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New Morgan 384 shopper

M

malyea

Mike Alyea
Hello, I'm new to the site 'cause a Morgan 384 just might be the 'perfect' next boat for us...

Plans are to sail it out of St Augustine after getting it refurbed/fitted out and capable for passages to Bermuda, Bahamas (the long way...offshore) and the Caribbean.

Currently 'slow motion shopping' and hope to make the find/purchase within 12 to 24 months.

Best to all, I'll just be hanging around (but I do plan to add an inner forestay...)

Cheers!
 
Mike,

If your in the N. Fl area, take a drive over to Green Cove Springs marina. Last time I was there, there was one on the hill for sale by owner. Can't remember the name of it off hand, but I recall it was pretty nice on the outside.
 
Search our recent posts. One of the M-38 board members is selling his 382. I believe he's from St Aug.

From his discription of the boat it appeared he had done all the "dirty deeds" already. Well equipped too.

Anyone remember who it was?
Within 30 days or so.
 
We have a Morgan 384 for sale. It's on the listings just above. It's in Port Huron, Michigan. It has a lot of custom features, has been cruised lots in the Great Lakes and down the intracoastal to Florida and the Bahamas. It's a great offshore boat, and is meant to be sailed and enjoyed! Worth your time to look at!
 
Barry, 'High Hopes' caught my eye the other day on YW...very nice! My timeline is get the small St A retirement house built by mid/late spring 2015 then (research boats while building) shop hard for 6 months to make purchase by end of 2015. Thanks to all for the helpful leads and interest!
I lean very heavily towards the 384 over the 382/383...thoughts?
 
384:
Ventilation +
More Teak -
Tall mast +
Shorter mid sheet boom +
Rudder chnges +/-
Higher Prices -

Knowing what I know (and it aint much folks) I'd look very hard at a boat thats had all the hard work done already. Like the one Steve posted the link to.
Dave
 
Oops, note to self...look/think before I post...
just noticed the traveler in the cockpit - that's a 100% deal killer for me - back to the 384....
 
I'll try to be as respectful as possible (cause when we marry a woman or buy/marry a boat....we tend to defend them to the death)....

- but why in the world should I even consider buying any model but a 384 -

assuming that I can find a great deal (fair market value or below) on a great boat (384 that passes survey with flying colors).

I know you all love your 382/383s - but is there any objective reason for me not to pursue a 384 to the exclusion of the other models.

Thanks for your patience and lip biting on this question ;-)
 
There all the same boat Mike.
The 384 has a few extra bells & whistles, but at the end of the day they're all the same. You have to decide whether the premium a 384 brings is worth the difference.

I sail a 383 with the "384's tall rig but it has a 382's slightly smaller rudder. Not really a problem. So a 382 with a shorter rig is likely more under control in heavier conditions.

The 384's dorades I see as the biggest upgrade. I duplicated it with Nicro products. I see the cockpit teak as a big negative, not to mention the dorade boxes.

It sounds like you believe the 384 is superior to a 382. There's probably a dozen "inferior" 382's in the Bahamas every winter. They ain't bad boats!

All I know is I'd rather have a boat that had all the upgrade projects completed. So I could go sail it (instead of work on it).
Choose wisely!
Dave
 
Geeez, guys this is a conversation that can only be compared to discussing the choosing of a mate:
I got this gal with a B cup, she's nice but I think I should upgrade to a D. I really can't consider this really sweet gal I know who is an A......REALLY!!!!!

They are all great boats. Everyone of them is different, yet the same. I have a 382. Every 382 I have been aboard is not the same as mine. Yet, it's the same boat. Because each owner has made the boat, HIS.
My preferred boat was a 382 because it had the shorter mast and the traveler is in the cockpit. I can list my reasons, but it does not matter. They're MY reasons.
Someone else will choose the 3 or 4 because of the rig. Tall narrow sails go to windward more efficient than short wide ones. Short wide sails go downwind better. Unless you want to use a spinnaker. Then the taller mast will give you a much larger spinnaker then the shorter mast.
Each time a boat manufacture has to buy goods to produce the boat they are making they have to deal with cost of product. So they change manufactures. Note the engine differences, Perkins, Yanmar. They both do a great job.
I could say that by the time Morgan produced the 384 they figured out how to do it cheaper than the 382. What do you think of that? The truth is I don't know. But it would make sense. And it does not matter to us the owners of the boats. If an old boat has been "well owned" through out the years. Well maintained, Upgraded, and taken care of it is a better boat then one that has not. It is really that simple, 2, 3, or 4.
If you want to race around the buoys, pick the 3 or 4. Or maybe you should really getting an old C & C.
Make your choice based on the quality, rather than price, if you can.
Pick your boat they way you picked your wife, A, B, C, or D and love her.
Larry
 
Geeez, guys this is a conversation that can only be compared to discussing the choosing of a mate:
I got this gal with a B cup, she's nice but I think I should upgrade to a D. I really can't consider this really sweet gal I know who is an A......REALLY!!!!!



LMAO, i just shot coffee out my nose..
I agree with this statement 100%.
I have a 383 and love her as much as my wife " dont tell her". I like the taller rig, the cabin mounted traveler etc.

my 383 did not get the big rudder , boooo
but after sailing with a buddy on his 384 it did not matter as much. reverse still does not work well. Ha i dont feel so bad now. I dont think any boat steers well while backing. Good luck with your hunt for a 384. Not to worry were all here to give you help " and hell" all the time.
 
I have to agree with everything posted so far, so which one would I buy if I had to do it again? The one with the best upkeep. It matters more to me what condition the stuff I am buying is than the year it was built. Start actually looking at boats, you will find that pictures cant really be trusted.
 
If I didn't own one already, I'd be looking hard at Steve Guy's boat. It's clear he loved his boat. When buying a used boat that's the key. Owners who love their boats take good care of them.

Two gents recently sailed in to FHYC from Rochester with an 80's Sabre 36ish C/B. This boat was bought new by the owner. This fellow (in his 70's) tells me it won his class in the Sabre Worlds. It looks new. He told me the boat has an unlimited budget for maintenance. When the plexi windows craze, they're renewed. Its part of the family. It wants for nothing. (But its NOT for sale)

Thats the type boat to buy. A loved by the owner. They're out there, but I never seem find them when I'm buying!
 
Dave, the answer is, you don't buy till you find it. The other thing is when you do find it your going to have to spend more for it. Not because the owner is a wise ass but because the owner respects his boat and wants the perspective new owner to do the same. He does not want his loved boat to fall into the wrong hands. He has to pass her on, and he wants to make sure she is well cared for.
Project boats are another issue and another discussion. Does it pay or not? For some it's the only way to buy a boat.
I saw a project boat last summer. The owner was working everyday on it. I don't know what he paid for it but my estimate is that if he brought it into a professional yard it would cost him over 100K to bring the boat into decent condition. Another 25 to 30 for yacht condition. If he had been able to spend 50 to 60k when buying he would have been better off. But he made his decision and did what he felt he had to do. And I don't care how good a DIY he is it is going to take him 4 to 5 years to get that boat to be just okay. And in that time he will spend at least 40K not counting his labor on what he could have earned working those hours at a job.
We all have choices and for what ever our reasons, we do what we do.
Larry
 
My buying budget equaled the boat I found plus some add-ons (windlass, stainless ports). I could have spent less on the boat and more on the add-ons. Now its just maintenance (fix autopilot, where IS that water coming from?, sail) and upgrades that "showed up" (new dodger, lazy-jacks). Save some money for what shows up, the more you love her the more things will show up. I sure like the concept of "unlimited budget for maintenance", wow.
 
Larry,
I know what you mean. When I bought my boat, I thought I was getting a good deal. On the interior I replaced the headliner, removed and replaced the wood panels at the port level, striped and re-varnished all interior wood, replaced the sole, re-wired the entire electrical system, re-plumbed the fresh water system, replaced the head, replaced the water fill and diesel fill hoses, recovered all cushions, replaced all lighting, re-bedded all ports and hatches, covered wood with plastic (Polywall) at port level and below settees, added new television, new stereo, 12 volt fans, and new bilge pumps.
On the exterior, I had the dodger restiched and replaced plastic windows, replaced the bimini, added a stack pack sail cover with lazy jacks, replaced the mainsail, polished the hull, performed a very expensive blister repair with barrier coat, closed several through hulls, replaced the cutlass bearing, converted winches to self-tailing, added fuel polishing system, and painted the decks.
I stopped keeping track of the money spent because I didn't want to get sick.
I know I am forgetting quite a bit. I am pretty proud of the way it came out though. Take a look for yourself:


19702.jpg





19703.jpg
 
Great job Tomas. It's more than a boat. It's your home. Even if you have a house, this is your other home. You live there.
Larry
 
Great info, knowledge and opinions - it's clear I found a site where folks know and love their boats. Had a great phone conversation with Steve Guy today - fine gentleman and a fine boat no doubt. I know that for me I need the traveller out of the cockpit and the larger 384 rudder. This question may be worthy of its own thread - if you move a 382's traveller to the cabin top and go mid-boom sheeting - do you need to shorten the boom and lengthen the mast like they did when Morgan made the change?
 
Mike - Your post above re-kindled my interest in a similar question regarding boom dimensions relative to boom end sheeting vs. mid boom sheeting. Unable to find the answer by searching the archives, I created a new thread devoted to boom dimensions and sheeting systems. Check out the new thread for more info on converting the 382 to mid boom sheeting.

On our 1979 M382 Pilgrim (yes another M382 named Pilgrim). The previous owner moved the main sheet to the cabin top via a Garhauer track mount and Harken traveler. The main sheet and traveler control lines were lead aft along the cabin top.

While we really appreciate the added space in the cockpit, we also feel the person at the helm needs easy access to the main sheet. We plan to lead the main sheet back to a dedicated self tailing winch mounted on the cockpit combing just outboard of the wheel. We have not yet tackled the routing of the sheet or on which side the winch will be mounted.

We plan to leave the traveler control lines and the topping lift on the cabin top at the forward end of the cockpit.

Good luck with your bot search!
 
Lee,
Thanks, the upgrade has been a lot of work but I love my boat. I am amazed when owners of other similar boats come sailing with me. They always leave impressed with how well my M382 sails. It points closer and performs better than the boats they sail.

Larry,
I do not live aboard. I live two hours from the boat so we stay on it a bit when the weather is right for sailing but not during the Louisiana summer.
 
Here is a couple more interior photos. Since these photos, I have had the blue cushions redone to get rid of the loose fabric and I have touched up some of the varnish work.


19712.jpg



19713.jpg



19714.jpg
 
The contraption is a 13,500 btu portable air conditioner. Someday I'll put a marine unit back in but for now it works.
 
I have a serous envy of the wood work around the mast.. And... the fact you still have your original light boxes around the plates. mine are long gone.
She looks fantastic.
 
The woodwork around the mast is just strips of teak about 1" x 3/8". I siliconed them to the mast and to cover up the junction with the headliner, I cut a piece of polished brass from a kickplate and wrapped it around the teak strips.

I think the best choice I ever made was going with the Polywall on the port level, under the settees, and as the headliner. It is easy to clean and looks great. I used almond color and purchased (special order) from Lowes.
http://www.parklandplastics.com/polywall.shtml
 
Very impressive work, Thomas.

How thick polywall did you use? Did you remove the thin teak veneer or just glue over it? How do you hold it up there while the glue dries?

How does Polywall deal with shoe scuffs--the main cause of dirt and scars on my lower bulkheads below the settees.
 
Terry,
The Polywall is about .090" thick or about as thick as a quarter. At the port level, I had to replace much of the plywood. I then glued the Polywall to the new wood. You have got to use the right glue...don't ask me how I know. To hold it in place I first tried clamps and wedges but later found that thumb tacks work very well. The tiny holes disappear after they are removed. It is pretty durable and I have even lightly sanded areas where it got scratched during construction. For the headliner, I cut paneling to the right dimensions then laid it flat and glued the Polywall to it. I had to roll it with a rubber roller to work out air gaps. I don't get any noise from it at all. Every Lowes I have been to stocks Polywall but they only sell white. When I see folks buying it, I always tell them the glue to use.
 
bschnur said:
We have a Morgan 384 for sale. It's on the listings just above. It's in Port Huron, Michigan. It has a lot of custom features, has been cruised lots in the Great Lakes and down the intracoastal to Florida and the Bahamas. It's a great offshore boat, and is meant to be sailed and enjoyed! Worth your time to look at!
Click to expand...
In another discussion, people thought the transom would be weaker with the swim platform, but we've been sailing and cruising now for 15 years or so, and have had no problems. The swim platform folds back up into the stern, so all the parts are back together again! The boat is for sale again, because in all those years, we've developed health issues, and have 2 smaller boats to use or sell also. Did fix boats for a living for a while, and found a couple day sailers we can use! But every spring, we get this boat back to prime condition and sail her instead. and figure out "old folk" ways of doing things. We would like to sell her to someone who will take care of her. She is still on sailboatlistings and now is listed with pop yachts.
 
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