Chesapeake Bay. Please let me know when your Morgan Assoc. is planing a raft-up. Also could you give more information about the Chesapeake Morgam Assoc. I'm glad I stumbled onto your great BB. Great info and input Guys. It looks like you cover coast to coast and Gulf to Great Lakes. I'm looking forward to working with a great support group like this.
Thanks you all for your help.
 
Can you tell that we all like our boats? I wouldn't have any problems with either engine, however, Perkins parts are readily available world wide. That can be a consideration, depending on where you will ultimately go. Our boat is a 384. We have gone from FL-VA-FL-Bahamas-VA, some ICW, some off shore. In all aspects we are delighted with our choice of boats. When you have made your decision, we would all be proud to share our modifications with you. We too are located on the Chesapeake, perhaps we will see you on the Bay. Enjoy!!
 

I replaced a Atomic 4 in My Morgan 38 with a Westerbeke 42B. I did the work myself and couldn't be hapier with the engone. E-mail for any questions that you have.
 
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